Lijiang County in Yunnan Province is building a "Cultural Tour Area" in the Lijiang Ancient City, an eastern "Resort Tour Area" at snow-covered Yulong Mountain, and a western "Ecological Tour Area" at the Laojun Mountain, according to the latest Beijing Review.

Lying between the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Lijiang County is home to many ethnic groups, including Naxi, Han, Tibetan and Bai, and the World Cultural Heritage Lijiang Ancient City. Yulong Mountain is covered by heavy snow year-round and is known as the Modern Glacier Museum. Its Hutiao (Tiger Leap) Gorge is deep, dangerous, unique and beautiful. The Laojun Mountain's huge numbers of species offer a glimpse of the vanishing natural world.

In recent years, the county has exploited its resources to launch 15 tourism spots, 71 hotels, 31 travel services and seven travel bus companies, increasing its capacity to receive tourists.

In the first quarter of this year, 612,000 tourists visited the county, up 31 percent over the same period of last year. The number of foreign visitors increased by 54.7 percent and income reached 390 million Yuan, up 49.8 percent. Foreign exchange earnings increased 56.9 percent.

(People's Daily 06/14/2001)