The Yellow River estuary in Dongying, Shandong Province, exhibits a distinct demarcation between seawater and river water on July 27, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Zhao Liying
English and French tourist guidebooks that introduce the popular attractions along the Yellow River were distributed on Tuesday in Yuncheng, North China's Shanxi Province, to boost international tourism along China's "Mother River."
The Yellow River Tourism Overseas Promotion Season 2023, which includes the distribution of foreign language guidebooks, aims at giving a full picture of the Yellow River, the birthplace of Chinese civilization.
During the opening ceremony, English and French guidebooks containing nine selected tourism routes were released.
Zhang Ruirui, a deputy director-general from the Department of Resource Devel-opment at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, noted that there are a total of 40 tour routes along the Yellow River.
Photo: Courtesy of NICE
"We chose these nine after careful selection. In the foreign language guidebooks, the Yellow River cities, notable scenery and all kinds of needs for visitors are covered to show a sincere, multi-dimensional image of China."
As the second longest river in China and one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, the Yellow River flows through nine provinces in northern China.
From desert views of the Silk Road in the Hexi Corridor to Confucius' hometown in Shandong Province in East China, the nine routes cover the nine provinces through which the river runs through, pointing out the various specialties worth visiting in each area.
In addition, five other routes that take tourists deep into villages along the Yel-low River were also included in the new guidebooks.
"I learned about the Yellow River for the first time from a movie by Donnie Yen," Erwin F. Balane, tourism counselor from the Embassy of the Philippines in Chi-na, told the Global Times, adding that this is the first time that he visited the Yel-low River in person.
"It's important to see the place in person if one wants to understand the culture, as one will not only see the scenery, but also see the spirit of the local people," he noted.
"All this can be achieved through travel."
More activities related to the Yellow River tourism will be carried out in coun-tries, including the US, Brazil and South Korea, as part of the promotion season, which will last until the end of September, noted Wan Ting, a deputy director of event co-host Network of International Culturalink Entities.
"For hundreds of years there have been communication at both the national and civil levels along the ancient Silk Road, and now we are expecting more travelers from all over the world to come here to get to know our culture heritage, which will not only boost communication, but also help eliminate prejudices," Wu Chengzhong, a culture and tourism professor from the University of International Business and Economics, told Global Times.
The launch ceremony was held inside Yuncheng's Guanque Tower, or Stork Bird Tower, an ancient building built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) right next to the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The continuous development of tourism and ecological protection along the Yel-low River also echoes the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).
"For the development of the Yellow River, we always emphasize comprehensive development that includes cultural heritage, tourism and ecological protection. Thanks to the development of tourism we have been able to protect and manage the ecology around the Yellow River," Wu added.
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