Gateway to scenic splendor

In addition, the cities of Huaihua, Shaoyang and Changde are gaining attention from overseas tourists with their distinctive cultural and tourism features, emerging as new destinations for inbound tourism in Hunan. These regions will also make multiple efforts in the construction of the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area.

According to the noted Chinese writer Shen Congwen, Huaihua is so beautiful. The verdant mountains are intoxicating, with several peaks around the rolling Xuefeng Mountains, creating a vast and layered green landscape. The Yuanjiang River winds its way from the mountains of Guizhou province. Amid the mountains and waters, ethnic groups such as the Dong and Miao have lived for generations. Besides natural beauty, the vibrant Dong brocades, ethereal Dong songs and other folk customs endow this enchanting land with warm ethnic life.

Jin Jianping, director of the Huaihua bureau of culture, tourism, radio, television and sports, said that located between the two major international tourist cities of Zhangjiajie and Guilin, Huaihua is poised to share and attract tourists from both areas as transportation continues to improve. The Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua High-Speed Railway has significantly enhanced accessibility, making travel to and from Huaihua easier and more efficient.

The city of Shaoyang is tasked with the strategic mission of building an important area for the integration of natural heritage and ethnic culture in southwestern Hunan. Yuan Weidong, director at the research office of the Shaoyang committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that Shaoyang's Langshan Mountain is a world natural heritage site and a national 5A-level scenic area. The rarity and visual effect of its landform is an asset that attracts international tourists.