Crouching Tiger, Roaring Dragon: - Travel News Digest

8 INTerNATIoNAL November 2011 · TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST
Henan & Chengdu-Hidden
feathers in China’s tourism cap
If the Great Wall is perhaps the
first image that comes to your
mind when you think of China,
you will be surprised by the sheer
number and variety of attractions
that the country has to
offer. If you venture beyond the
Great Wall, Beijing and Shanghai,
there are lesser known destinations
rich in heritage, steeped
in history, and unparalleled in
scenic beauty. Two such potential
hotspots waiting to be discovered
are Henan and Chengdu.
A brief insight into what these
cities offer:
Henan
Recognised as the ‘Cradle of
Australia launches ‘30
days in Oz’ campaign
Tourism Australia has launched
a major campaign called ‘30 days
in Oz’ aimed at attracting young
people in the UK and other backpacking
markets around the
world to holiday Down
Under.
Tourism Australia manag-
Chinese civilization’, Henan
boasts of housing four of the
eight great ancient capitals
of China-Luoyang, Anyang,
Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou. It is
also the birth place of Kung Fu
and Taiji boxing.
Dengfeng: Known as the
home to the “Centre of heaven
and earth”, it is a world cultural
heritage site and popular for the
spiritual centers -Buddhist monasteries,
the renowned Shaolin
temple, Pagoda forest, various
Gates and historic sites.
Longmen Grottoes: Recorded
as “an outstanding manifestation
of human artistic creativity”
in UNESCO World Heritage
ing director Andrew McEvoy
explained the new advocacy
campaign plans to
promotethe Working Holiday
Visa and encourage
young people to consider
Australia as a place to work
or travel.
List. These are 1,400 caves with
100,000 statues and carvings
that range from 2cm to 57 feet
in height.
Anyang city: This ancient city
has a history of over 3,000 years
and caves more than 25,000 years
old. Memorial mausoleums, relics
of over 4000 years; the first
library of inscriptions on bones
and tortoise shells, the Soul
Spring Temple, known as the
“First Ancient Buddhist Temple
in Henan”, and 10,000-Buddha
Ravine, as well as the unique
Wenfeng Pagoda, Xiuding Temple
Pagoda and Mingfu Temple
Pagoda are located in here.
Ancient White horse temple,
Iron Pagoda are other tourist
attractions.
Chengdu
Hometown of giant pandas. It is
known as “Country of Heaven”,
also translated as “The Land of
Abundance”. Chengdu was also
the birthplace of the first widely
used paper money in the world.
The Dujiangyan Irrigation
System: Inscribed as cultural
and natural site on the UNESCO
World Heritage List in 2000, this
2nd century BC site, graphically
illustrates the immense advances
in water management and technology
achieved in ancient
China. Even today, it controls the
waters of the Min Jiang River and
distributes it to the fertile farmland
of the Chengdu plains.
Mount Emei and the Leshan
Giant Buddha: This is a World
Heritage Site inscribed for both
natural and cultural reasons.
Mount Emei possesses rare species
of plants, trees as old as 1000
years and exceptionally diverse
vegetation. The first Buddhist
temple in China was built here
too.71m high, Giant Buddha of
Leshan is the tallest Buddha
statue in the world.
Wenshu Yuan: It’s the best
preserved temple in Chengdu.
Four hundred and fifty Buddha
statues made with copper, metal,
wood, stone and painted ones are
displayed here. The most precious
relics include the crown
bone of the Yuanzhuang Priest
from the Tang Dynasty, BeiYi
Jing from India, LiujinJingtung
from Japan, paintings and penmanship
from Song, Yuan, Ming
and Qing Dynasties.
Jinsha Relic Site: A significant
archaeological site discovered in
Feb.2001. It makes Chengdu the
New Zealand targets Indian
honeymoon market
Tourism New Zealand is
planning to launch a campaign
in September to target the Indian
honeymoon market. At present,
India is the tenth-largest inbound
market for New Zealand,
says Kiran Nambiar, regional
manager, India and South East
Asia, Tourism New Zealand.
Kiwi Link India, the bi-annual
travel trade workshop recently
centre of Bronze Age, that it was
in the ancient Shu Kingdom.
Giant Panda Base: The
Chengdu Giant Panda Research
and Breeding Center is a sanctuary
for pandas of all ages where
they are also bred. It also houses
red pandas, black-necked cranes,
golden monkeys, and flocks of
wild birds.
The Thatched Cottage of
Dufu-the poet, Magical Face
Change in Sichuan Opera,
Wuhou Memorial Temple,
Wolong Nature Reserve are
other destinations here.
organised by Tourism New
Zealand, showcased a diverse
range of products, services and
destinations. This year there were
30 suppliers from New Zealand
comprising regional tourism
organisations, accommodation
providers, and inbound tour
operators who participated in
the two-day workshop that was
held in Mumbai.