They don't fear the presence of humans. Some even fly toward the food held by visitors and take it away.
The scene is breathtaking and in your face and practically a moving picture with the blue water and sky, white clouds and snow-capped mountains in the distance.
It is the mid-January, supposedly the coldest period in the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province.
Yet, I cast off my heavy overcoat once we land at Dali Airport after a four-hour flight from Beijing.
The slight chill in the air is nicely balanced by the warm sunshine and refreshing breeze caressing my skin on the 30-minute drive to the island.
The heavenly site is just the tip of the iceberg in the prefecture's Cangshan-Erhai area, which the local government is striving to turn into a leisure center.
The construction of a self-drive camp and tourist center along the Erhai coast has begun, says Ma Jinzhong, executive deputy director of the prefecture's tourism development committee.
A total of five upscale hotels, including the Hilton, opened last year.
The second-largest freshwater lake in Yunnan, Erhai covers an area of 257 square kilometers and gives Dali a springtime look even in the midst of the chilly winter.
A tour of Nanzhao Fengqing Island, less than 15-minute drive from Xiaoputuo, gives one the feeling of being in tropical Sanya, in Hainan province.
Nanzhao Fengqing Island is covered with lush green trees and flowers, rustled by the wind wafting from Erhai.
A 17-meter-tall Buddha statue stands in the center of the island's Fuxing Square. There, the smell of incense permeates the air and one can hear the prayers of pilgrims.
For those looking for more adventure, Cangshan Mountain is the place to go.
The mountain practically surrounds the prefecture.
Approximately 95 percent of the mountain is covered by forest and its complex landscape makes the mountain a labyrinth. Even those who have traveled through the Himalayas can get lost, says a local guide.
Up to 200 people lose their way each year and have to be rescued, the guide says.
So it is a good idea to seek professional guidance if you want to go hiking.
We take the 45-minute cable car ride to the mountaintop, which is 4,000 meters above sea level.
The ride is a thrilling experience. First, the green mountain landscape gradually gives way to a white world with snowflakes all around. Then, it gets quite shaky, and as we near the top the cable car carrying us is blown first to the left and then to the right by a violent gust of wind.
Everyone gets a little dizzy, but lets out cheerful screams as the snow hits our faces the moment we step out of the cable car.
Besides its natural beauty, the hot springs at Eryuan (the source of Erhai), the Buddhist heritage at Jizushan Mountain and the Chongsheng Temple all add charm to Dali.
There are around 200 to 300 hot springs open to the public in Eryuan, attracting many winter visitors.
"Tibetans visit Eryuan to enjoy the hot springs during the Spring Festival when temperatures at home typically fall to their lowest," says Ma.
The Three Pagodas of the Chongsheng Temple seem to sparkle in the golden light with the gray mountains in the background. The Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian) at the temple houses one of the biggest collections of Buddhist figures in China, as well as the delicate wood carvings of Buddha on the walls.
Over 112 million tourists visited Dali over 2011-15 and revenue from tourism stood at 126 billion yuan ($19 billion).
Of the visitors, those from outside the mainland were 3.4 million, contributing $1.4 billion in income.
In 2015, major scenic spots in the prefecture saw a more than 60 percent increase in the numbers of visitors over the previous year. More than 29 million visitors from home and abroad came to the region.
Tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as foreign tourists from Japan and South Korea, are a major force, says Ma.
Meanwhile, more development has been planned to boost tourism.
Transportation will also be improved to woo more tourists from outside.
The local government plans to increase the number of chartered flights to Dali from Myanmar, Thailand, and Taiwan over July-September this year.
Dali airport handled 1.26 million travelers in 2015 and this is expected to hit 1.6 million in 2016, says Ma.
So far, there are 15 domestic air routes which connect Dali with major cities, such as Chengdu in Sichuan province, Chongqing, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, and Wuhan in Hubei province.
A two-hour high-speed rail link between Kunming and Dali is expected to begin operations in 2017.
Separately, the capacity of the highway connecting Dali and Chuxiong city in central Yunnan will be doubled.
Major local events will also be promoted to enrich the visitor experience.
"People from outside want to see how the local people live their lives," says Ma.
There is a six-day shopping festival in Sanyuejie in the Dali ancient town. It typically starts on the 15th day of the third month of the lunar calendar, and this year it falls on April 21.
"Locals love to buy herbal medicine, agriculture production tools and clothes at Sanyuejie," says Ma.
Approximately 200,000-300,000 people flock there for the event, he says.
Folk celebrations by the Bai ethnic people are also expected to be highlighted.
The Prince Fair on the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, which this year falls on March 16, is one of the highlights. Here, locals dress their children and follow the Prince's Parade featuring dragon or lion dancing troupes.
Another spectacular event is the annual singing fair, which runs from the 27th to the 29th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar (Aug 29-31) at the Shibao Mountain nearby. Then, nearly 100,000 people, mostly from the Bai group, show off their vocal skills.
All these attractions make Dali a happy middle ground for those who want to experience the thrills of winter tourism without suffering in the cold.
Source: China Daily by Yang Feiyue
from China Travel & Tourism News http://ift.tt/1iB6EFm
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment