Jilin Promotes Colorful Ice and Snow Tours

The Vast stretches of snow-covered land in Jilin Province attract increasing numbers of Tourists for sightseeing, with the implementation of several major ice and snow activities this winter.

Jilin Province is situated in the central part of China's northeast. This favorable location is endowed with good-quality snow, and a long period of snow cover that allows for skiing for four-and-a-half months. During the '99 Changchun Jingyue Pool Ice & Snow Festival, between January 2 and February 28, various colorful ice and snow activities have been organized, including motorcycle riding and horse-racing on the snow, snow bathing, rides on deer-hauled sleigh. During the festival, tourist will have a chance to enjoy venison dishes, fish banquet, yangko dance and fish competition. Fireworks will add more festive atmosphere to the holiday occasion.

In November 1995, Jilin Province became the first in China to provide skiing programs for domestic and overseas tourists. In recent years, its five big ski grounds-- Changbai Mountains Plateau Ice & Snow Training Base, Beida Lake, Songhua Lake, Jinchang and Jingyue Pool-- have received several hundred thousand tourists from China and abroad.

Hainan Will Benefit Greatly from Ecological Tourism

The Grand opening ceremony for the Hainan Ecotour year was held in Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourist Zone on January 1, 1999.

According to Chen Chuanmin, director of the Hainan Provincial Tourism Administration, the purpose of the ecotour year is to enhance people's awareness of environmental protection. The administration plans to promote the development of ecotours in the province and create a high tide for ecological tourism.

Hainan has been eulogized as one of the areas in the world free from pollution. The 34,000 square-kilometers island abounds with evergreen trees and grass. Forests cover 50 percent of the land, including five of the world's tropical primitive forests-- Wuzhi Mountain, Kanwang Range, Jiangfeng Range, Diaoluo Mountains and Limu Mountains. In addition to the Xisha, Nansha and Zhongsha islands, Hainan Province has more than two million square kilometers of territorial waters in the south China Sea under its jurisdiction, with favorable ecological conditions. All these have laid a good foundation and exerted ever increasing attraction for the province to organize Green Ecotours and Blue Ecotours.

Is is estimated that tourists to the island this year will reach to 9.22 million, including 450,000 from overseas. Hainan will earn US$116 million and 7.18 billion yuan from international and domestic tourism respectively.

Greener Beijing Hopes to Win 2006 Olympic Games

Beijing has announced plans to increase the area of its grassy parklands, in a bid to win the Olympic Games in 2008.

The city's Greening committee said that more than one million sq mm of grass will be newly planted every year in the next few years.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, some 1.5 million sq m will be planted, according to a spokesman for the committee.

He added, "most Beijingers are keen to have more green areas in the city, especially now that they are becoming more environmentally aware.

Gardening experts at the Beijing Municipal Administration of Forestry have developed a strain of grass that can last throughout most of the year, the spokesman revealed.

Meanwhile, at the Lawn Development Center of the Beijing Municipal Forestry Administration in Beijing's suburbs, 70 ha of the experimental grass has survived two heavy snowfalls this winter.