Guangdong unveiled four of its most prominent cultural and natural attractions as world-class tourism brands on September 11. The Nanhai No. 1 shipwreck, Danxiashan UNESCO Global Geopark, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages and the Chimelong Group span archaeology, geology, architectural heritage and commercial theme-park entertainment, and together form the centerpiece of the province's pitch to domestic and overseas visitors.

Nanhai No. 1

Nanhai No. 1 is described as the only archaeological find of its kind anywhere in the world, an entire ship raised intact from the seabed.

The ship was found by accident in 1987. Built to carry nearly 200 tons, it is thought to have been loaded with as many as 100,000 sets of antiques. Excavation so far has yielded 13,000 pieces of porcelain from five famous kilns of the period, along with 151 gold, 124 silver and 170 copper sets, and 17,000 copper coins.

(Photo: Maritime Silk Road Museum of Guangdong)

Its recovery is considered the first whole-ship salvage ever attempted. The ship is now housed on Hailing Island near Yangjiang at the Maritime Silk Road Museum of Guangdong, built at a cost of about US$20 million and comprising five oval-shaped buildings. The ship sits in a giant aquarium inside the glass-walled Crystal Palace, held in water replicating the quality, temperature and environment in which it was discovered. Visitors can watch archaeologists continue their work on site, then ascend to a top floor where a simulated starry sky recreates the view from a ship's deck at night.

(Photo: Maritime Silk Road Museum of Guangdong)

Danxiashan UNESCO Global Geopark

Danxiashan UNESCO Global Geopark in Renhua County of Shaoguan City covers 292 square kilometers. It was approved by UNESCO in 2004 as one of the first Global Geoparks.

The name means "rosy-red clouds," a description of the layered red sandstones and conglomerates laid down by fluvial deposition between 140 and 65 million years ago and shaped since by uplift, weathering and erosion.

The area is home to Hakka and Tanka communities. Around Danxiashan, intangible cultural heritage continues to be preserved and practiced, including the Yuejiege (Songs of Sister Yue), the Incense Dragon Dance, the Tea-leaf Picking Opera, Danxia ormosia hand-knitting, Baimao tea from Renhua County and the traditional rice wine of Shitang Town.

Photo by IP Guangdong creator Li Weilong

(Photo: Nanfang Daily)

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

The Kaiping Diaolou are multi-storeyed defensive village houses that display what UNESCO calls a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms. They reflect the role played by Kaiping people in the development of several countries in South Asia, Australasia and North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Four groups of Diaolou, including 20 of the most symbolic, are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The buildings take three forms: communal towers built by several families and used as temporary refuge; residential towers built by individual wealthy families as fortified homes; and watchtowers. Constructed of stone, pise, brick or concrete, they represent a confident blending of Chinese and Western architectural styles. Retaining a harmonious relationship with the surrounding landscape, the Diaolou testify to the final flowering of local building traditions that began in the Ming period in response to local banditry.

(Photo: Nanfang Daily)

Chimelong Group

Chimelong Group, established in 1989, is a leading cultural tourism conglomerate integrating theme parks, resort hotels, cultural performances, distinctive dining, business conventions and educational programs. With the cultural and tourism industry at its core, Chimelong aims to become a "world-famous cultural and tourism brand."

Over the past 37 years, it has developed three resorts: Chimelong Guangzhou, Chimelong Hengqin and Chimelong Qingyuan, featuring nine major theme parks, nine resort hotels with more than 10,000 rooms between them, and three international circus theaters.

Chimelong now ranks among the world's leading theme park groups, receiving more than 43 million visitors a year.

(Photo: Chimelong Group)

(Photo: Nanfang Daily)

Source: South
Editor: Lyu Yun