A number of foreign visitors traveling in China said they are impressed with the country's sprawling railway network, especially the interconnected high-speed rail (HSR) routes that offer the passengers with convenient services.
The number of foreign tourists visiting China increased by more than 150 percent in the first half of this year, buoyed by the introduction of a series of visa-free policies for numerous countries, with over 14.6 million foreign arrivals recorded at Chinese ports of entry in the six-month period.
Many of them have chosen the high-speed railway as a major means of transportation, saying that they are amazed with the multilingual and financial services provided by the railroad system.
"I was somehow stressed and anxious about how to find the railway station, but finally everything was easy. My stress was that I can't read Chinese of course, but yes, taxis and here in the train station, everything finally was easy for me," a foreign tourist told China Central Television.
"This is our first time in China, yes. The service was very good. And we missed our train, so we got a new train at five o'clock. This nice man speaks English and he helped us, he recommended to five o clock. Second class is the cheapest," a foreign traveler said.
Foreign visitors now frequently associate China with safety, modernity, cleanliness, and kindness - qualities that are also leading many to choose to spend their vacations in the country.
"I think it's really impressive how big the stations are, how fast the trains go. In Germany we have much smaller stations and slower trains, so it's really impressive," said another foreign passenger.
China has also been taking steps to help foreign visitors make full use of convenient payment options, with greater efforts being made to ensure international travelers have access to more seamless financial services and connectivity across the country.
Foreign travelers marvel at services of China's high-speed railway network
To celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou City of Guangdong Province, south China introduced to visitors baby panda Mei Zhu, the daughter of Meng Meng, the oldest sister of the world's only surviving panda triplets, and prepared a series of activities on Friday.
Mei Zhu, aged only 87 days, is in good health and just began teething. But the baby panda always gets a bit cranky after milk feedings, and requires panda keepers to spend around half an hour to calm her down.
"As a young panda, her digestive system is still developing, and excessive activity after feeding can lead to digestive issues. She is quite energetic now. If she found any strangers entering her enclosure and they wanted to, for example, pet her, she would be quite defensive, due to her self-protection instincts," said Chen Siming, a wildlife conservation expert.
Another star panda in the zoo, Guo Qing, also received his present, a pile of mooncake-shaped wowotou (a type of steamed corn bread). Guo Qing was of good appetite, which amused many of his fans.
"I am here just to see her. I drove 38 kilometers just to watch her mischief. She is very famous for that, always causing trouble when her keeper is not around," said a visitor.
The koalas are also welcoming guests. Totaling over 70 koalas in the park, more than 40 of them were presented to visitors by their keepers. The chubby animals constitute a big family of eight generations, with the youngest being 2 years old and the oldest reaching 19, much older than the average lifespan of the species.
"We've sent technicians to Australia to learn how to feed the Koalas, pick up veterinary and health care skills. With our valuable experience gained through years of raising the koalas, we are able to provide them good environment, food, and medical care. As a result, the average lifespan of the troop is getting longer," said a koala keeper.
In addition to these highlights, Chimelong Safari Park is also planning a series of animal enrichment events and sharing stories of the animals with the visitors during the Mid-Autumn Festival vacation.
Safari park in Guangzhou presents baby panda to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
