Old and new glamour of Huangshan projected in HK

Excuse me, what does the name Huangshan mean to you?

The question was extensively discussed by specialists in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Aug 4, who fruitfully elucidated many of its unique magnificence. More than 100 academics, officials, business people, and media representatives explored "Creative Huangshan, Beautiful Huizhou" at the Culture and Tourism Promotion Conference of Huangshan, Anhui province.

As one of the world's most popular mountains, the Mount Huangshan in East China has garnered supreme titles of a world natural site, a world cultural heritage site, a world geopark, and a world biosphere reserve. In 1987, Huizhou prefecture was renamed Huangshan city.

For its Party leader Ling Yun, "Huangshan is a special being in the emotional world of the Chinese people," Ling said.

As a mountain of wonders, Huangshan is endowed with five distinct features forged through billions of years, including wondrous pines, strange rocks, sea of clouds, hot springs, and winter snow and becomes a heartfelt destination of old and young. And as a city, Huangshan carries millennia-old exquisite traditional culture of Huizhou and turns vibrant with youthful creativity in economic and cultural enterprising.

The Chinese character hui itself is composed of strokes meaning mountain in the upper part, water at bottom, humanity on the left, culture on the right, combing nature and man, beauty and auspiciousness, Ling explained. And the traditional culture of Huizhou primed in classics, history, philosophy, medicine, science and arts, and flourished in business, trade and literary circles.

"Huangshan is a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation," she said.

"Yingkesong, the Guest-Greeting Pine, is an invitation extended to people from all over the whole world." The iconic pine, over 1,000 years old, is inset high among Huangshan peaks and worshipped by travelers as among the China's most famous trees, if not the most.

Numerous academics and poets liken it to upright, resilient, generous, friendly and inclusive human merits, and its peaks, clouds and waters are typified in Chinese literature and aesthetics and established connections with human sublimity, Ling said.

Huangshan is taken as an "international meeting hall" by Vice-Mayor Zhang Yaqiang, one of beauty and magnificence, with attractions over the city that make this giant park "picturesque in every corner and enjoyable at every step".

It is also an "International Meeting Hall" for friendship and cooperation, he said in a speech delivered in English, citing 70 plus diplomatic events last year and more than 100 major events in recent years including the World Creative Economy Summit.

The "International Meeting Hall" of Huangshan is of openness for win-win cooperation, he added, as it gathers some Fortune Global 500 enterprises, representatives of foreign farms, trade associations, and managers, and attracts a number of Americans and Europeans who have chosen to live and work here.

Moreover, by blending modernity and tradition, Huangshan as an "International Meeting Hall" is for people from all sides to pursue dreams together, Zhang said. New sports, artistic and cultural events facilitate more investment and exchanges.

"Huangshan is becoming one of the most beautiful windows to showcase the charm of China, the glamour of Anhui, and the attraction of Huizhou," he said.

Bernard Chan Pak-li, Hong Kong undersecretary for commerce and economic development, regards Huangshan as an opportunity and business partner, saying Hong Kong is ready to provide entrepreneurial and investment services to firms from Huangshan and the whole of Anhui province, and help them expand foreign markets.

Zhang said both cities can together shape more famous brands, and work further for joint development.

Vice-Mayor Liu Li cited Huangshan as a "grand roofless museum", sincerely inviting people from Hong Kong and across the world to come and "explore nature's wonders one has to tour in a lifetime", "experience local cuisine one has to taste", "enjoy indigenous housing one has to live in", and "seek fine folk customs one has to appreciate".

One can actually experience the life of mountainous folks, Liu said, as apart from the mountain itself, the scenic area offers tortuous Xin'an River, Taoist Qiyun Mountain, Guniujiang waterfalls, Taiping Lake, plus green valleys and treasure-like caves.

The villages scattered among the hills and at foot of the mountain provide ease, leisure and spiritual calmness, he said, and many villagers' dwellings can provide delicious local treats like fish, special toufu, crisp cakes, noodles and of course, with Huangshan Maofeng Tea, Taiping Houkui Green Tea and Qimen Black Tea among others.

Moreover, during festivals and special occasions, the villagers will display their folk customs such as dancing with stool-tied dragon in Huizhou or auspicious animal kylin in Yixian county, lanterns in shape of huge swords or variety of fishes, playing with large wooden wheels, performing with drums and opera of local styles.

As birthplace of Huizhou culture, Huangshan brims with cultural prosperity, preserving about 310 traditional villages often hundreds of years old, 8,000 historical and cultural relics, and millions of ancient books and documents, said Party leader Ling.

Thus one can also savor the old and new city of Huangshan, strolling along ancient streets, viewing the story-rich archways, visiting numerous museums and checking with local craftworks, or attending river-side concerts, joining in repairing classic books or modeling after ancient paintings, said Liu.

"Coming to Huangshan will also enable you to have a taste of life for spiritual accomplishments, rural fishing and farming, or secluded land of harmony," Liu said.

Zhang Dehui, chairman of share-listing Huangshan Tourism Group, noted that tourists from Hong Kong rank among top three overseas groups to the scenic park and the number of foreign tourist arrivals this year also picks up strongly.

For him, Huangshan is the start of contemporary tourism industry in the Chinese mainland. He cited the mountaineering trip of late leader Deng Xiaoping to Mount Huangshan in mid-July 1979 in his 70s. Deng's remarkson tourism and easy-going encounter with a drama-shooting troupe from Hong Kong got widely reported, largely giving rise to later flourishing of tourism sector amid the country's burgeoning reform opening-up campaign he initiated a year before.

To Yang Yi, a manager of Huangshan Tourism Ltd Co who wears a golden badge of the Guest-Greeting Pine, visiting tourists can also try decorative and practical products that typify traditional designs. Zhu Wei, general manager of a Huizhou carving company who is a craftsman himself and direct descendant of literary giant Zhu Xi about 1,000 years ago, said one of his ideas is to create tasty eatables in shapes of traditional writing tools.

Overall, "while walking into Huangshan and experiencing Huizhou, you are reading and learning of China," Ling Yun said while extending her invitation to travelers, investors and friends across the globe to visit Huangshan.

Contact the writers at tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com