A Zhangjiajie inspection delegation for promoting tourism led by Fan Yuntian, deputy secretary of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee of the CPC, visited France at the invitation of the Tourism Committee of French Val-d'Oise (in French Language) Province. Fan Yuntian met with Mr. Fabrice Cotte, director of the committee, and they exchanged their views on how to strengthen tourism cooperation. Other Leaders from the Zhangjiajie Municipal Government including Liu Qun and Chen Chuyi also attended the meeting.Val-d'Oise province is endowed with abundant tourism resources including natural wonders and historic and cultural sites. In addition, it has a flourishing hotel industry and receives 60 million person-trips every year. Mr. Fabrice Cotte hopes to promote the communication and exchanges between Zhangjiajie and Val-d'Oise through this visit and seek more opportunities for bilateral cooperation.“In recent years, Zhangjiajie has been making great efforts to build it into a top international tourist destination, and we hope that two sides can work together to promote the development of tourism industry in Zhangjiajie and Val-d'Oise.” Fan Yuntian said.Translator: Mao YipanSource: Zhangjiajie Official Web

News 2011-10-28 09:10 View：1928

BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Students from around the world gathered in Chongqing last Tuesday to participate in a Chinese-speaking competition designed to enable the world to have a deep understanding of the charm of the Chinese culture and language.The 4th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign secondary school students, which will run from October 18 to October 30, is the largest of its kind in terms of scale and attendance.The event was sponsored by the Chinese Language Promotion Office of China and Chongqing Municipal Government.At the opening ceremony held at the Luneng Bashu Middle School in Chongqing, the 144 contestants from 43 countries staged a musical extravaganza for the audience.Elegant European flamenco, African roaring drumbeats and South African passionate samba…， the students presented a rich exotic cultural show combining both oriental and Western elements by singing, dancing, etc.The students competed in three games titled "Chinese Language Carnival," "Supermarket Reality show" and "Colorful Stage." At the final, the teenagers had the chance to experience the life in ordinary Chinese families for three days.Under the considerate arrangements of local families, the youngsters took part in various cultural activities, such as visiting places of historical interest, making dumplings, watching Sichuan Opera, learning painting and practicing calligraphy, etc All this enabled them not only to feel the affection and love deeply, but also learn Chinese in a delightful environment.A reporter covering the event followed two students into the Chinese families and recorded their stories.Marisa from the U.S. lived in the family of a student surnamed Dulieyijia of the Bashu Middle School. To better treat the little guest from afar, Dulieyijia's parents made careful arrangements in advance.At weekends, Marisa visited some famous scenic spots in Chongqing and attended a Chinese-style wedding ceremony held by a colleague of Dulieyijia's father. Very soon, 13-year-old Dulieyijia and 17-year-old Maria became good friends. From Dulieyijia, whom Marisa took as a teacher, she learned the technique of serving tea and making dumplings. Just in one day's time, Marisa learned to make dumplings quite professionally.Another story is about Nicholas from Canada, who stayed in a "big family" and was received by Yang Zhou, a student in the Yubei Middle School.Coincidently, the friends of Yang's mother also treated other foreign students attending the "Chinese Bridge" event. Therefore, the four families temporarily formed a "super family."Chongqing "fathers and mothers" took their "sons and daughters" to watch Sichuan opera, listening to the storytelling over cups of tea.These children from Laos, Austria, Sri Lanka, Canada orchestrated an evening party with their Chinese peers. Their self-directed show in both English and Chinese made every one laugh to tears.The young contestants were quite excited about the event. If one word could be found to describe their feeling, then it would be "I love you, China."They poured what they felt in Xinhua microblog, and let's hear what some of them have to say.Zhou Jinzhu said the "Chinese bridge" has realized his long-cherished dream of coming to China, the country with a long history and time-honored tradition.Zheng Weida wrote: "I love the Chinese language because I love Chinese songs and tongue twister. "What I expect most is to learn more Chinese idioms and to communicate with them."A Yan said in microblog that he loves Chinese and that thinks Chinese would be the second most important language after English in the future."I hope everyone should study the Chinese language hard," Yan said, adding: "I hope I can have more opportunities to come to China in the future. I prefer the Shaolin Temple and Chinese Kungfu."Source:Xinhua

News 2011-10-27 12:52 View：1426

The International Taoism Forum was held recently at the Hengshan Mountain in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, to explore the development direction of modern Taoism at home and abroad.Chen Guochao, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Yuen Yuen Institute in Hong Kong, believes that Taoism needs to be developed in a harmonious manner in order for it to spread around the world. Martin Palmer, Secretary General of the UK-based Alliance of Religions and Conservation （ARC）, demonstrated that Taoism has time and again emphasized on the environment and its development. Xu Kangsheng, professor from Philosophy Department in Peking University, stated that the spirit of “Returning to the Nature” should be promoted further, so as to re-build a harmonious society for  sustainable development. Wang Chenfa, president of Taoist College in Indonesia, said that Taoism should focus on the common subjects for human beings to win respect from other religious and cultural groups.Translator: Wang XiaoluSource: Hunan Official Web Portal

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News 2011-10-23 14:07 View：5131

According to a latest report, three new man-made scenic spots of Tianmenshan Scenic Area were unveiled to tourists from Oct 1.2011.A: “Skywalk” made of 60 meters' glass BridgeLocated in the western part of the top of the mountain, the glass bridge is 60 meters long and 1430 meters above sea level, which was open to tourists from Oct 1. It is similar to the Grand Canyon Skywalk in the United Stats, looking so thrilling. Never miss the chance of walking on the bridge if you are brave enough. B: A man-made waterfall beside Tianmen HoleAs Tianmen Mountain is typical of Karst landform, it can not restore water easily. In order to make tourists appreciate magnificent landscape, Tianmenshan Travel Company created an artificial waterfall that is 50 meters high beside the cliff of Tianmen Hole. It looks so grand and fantastic. The opening time of the waterfall is from 10:00 to 18:00. C. Large-scale Stage Magic Show in Tianmen Fox Fairy In Tianmen Mountain, the large -scale musical drama entitled Tianmen Fox Fairy is the world's first outdoor performance with the stage settings of real mountains and valley. Under the support of the world-renowned magician David Copperfield, the magic element was added to the show. During the performance, the leading actor and actress can float in the air, fly freely, and disappear suddenly. The wonderful magic show was open to the audience from Oct 1, starting at 20:15 daily.Translator: Mao YipanSource: Zhangjiajie Official Web

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News 2011-10-18 16:18 View：4261