Shanghai Expo will benefit neighboring Anhui
2010-04-07
With the metallic-red China Pavilion at its heart, the upcoming 2010 World Expo means all blue sky to Shanghai's tourist market for the bigger picture. On top of that, the thriving tourism industry will also benefit nearby provinces such as Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
"Just next to the hustle and bustle metropolis of Shanghai, Anhui is showcasing another kind of urban beauty that different from Shanghai's within few hours trip," said Hu Xuefan, director of the Anhui Tourism Bureau. "We have Mount Huangshan which just like a traditional Chinese ink painting, Hongcun Village and Tunxi Old Street that could date back over thousand of years ago as well as the country's oldest paper and ink cultures."
As more people grow tired of city view and skyscraper jungle, taking a deep breath and going into wild Anhui within three to four hours' drive from Shanghai would be a great escape.
Haunted heights
There is no mountain worth visiting after you have seen Huangshan, as all Chinese believe. Even the country's top artist director Ang Lee agrees so in its Oscar-wining film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2003), let alone James Cameron's recent acknowledge of drawing inspiration from the mountain in Avatar (2009).
Located in southern Anhui, Huangshan has caprice running in her blood according to different kinds of weathers. Wreathed in mist and pine trees, Huangshan lives up to its billing as the country's greatest rock face due to its vertiginous through the veil. Covered in snow, it's another crystal wonderland with each peak wearing a coat of purest white.
Scenery even changes from second to second with the thickness of the mist, which gives you enough reason to come again.
