Mountain ecotourism reaches peak

The Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone in Jilin province promotes high-level protection and high-quality development, accelerating its progress toward becoming a world-class ecological tourism destination.

Leveraging its unique geographical advantages and abundant resources, the zone focuses on dual brands: a summer resort and an ice-and-snow destination. This approach drives the deep integration of cultural and tourism development, said Gao Fei, Party secretary of the Working Committee of the CPC Changbai Area Committee and director of the Jilin Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Management Committee.

In 2023, the region's gross domestic product achieved a year-on-year increase of 9.4 percent. The Changbai Mountain Scenic Area received over 2.7 million visitors, marking a 260.45 percent increase and setting a historical record.

In the first three quarters of this year, the region's GDP grew by 6.5 percent year-on-year, maintaining the top position in Jilin province for three consecutive quarters. Visitor numbers exceeded 3 million for the first time.

On March 27, Changbaishan Global Geopark was listed in the Global Geoparks Network by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. On Sept 26, Changbai Mountain was recognized as one of the First Group of World Famous Tourism Mountains by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, further enhancing its international reputation and brand influence.

"In 2025, the Shenyang-Baishan High-speed Railway is set to open, positioning Changbai Mountain as the backyard and leisure destination for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region," said Gao.

"With the anticipated surge of tens of millions of visitors, we are more confident and determined in our efforts to develop the region into a world-class ecological tourism destination."

Changbai Mountain boasts the most intact forest ecosystem in the northern part of the Eurasian continent, serving as a rare "ecological museum" and "genetic gene bank "for the world.

With a forest coverage rate of 87.7 percent and up to 120,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter — more than 100 times the United Nations' fresh air standard — Changbai Mountain offers unparalleled ecological benefits.

Located at the same latitude as the Alps and the Rocky Mountains, the region is renowned for its powdery snow throughout winter, thanks to consistently frigid temperatures. This makes Jilin one of China's top ski destinations.

"We firmly grasp high-quality development as our top priority, emphasizing the principles of ecological industrialization and industrial ecology," said Gao.

"We are focusing on creating five major destinations with international perspectives, standards and management."

Leveraging the favorable climate and ecological resources of Changbai Mountain, the zone aims to establish a summer resort and leisure destination, an ice-and-snow tourism destination, a hot spring health resort, an ecological and cultural destination, and a mountain sports destination.

By promoting activities such as outdoor exploration, rock climbing, cycling and camping, the zone offers routes for enthusiasts, including cycling, hiking and off-road driving.

"Emphasizing visitor needs as the fundamental starting point, we are vigorously cultivating and enhancing new cultural and tourism experiences," said Gao.

"We have created unique cultural performances and shopping streets by blending the performance of Legend of Powder Snow with the experiential shopping core of Jin Dynasty Ancient Street."

The region has also introduced products, such as low-deuterium mineral water from Changbai Mountain, cracked spore powder of lingzhi mushrooms, blueberry juice and birch sap, to capitalize on its ecological value.

The Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone is optimizing protection and restoration mechanisms for its top-tier ecological systems.

"We prioritize the protection of Changbai Mountain's ecology and biodiversity, enhancing conservation awareness, developing high-quality protection plans, strengthening technological support and intensifying the protection of unique ancient trees," said Gao. "Efforts are continuously made to improve forest fire prevention and suppression capabilities, creating a robust ecological security network."

"We are committed to strengthening supervision of nature reserves and ecological protection boundaries, fortifying the ecological barrier in Northeast Asia," he said. "We aim to make Changbai Mountain a model of national ecological civilization construction."

Han Junhong contributed to this story.