A winter wonderland has opened to the public amid the stunning scenery of forests in Shangri-La, southwest China's Yunnan Province, offering locals and tourists a unique winter experience.
The venue lies in the Potatso National Park, a world heritage site renowned for its diverse ecosystem of lake wetlands, forest meadows, river valleys, streams, and rare flora and fauna.
Amidst breathtaking scenery, visitors were enjoying themselves by tubing, sledding and tobogganing down a snow-covered slope, making snowman, and taking photos for each others.
"As a southerner we don't get to see much snow where we live. This is my first time in Shangri-La, and these ice and snow activities are so much fun," said Shi Yunyan, a visitor from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"We aim to introduce more visitors to our ice and snow culture and the joy of winter sports through diverse activities," said Feng Jianhua, general manager of Potatso Tourism Company.
In recent years, the park has diversified its tourism offerings, creating recreational activities such as camping, hiking, coffee, hotpot boiled with ice tube and Tibetan costume photography to cater to different interests.
Winter wonderland opens in Shangri-La's national park
Winter wonderland opens in Shangri-La's national park
Hong Kong's representatives at this year's "two sessions" set out to submit a number of motions and put forward proposals aimed at benefiting the special administrative region and enhancing its synergy with the country’s development.
The "two sessions" are the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Both bodies serve a five-year term and hold a plenary session each year, generally in March.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC kicked off on Thursday, while the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC convened on Wednesday.
Iris Wong Ping-fan, an NPC deputy from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, plans to submit a motion on the coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the new positioning of Hong Kong in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
"Hong Kong will also develop its own five-year plan, which will align with the broader development goals of our country and will actively achieve synergy with issues concerning Hong Kong in the development goals of our country. Therefore, in the future, it will become increasingly clear that Hong Kong's development is deeply intertwined with that of our country, forming a community of common destiny," said Wong.
Charles Ng Wang-Wai, a CPPCC National Committee member, will highlight the crucial role of artificial intelligence in talent development in his proposal.
"We all know that artificial intelligence is an unstoppable trend. To effectively develop AI, we must focus on education, especially the training of primary and secondary school teachers. That is to say, we need to consider how to improve the skills of these teachers so they can better educate the next generation," said Ng.
Other representatives are suggesting that Hong Kong capitalize on its unique advantages to achieve win-win outcomes with the mainland.
"Hong Kong boasts a high-level international management and service system for medical technology, which provides a solid foundation for developing medical tourism. Both Hong Kong and major mainland cities are well-equipped to offer medical services to patients from Belt and Road countries," said Dennis Lam Shun-chiu, an NPC deputy.
"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Hong Kong will leverage its inherent advantages. Many mainland enterprises are looking to Hong Kong as a platform to better expand overseas, and with Hong Kong's excellent professional services and a strong financial platform, we hope to assist these enterprises," said Judith Yu, a CPPCC National Committee member.
Hong Kong representatives on further cooperation with mainland at two sessions
