Tourism drives economic growth in Qiannan, Guizhou

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FAST is the acronym of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope. Located in Qiannan, it is a state-of-the-art telescope independently developed by Chinese scientists. [Photo by Yan Guoliang/China.org.cn]



Qiannan has a variety of resources that give the south-central prefecture of Guizhou Province an edge in developing tourism, said Qin Zhixiong, Deputy Director of the Tourism Development Commission of Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture during a recent interview.

The resources can be represented by FAST, Libo and ethnic minorities, according to Qin.

FAST is the acronym of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope. Located in Qiannan, it is a state-of-the-art telescope independently developed by Chinese scientists.

Libo is home to the world's only remaining Karst virgin forest as well as the only place on its latitude that is covered by virgin forest. With this uniqueness, Libo forms part of the multi-site South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Qiannan, which has an area of 26,000 square kilometers, is home to a large number of ethnic minority groups, which collectively account for 58 percent of the local population. Local ethnic groups live in harmony and make Qiannan a multicultural place.

Libo and Pingtang counties in Qiannan prefecture are now the focus of tourism development in south Guizhou, according to Qin. If Fuyuan, Weng'an, Dushan and Sandu counties, also administered by Qiannan, have their unique resources tapped, they will, together with Libo and Pingtang, form the feature and future of Qiannan's tourism industry.

For example, the Shui ethnic group in Sandu Shui Autonomous County has its own language and legislation. Its language holds great appeal for both Chinese and foreign tourists because it bears extreme similarities to the inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty.

Qiannan ranks No. 2 among China's 30 autonomous prefectures of minority ethnic groups in terms of tourism revenue. Last year, the figure rose 42.7 percent year on year to 60.3 billion yuan. In the first six months of this year, the number rose 40.1 percent to 36.97 billion yuan, indicating a continuous positive growth trend in the local tourism industry.

Qiannan also contains such nationally famous scenic areas as Maolan Nature Reserve, one of the members of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Program, and the AAAAA-rated Zhangjiang.

Besides, the prefecture's local transportation network, composed of airways, railways, highways and waterways, is one of Guizhou's best.

The Guiyang-Guangzhou High-speed Railway and the pair-up aid program between Guangzhou and Qiannan has made Guangdong the primary source of visitors for Qiannan since last year. Self-driving tours have seen a dramatic increase in proportion.

Moreover, Qiannan has a moderate climate and good ecology with a vegetation coverage rate of 58 percent and thus a suitable place for leisure and vacation.

People in Qiannan are simple and scrupulous, so there's no need for visitors to worry about of being ripped off, said Qin.

In addition, local people's degree of satisfaction with their natural environment has been the highest in Guizhou for several years in a row, the official added.

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