Guangdong Special: Guangdong cities vie for tourists as festival looms

GUANGZHOU: The tourism authorities of various locales in Guangdong province are vying with one another to attract tourists through a series of high-profile events. The events are all planned to coincide with the 2009 Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival, which is expected to attract a huge number of visitors to the area.

Held concurrently with the Pan-Pearl River Delta Tourism Promotion Convention, the festival has been jointly organized by the National Tourism Administration and the Guangdong provincial government. The event will run from November 13 to 19.

For the first time, all 21 cities in Guangdong will stage events during the festival. The following are among the most eagerly anticipated events organized by five of them:

Zhaoqing

Officials from the Internationaler Volkssportverband (the International Federation of Popular Sports) will join Guangdong provincial officials and rambling enthusiasts on a 10 km hike around the picturesque Seven-Star Crags on November 14.

Along the route, they will be treated to a display of local folk arts and specialties, including Zhaoqing-style glutinous rice dumpling, Duanxi ink-slabs and local folk songs and dancing.

A grand Tai Chi performance will be staged in Dinghu Hill on the same day.

Bird watching is scheduled for November 15 at the Star Lake National Wetland Park. This will coincide with a festival celebrating tangerine and jade products taking place in Sihui, Zhaoqing.

Guangning county will host a bamboo culture festival and bamboo product trade fair on December 23 and 24.

Shaoguan

A festival featuring the worship of King Pan, a distant ancestor of the Yao ethnic people, will take place in Ruyuan county in early November.

Visitors also have the option of visiting the city's Danxia Mountains, which take their name from the scientific term for the unique red-colored ancient geological formations that have seen the site nominated as a World Natural Heritage site.

Nanhua Temple, one of the three major Buddhist temples in Guangdong, is also a must visit attraction for many during a trip to Shaoguan.

An excursion to the ancient Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, considered the birthplace of the people of the Pearl River Delta region, may also prove appealing.

For the more practically minded, the maple leaves in Xinfeng county turn red at the end of November and visitors will have the opportunity to make glutinous rice cakes under the tutelage of local farmers.

Huizhou

A festival featuring fire dog dancing by the Yao ethnic people of Lantian in Longmen county will be held between November 9 and 18. This will be complemented by an exhibition of paintings by local farmers being held at the country's hot spring resort.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to go sea fishing at the coastal hot spring resorts in Huidong county during the same period.

Zhuhai

The Zhuhai International Circuit will play host to the second Chinese round of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Asia's premiere motorcycle road racing event, between December 11 and 13. Fans of all things fast can also enjoy the fourth round of the 2009 China Superbike Championship of the year around the same time.

The city is also known for its sculpture of the Zhuhai Fisher Girl, as well as a long winding seaside path, known as "the lover's road". Visitors from Beijing and beyond may also be intrigued to explore the New Yuanming Palace, built in the style of its namesake, Yuanmingyuan, in the capital.

Meizhou

Visitors with access to a car will be able to experience the highlights of Hakka culture in Meizhou, during the week beginning December 5, as part of an initiative arranged by the local tourism authorities.

A Hakka-style food festival, also featuring Hakka singing and dancing, is scheduled for December 5 and 6 in the Meijiang District. Thirsty visitors may also join the tea festival in Meixian county in early December.

Meizhou is one of the major centers for Hakka people worldwide. Originally meaning "guest families", the Hakka (or Kejia in Putonghua) are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people, who live predominantly in a number of southern provinces. Many believe their ancestors migrated from northern or central China centuries ago.

The Hakka people are well-known for their unique culture, dialect, food and architectural style. The total global population of Hakka people is estimated to be around 30 to 45 million.

(China Daily 10/26/2009 page8)