Biodiverse mountains in central China gain recognition from Int'l Mountain Tourism Alliance

Shennongjia, a forested and mountainous area in central China's Hubei Province, was officially recognized as one of the "World Tourism Mountains" on Friday during celebrations to mark International Mountain Tourism Day, highlighting China's successful model of balancing ecological conservation with high-quality mountain tourism development.

The prestigious designation was conferred by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance at the opening ceremony of the annual event, which also featured the signing of a sister-mountain partnership between the "Roof of Central China", Shennongjia, and Nepal's Annapurna region in the Himalayas, also known as the "Roof of the World."

Roshan Khanal, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Nepal in China, expressed optimism about the bilateral cooperation.

"We already have many cooperation agreements in tourism and protecting mountains even for collaboration and cooperation in Mount Chomolungma," she said.

Shennongjia holds a unique position in China's ecological landscape as the country's first and only site to be inscribed on all three major UNESCO conservation lists: the Man and the Biosphere Reserve, World Geopark, and World Natural Heritage.

It boasts the most intact forest ecosystem in Eurasia, the most remarkable biodiversity at the same latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, and the world's most complete altitudinal spectrum of natural belts.

Building on this exceptional natural heritage, Hubei Province has been promoting an international eco-cultural tourism route since 2025, linking Shennongjia, Wudang Mountain, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and Enshi Grand Canyon. Spanning over 400 kilometers across western Hubei, the route seamlessly integrates nine national 5A-level tourist attractions and seven world-class natural and cultural landmarks into a unified travel experience.

He Yafei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, highlighted China's valuable experience in developing mountain tourism while prioritizing environmental protection.

"We are promoting China's mountain tourism experience of 'development through protection' to the world. China's tourism industry is shifting from scale expansion to quality enhancement. As a safe, diverse, healthy, joyful, and cost-effective destination, China's appeal is unprecedented," he said.

Biodiverse mountains in central China gain recognition from Int'l Mountain Tourism Alliance

The 10th China-France Young Leaders Program opened in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Friday to boost bilateral friendship and technological exchanges.

The event, which will wrap up in Beijing on Monday, brings together more than 40 representatives from government, business, science and technology, culture, and the sports sector.

Under the theme of addressing transformation challenges together and advancing sustainable development, participants have been exploring people-to-people exchanges, the green economy, environmental conservation and technological innovation through in-depth discussions and field visits, including to the former site National Southwest Associated University, a local biotech firm and an international flower trading center in Kunming.

"We really want, together with all the young leaders, to discover the growth of the province over the years, and how you've been able to combine, actually, both economic development and sustainable development," said Nicolas Macquin, president and co-founder of France China Foundation.

Young representatives from both sides recognized the vitality of China's socioeconomic development and envisioned greater achievements for young people from both sides.

"If the French are doing something, but all alone in their corner, it's not gonna be such impactful. China is doing amazing things, especially in Kunming. So, it's interesting for us to come here to understand how China is doing, how it is going, and to try to understand your vision and our vision altogether to build something interesting and impactful," said Agathe Graviere, program manager of Fondation France-Asie.

"I think for the younger generation, it is important and imperative for us to be able to reach that common view in terms of how we should protect the environment. And most importantly, how we should set forward the actions and how to really take the responsibility in terms of leading the initiative forward," said Song Zihao, founder of Convoy Group, an international talent training and service platform in China.

The program was jointly established in 2013 by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the France-China Foundation, and is held annually with the two countries alternating as host.

Young leaders from China, France meet in Kunming to boost friendship