Mainland province hopes to draw Taiwan tourists with cultural heritages, scenery showcase in Kaohsiung

An event held in Taiwan's Kaohsiung from May 15 to 18 showcasing the diverse cultural and tourist attractions in eastern Shandong Province on the Chinese mainland has aroused local residents' interest to pay a visit to the province.

The Kaohsiung office of the mainland-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits, along with the culture and tourism department of Shandong Province, set up a booth showcasing the province's major attractions including the UNESCO-listed heritage complex that includes the temple, family mansion and cemetery of Confucius in Qufu, and the UNESCO world heritage site at Mount Taishan.

The booth also promoted six themed travel routes including for lovers of flowers, history and the filming locations of movies and TV series set in Shandong.

"The TV series 'Flourished Peony' was filmed in Laoling World Studios in Shandong. I remember that one of the most important elements in the TV series was the peony flowers, which were from Shandong's Heze City," said a visitor at the exhibition.

"I feel that Shandong is quite good for traveling, and I'm paying a lot of attention to it and want to go there for fun," said another Taiwan resident at the event.

"In fact, Taiwan residents are very interested in touring the Chinese mainland, which is huge in size and where each province boasts a wide range of tourism offerings. Many Taiwan residents also look forward to touring the Chinese mainland," said Tsai Tsung-yu, chairman of Kaohsiung Association of Travel Agents.

Mainland province hopes to draw Taiwan tourists with cultural heritages, scenery showcase in Kaohsiung

Researchers in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region are using modern technologies to push the limits of agriculture, cultivating a wide range of fruits that were not commonly seen on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the world's highest plateau.

In the autonomous region's capital Lhasa, where altitude reaches 3,600 meters above sea level, the Xizang Academy of Agricultural and Animal Sciences has built up greenhouses and tested 60 grape varieties here, and six were finally found to be suitable for the harsh climate.

"The strong sunlight and big temperature swings here make our grapes sweeter," said Zhang Kai, an agricultural researcher at the academy.

With appropriate modifications, even subtropical coffee plants can grow on the plateau.

"We use shade netting and raise the humidity inside the greenhouse to help protect the coffee beans," said Laba Zhuoma, another agricultural researcher at the institute.

When freezing temperatures arrive at night, the greenhouses are covered with an extra layer of insulation to keep the temperature above eight degrees Celsius, according to academy staff.

Researchers also said that they are planning to work with local companies to expand production to allow local people to enjoy fresh fruits, and even fresh fish, without the high transportation costs.

Fresh fruits thrive on world's highest plateau with modern tech