Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone awarded for best visitor experience

The Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, receives the award of High Quality Scenic Spots in China at the fourth China Culture and Tourism Industry Conference. [Photo/qz123.com]

The Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, received the award of High Quality Scenic Spots in China at the recent fourth China Culture and Tourism Industry Conference held in Beijing.

Covering an area of 3.03 square kilometers, the scenic area, a national 5A attraction, is the only root theme park in the world, housing more than 5,000 sets or pieces of large scale root carving works.

One highlight of the tourism zone is that it has the world's largest root statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and a 680-meter--long giant root carving artwork--Arhat Array, which make it world renowned in the root carving circle.

The whole scenic area is constructed in three phases. The first and two phases take Buddhist culture as their subject, including a 12 Chinese zodiac signs corridor, a Root Carving Work Museum, a Buddha Hall, among others.

The third phase is themed on Taoist, Confucian and folk cultures, including a Root Carving Buddhist Park, a Zuigen (Drunken Root) Pagoda and a Children's Garden.

An overseas tourist is impressed by the root carving dragon at the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone. [Photo/qz123.com]