Diaolous, centuries-old fortified watchtowers, stand tall amidst the greenery. Photo/CGTN

China is planning to grant 21 tourist attractions 5A rating this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Wednesday (December 16).

Among them, the Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourist Attraction (开平碉楼文化旅游区) in Jiangmen city is the only candidate from Guangdong province. The scenic site covers an area of 1438 mu (around 958,666 square meters), including the Diaolou Cluster in Zili Village (自力村碉楼群), Majianglong Village (马降龙古村落) as well as the Li Garden (立园).

Diaolou Cluster in Zili Village. [Photo/Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourist Attraction]

A view of the Li Garden. [Photo/Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourist Attraction]

Jiangmen is the ancestral home of an estimated 3.5 million Chinese people living all over the world. The first generation of immigrants set sail from the city to foreign lands like Southeast Asia and North America to seek a better life.

As Jiangmen area at that time was plagued by bandits and floods, many overseas Chinese would send money back to their family along with architectural drawings, instructing their family to build Diaolou (碉楼) that can resist bandits and protect themselves. 

Diaolous are fortified residences or watchtowers, first built during the Ming Dynasty around the mid-1500s, right up until the first half of the 20th century.

These buildings are celebrated for their complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western architecture and design, which reflect the significant role of emigrant Kaiping people in the development of their hometown during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

 A residential diaolou in Majianglong Village. [Photo/CGTN]

The tourist zone of Daming Palace (大明宫旅游景区) in Shaanxi province, one of the imperial palaces that date back to the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.); the Taohuayuan scenic area (桃花源旅游区), in Hunan province; the Hongze Lake wetland (洪泽湖湿地景区) in Jiangsu province; and the Bingling Temple (炳灵寺世界文化遗产旅游区) in Gansu province, are also listed among the selected attractions.

Recommended by local tourism administrations and evaluated following standards and regulations set by the ministry, the list of the attractions is open for public review until December 25.

Being the topmost level in China's tourist attraction rating system, a 5A rating indicates exceptional overall tourism quality.

Editor: Becky

Sources: Xinhua; CGTN