The 2005 China Huangguoshu Waterfalls Festival, with the theme "magnificent waterfalls, colorful ethical culture," will raise its curtain on August 16 in the southwestern Guizhou Province.

Wang Fuyu, vice secretary of Guizhou provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the press conference Tuesday that the festival is sponsored by the Guizhou provincial government and the National Tourism Administration.

A seminar on the waterfall culture and tourism, shows and performances of the local ethical culture and some economic and trade talks will be held during the festival.

Huangguoshu Waterfalls, the biggest cataract in Asia, is one of the beckoning treasures of Guizhou. It is one of the first batch of key national scenic spots, which was released by the National Tourism Administration in 1982.

Wang said about 70 percent of the areas in Guizhou are Karst topography. In addition to the thousands of waterfalls, represented by the Huangguoshu, the tourism resources of the province are distinguished from others in China.

The Guizhou's tourism kept a 30 percent yearly growth rate during the past five years.

In 2004, 231,000 foreign visitors and 24.8 million domestic tourists came sightseeing in Guizhou, bring 16.8 billion yuan (about US$2 billion) to the province.

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2005)