Trio of sightseeing roads lead to treasures in Shanxi

Luo Yangsheng, Party secretary of Shanxi, announced on Sept 23 the launch of zero-kilometer signs for three major sightseeing highways in the province, further highlighting the importance of three top local destinations of the Yellow River, the Great Wall and the Taihang Mountains.

The three 0-km signs are located at Qiankun Bay in Yonghe county by the Yellow River, Laoniuwan at the intersection of the Great Wall and the Yellow River and Wangmangling at the heart of Taihang Mountains. The three sites are among the landmark attractions in Shanxi province.

Shanxi began construction on the three sightseeing highways, ending or beginning at these signs－which are called Yellow River No 1, Great Wall No 1 and Taihang No 1 roads－in 2018. With a combined investment of 59.8 billion yuan ($8.76 billion), the highways will cover a total length of 6,143 kilometers and will be completed in five years.

Three tourist service centers have been built surrounding the 0-km signs, combining such facilities as caravan parks, campsites, viewing areas, galleries and museums.

According to the provincial transport authorities, a total of 4,250 km highways of the three routes are either under construction or had been completed as of this month. The highways will connect more than 170 tourist destinations in Shanxi.

At the launch ceremony of the 0-km signs, Party secretary Lou said:"As Shanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization and boasts a great number of cultural heritage sites, a tour of Shanxi is a great opportunity to study the long history of China."