Guided by CCTV senior director Yang Dongsheng and famous soprano Lei Jia, Programme group of 2013 Zhangjiajie International Country Music Week came to inspect Tianmen Fox Theater. With the purpose of collecting materials and preparing for the closing ceremony of 2013 Zhangjiajie International Country Music Week, they acquainted the actual situation of Tianmen Fox Theater.That day, the programme group also saw famous live musical based on beautiful natural landscape Tianmen Fox-New Woodcutter Liu Hai with great interest.At the end of August, Broadly concerned 2013 Zhangjiajie International Country Music Week will open in Yellow Dragon ecological square. And closing ceremony will be held in Tianmen Galley Theater in September 4th.Translated by Becky

2013-07-29 11:14 View：861

Lately, Zhangjiajie—Chengdu travel forum was held. Many media like Chengdu Commercial Daily, West China Metropolis Daily and 31 representatives of travel agencies like Chengdu Kanghui CITS, Chengdu Best Tourism, and Zhangjiajie Company of new Kanghui travel Agency took part in this forum.After listening to the introduction related to Zhangjiajie customs and scenes, one after another Chengdua gencies spoke highly of Zhangjiajie sceneries and said that Zhangjiajie was a place worth visitors’ home and abroad visiting again and again. What’s more, they also offered some advices about how to exploit Zhangjiajie tourist market effectively.The deputy director general of Chengdu Tourist Administration said that Chengduacted as an international aviation hub for transferring shipment in western China. So Zhangjiajie came to Chengduto promote their travel market turned out to be a wise decision. Both Zhangjiajie and Chengdu are the first batch of pilot cities for comprehensive tourism reform in China, so in the long run, these two cities can work jointly and make progress together in order to drive the tourist development in China’s western region.Translated by Becky

2013-07-28 11:13 View：1104

As July 26th is the traditional lucky day of Buddhism, ZJJ Tianmen Mount–“The First Holy Mount in Xiangxi” witnesses tens of thousands of pilgrims and believers from Xiangxi and other surrounding areas. On two o’clock in the morning, there is a long queue in Tianmen ropeway station and it increases to over 4,000 people till 7:30. A long queue of nearly one kilometer circles in the square and incessant visitors are keeping coming. By 15:00pm, Tianmen Mount receives over 8,000 visitors, which records a new peak of the numbers accepting in one week. It is supposed to have over 10,000 visitors in July 26th.A special prayer meeting is kicked off in Tianmen mount temple, praying for peace for the world, prosper and good weather for the crops. On 10:20am, the meeting is officially issued on which Master Rong sheng of Tianmen Mount temple leads two groups people to chant sutras. Chanting Sanskrit and sunray resounding in the splendid buddhas hall, devout men and women keep coming for presenting their incenses, and a atmosphere of peace, quiet and mascot curling up in the air. After the ceremony, the believers come to depositarry of Buddhist texts where the bard sarira of Sakyamuni kept.In order to have a good reception in the lucky day and secure the safety, many protective measures have been prepared in advance, such as transport facility safety, ticketing, medical aid and propaganda. All personnel of the scenic spot are on their work for the ticketing time is brought forward on 5:20am and the time for ropeway operation is on 6:00 in advance.By Crystal

2013-07-28 11:13 View：1186

Zhangjiajie has built up a gorgeous performance stage for the coming 2013 International Country Music Week, which will kick off in August 31, according to the organizing committee of the event on July 24.Since initiated in 2011, the annual event has proved a successful tourism marketing program for promoting Zhangjiajie's international popularity with the sharp rise of tourists. The five-day music feast will attract about 400 performers from 24 overseas bands and six domestic bands, more than 200 journalists and thousands of guests. It will be much larger and more spectacular than the previous two sessions. Besides the exciting opening and closing ceremonies as well as gala nights, the highlight will be the tour performances escorted by nearly 200 domestic and overseas Harley-Davidson motors from Changsha to Zhangjiajie, arousing publicity stunt. Government departments at all levels in the tourism city are making full preparations to present a higher-level, unique and more influential international music feast.Translator: Guo YanSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

2013-08-01 10:16 View：1131

CHANGSHA - The World Bank (WB) will provide a 500-million-yuan ($81 million) loan to Central China's Hunan province to restore artificial forests damaged by freezing weather in early 2008, according to a WB program that was launched on Monday.The loan, with a length of 26 years, will be used to rebuild and restore 58,900 hectares of artificial forest damaged in 22 counties and districts, according to Zhang Fushuo, the provincial deputy governor.The six-year-long program, which was formally launched on Monday in the provincial capital of Changsha, will also provide technological support for forest nursery upgrades and the development of planting materials and forest cooperatives in the affected areas, said Zhang.The Chinese government will co-finance the program with 220 million yuan. The Hunan provincial government has allocated seven million yuan for the program.About 35.3 percent of forestland in Hunan was damaged during a period of extremely cold weather in early 2008, said Zhang.The WB initiated the program in 2009 and got approval from the WB board of executive directors in 2013.Source:China Daily

2013-07-31 10:11 View：908

Ma Maoting shows a silver headpiece he handmade in a flashback to ancient times on July 24, 2013. Sixty-year-old Ma is from Huangmaoping village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province. The village has been famous for handmade silver jewelry from ancient times and Ma is the 5th-generation of his family to make a living from their handicraft. It takes nearly 30 steps to make a piece of silver jewelry of the Miao ethnic group. Ma Maoting was honored as heir to Miao ethnic group silver jewelry forging skill in national intangible cultural heritage status in June, 2009.Ma Maoting uses traditional tools to make fire.The molds used by Ma Maoting to make silver jewelryThe molds used by Ma Maoting to make silver jewelryThe molds used by Ma Maoting to make silver jewelry.Using his tools, Ma Maoting processes silver jewelry.Source:China Daily

2013-07-31 10:05 View：1204

On the morning of July 26, 19 delegates from English-speaking African countries visited Talkweb, Changsha Software Park, and Changsha National High-Tech Industry Development Zone to survey Hunan's service outsourcing industry. These delegates, from Malawi, Mauritius, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Namibia, have been invited by China's Ministry of Commerce to attend a seminar on service outsourcing. In the seminar, they learned about the overall development of Hunan's outsourcing industry via observation, exhibition, presentations, simulation operations, and discussions. Most of the guests showed keen interest in designing software such as the automatic control system for agriculture sector, and also pledged to propel in-depth cooperation with the related enterprises in the province. The Trade Service Office of the Department of Commerce, Hunan Province received the delegates, and introduced Hunan to African visitors so as to promote bilateral cooperation. African guests take photo with directors of the Changsha National High-Tech Industry Development ZoneDelegates visit Changsha Software Park.Delegate speaks at a symposium with directors of Changsha Software Park. Translator: Liu FenSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

2013-07-30 09:44 View：812

The First Hunan (Yuanling) Sports Festival unveiled its curtain in Yuanling County of Huaihua City on the morning of July 27. As a grand outdoor sports event covering tramping cliff, river tracing, bicycle riding and other items, the festival attracted thousands of outdoor lovers from such outdoor alliances as Changsha, Wuhuan to Yuanling to appreciate the county's landscape resources and experience local customs.Themed with "Conquer Heimu Cliff, Race in Youshui River", the event aimed to promote the unique landscape and push forward the leapfrog development of ecological and cultural tourism of the county through outdoor sports participated in by grassroots professionals and the general public.The event was mainly made up of competitive events and experience activities. The former consisted of competitions of canoe drifting, dragon boat racing and Eryou Mountain climbing, while the latter included mountain bicycle riding, river tracing and tramping Heimu Cliff.The hosts present the flag to outdoor enthusiasts.Translator: Zhang MinsiSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

2013-07-29 09:42 View：803

On July 25, seven experts led by Zhang Zhiping, senior engineer of the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage and former director of the Chinese Cultural Heritage Research and Protection Center of Historic Buildings and Monuments visited the "Hundred-mile Dong Culture Gallery", Pingtan Village and Hengling Village in Tongdao, to survey the comprehensive treatment in the Shuangjiang River area.The villages of Dong ethnic group were officially included on China's World Cultural Heritage Tentative List in 2012. The treatment project involves three townships (Longcheng, Pingtan, and Huangtu), eight administrative villages, 8.2 thousand citizens,15,000 mu (1,000 hectares) cultivated land, 8.71-kilometer river channel, and a total investment of 16.1388 million yuan.The experts pinpointed the ecological effects of river improvement and highlighted its planning and preservation. In the choice of revetment material, consideration should be given to the protection of the cultural heritage, the geological condition and the flood impact. Consequently, to protect the ecology along the river bank, it was recommended to use traditional dry masonry block stones.Translator: Hao JingruSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

2013-07-29 09:41 View：821

At the conference with press and travel agents in Thailand convened on July 23, Vice Mayor of Zhangjiajie Cheng Danfeng revealed that Zhangjiajie and Pattaya will develop into sister cities by the witness of "Ocean around Pattaya and Mountain in Zhangjiajie".Recent years, Zhangjiajie has focused on securing its traditional inbound tourism market in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as well as Asian countries like South Korea and Thailand. The city has airlines that fly to 20 overseas destinations.From January to mid-July this year, the number of tourists arriving from Thailand increased by 50% year on year to hit 40,000, making Thailand the third biggest overseas tourists market of Zhangjiajie.During the press conference, Thailand journalists asked a blot about the relation between Zhangjiajei and Pattaya, Mountain and Ocean, as well as Yin and Yang, showing their great interests in Chinese culture and Zhangjiejie's tourism.Director of the Publicity Department of Zhangjiejie, Yu Huaimin sang a local love song and narrated a love story to ingeniously answer the journalists' questions, wining warm applause from the media and travel agents, and pushing the conference to a climax.Translator: Wang BilianSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

2013-07-28 09:39 View：1610