Spanning across four cities and ten counties, Mount Xuefeng in Hunan Province used to be known as a “natural barrier". The villages scattered deep in the mountains have an impoverished population accounting for more than 40% of the province’s total, thus Xuefeng Mountains became a main battlefield of poverty alleviation in the province. Hunan Xuefengshan Ecological and Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. took the initiative to work with the local government with a scheme to integrate tourism with poverty alleviation in Mount Xuefeng so as to utilize the area’s rich tourism resources for poverty alleviation. Relying on the natural resources, focusing on the impoverished village and aiming to develop eco-tourism and achieve common prosperity, the work was carried on for five years with investments over one billion RMB. As a result, three national-level 3A scenic areas, namely, Mt. Huayao Shanbei Terraces, Yangquepo Village and Dahuyao scenic area at Tiger Mountain, Longhui County, have been established, and so have a 4A scenic area－Chuanyan Mountain Forest Park, and two national-level recuperation and poverty alleviation through tourism demo bases. These areas have attracted thousands of tourists, and benefited nearly 100,000 people in the area plus more than 35,000 people from 31 impoverished villages in four towns, whose annual per capita income has reached 10,288 RMB. The poverty reduction rate in the scenic zone is 100%.
Yan'ejie Village before and after renovation
Poverty relief through tourism paves the way to prosperity
Dragon Lantern
Joined table banquet
Spring comes to Terrace fields in Shanbei Village
Swimming pool in the clouds
Hunan Province 1.Zhangjiajie 2.Yueyang Tower 3.Mount Hengshan
Zhangjiajie is located in the middle of Wuling Mountain range in northwestern Hunan, boasting an eye popping spectacular landscape. Its Wulingyuan scenic area was the first national forest park set up in China, featuring 3,000 upright stone peaks and 800 winding streams. It has been designated as a World Natural Heritage Site for its unique landform of sandstone peaks and magnificent karst landscapes.
Yueyang Tower, sitting on top of the west gate of the ancient city wall in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, overlooks Dongting Lake and faces Junshan Island in the distance. There is an ancient saying that goes” Just as Dongting Lake is the lake of all lakes, so Yueyang Tower is the tower of all towers”. It is one of the “three great towers in south China” alongside the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and Pavilion of Prince Teng in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.
Mount Hengshan, one of the “Five Great Mountains of China”, is located in the southeast of central Hunan Province. It is known for its magnificent natural scenery and a cultural landscape featuring the coexistence of Buddhism and Taoism. There are more than 200 Buddhist and Taoist temples and nunneries in the mountain. The main peaks include Huiyan Peak, Zhurong Peak, Zigai Peak and Yuelu Peak among which Zhurong Peak is the highest at 1300.2 meters above sea level.
