Tourist attractions across China embrace surge in visitor numbers

Tourist attractions across China have seen a surge of international and domestic visitors during the peak summer season.

The Beijing Central Axis has become a popular destination for tourists from home and abroad since it was recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tourist trips around the Axis average 2.26 million daily with 3,700 tour groups organized, after the local tourism authorities created thematic routes for tourists to explore historical and cultural spots along the way.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the archaeological discovery of the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has received more than 1.8 million visitor trips during this summer peak. Cooling equipment has been installed at the ticket gate of the museum to make the visits more comfortable.

Dunhuang City in northwest China's Gansu Province, renowned for the Mogao Caves, has seen more than double the number of tourists this year than last. Authorities at the Mogao Caves have initiated emergency measures to ensure smooth and orderly visits.

The Shandong Museum in Jinan City in east China's Shandong Province is exhibiting over 1,000 cultural relics, including oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.), attracting 400,000 visitor trips in July.

The ancient canal in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province, and the lively street performers in the area, attracted over 4 million tourist trips in July. The city has become a popular destination for students and family tours.

"The culture and landscape are appealing, so I brought my child here to experience during the summer vacation," said Huang, a tourist.

Xishuangbanna, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, renowned for its unique flora and fauna, has held scientific activities geared to tourists at the Tropical Botanical Garden, which is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The cool weather in Liupanshui City, in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has become a haven for sports and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, while Chongqing Municipality in southwest China and Gao'an City in east China's Jiangxi Province have laid on water sports and other activities for visitors.

The Beiji (Arctic) Village in Mohe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is another popular summer resort for tourists offering an average temperature of a cool 18 degrees Celsius in summer.

"It's vast and the air is fresh. I've got to learn a lot of new plants and animals here," said Guo Xiaomu, a tourist.

Tourist attractions across China embrace surge in visitor numbers

The wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands, the world's largest tropical wetland, have raged the region since August, threatening the habitats of local wild lives there.

To fight the flames, a makeshift command post has been set up, bringing together nearly 100 firefighters, environmentalist and staff members from wildlife services.

According to a group of firefighters, they had to take a boat for approximately 40 minutes to reach a site across the river to put out the fire there, which started in early August but has reignited repeatedly afterwards.

Such recurring fire incidents are commonly seen during the dry season in the Pantanal wetlands over the past years.

Water levels decrease during the dry season and rise again in the rainy season in the Pantanal wetlands. Yet, the dry season has lengthened while the rainy season has shortened in recent years, with insufficient rainfall during the latter.

As a result, the upstream areas that are supposed to supply water to the wetlands are unable to provide adequate water now.

"The water supply to the wetlands has decreased, the time of water duration in the region is shorter. As a consequence, the wetlands dry out more quickly as the time they are exposed to the sun get longer, making it easier for these fires to get in," said William Assuncao, an analyst from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, who has been working on forest fire prevention since 2010.

Biologists said the fires in the Pantanal wetlands not only have directly cause the deaths of numerous animals, but also severely damaged their habitats.

"The hyacinth macaw primarily feeds on two types of fruits that come from two specific palm trees in the Pantanal region. Wildfires that destroy these fruits prevent the macaws from feeding. Additionally, the wildfire has also devastated their nests. These birds stay on some large trees, so when the fire passes and the trees fall, these macaws would lose their nests," said biologist Bruno Henrique Grossi Carvalho.

Rampant wildfires threaten eco-system in Brazil's Pantanal Wetlands