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Sichuan’s Jiuzhaigou Valley and Increasing Domestic Tourism in China

February 2, 2010 in In the News by Alex G | No comments

The February 1, 2010 edition of the New York Times features a piece on Jiuzhaigou Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China’s Sichuan province that consists of a natural wildlife and forest area.

Jiuzhaigou has experience a significant increase in visitors recently, which reflects the upward trend in domestic Chinese travel in the past year. The New York Times reports, “while the [travel] industry lost ground in Europe and the United States, China’s tourism sector posted a 9 percent jump in revenue 2009, to 1.26 trillion renminbi [Yuan], thanks to domestic demand.”

Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve in Sichuan province (Souce: NYTimes.com)

WildChina has done service work in Jiuzhaigou, and guests on our journey Tracking Wild Panda Footprints, which was featured on Away.com, witness the incredible natural scenery here. Here’s what we have to say about the nature reserve:

With its lush alpine scenery, turquoise lakes and multi-leveled waterfalls, Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve has long been a haven for nature lovers. Jiuzhaigou, where film director Ang Lee filmed breathtaking landscape scenes for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve. There are fixed travel routes for eco-friendly buses to drive along, with private vehicles restricted from entering the park—extremely important, given that there are 2.5 million visitors each year. Discussion on how to successfully manage mass tourism is always a heated topic here.

Want more information on Jiuzhaigou? Send us a tweet @WildChina or ask Alex at alex.grieves@wildchina.com.

Improving Local Practices in Southwest China, Part III: Resource Management Techniques in Jiuzhaigou National Park

October 28, 2009 in On the Road by Alex E | No comments

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the final section of the three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

Jiuzhaigou National Park sits in the rugged West of Sichuan at 2000 meters elevation on the edge of Tibet. This cluster of virgin mixed forests is home to several endangered animals; giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys traverse amongst the limestone cliffs and the effervescent blue lakes. Despite its natural beauty, Jiuzhaigou has had a tenuous history. It was discovered in the early 1970s, and hurt by large-scale logging efforts. Jiuzhaigou was declared a national park in 1978, and the park’s ecological restoration began.

Leaves turn magificent colors over a crystal lake

Leaves turn magnificent colors over a crystal lake in Autumn

Jiuzhaigou established a formal relationship with Yosemite National Park in 2006 to promote international cooperation that benefits both parks.

WildChina accompanied the Yosemite team on their first official sister park visit to Jiuzhaigou in 2009. On this trip, Yosemite preservationists completed a four day survey trek through Jiuzhaigou valley. Through these trips and related efforts, the sister parks aim to share resource management techniques and cooperate to preserve natural biodiversity. Read the rest of this entry »

Improving Local Practices in Southwest China, Part II: Bio-toilets in Sichuan Province

October 27, 2009 in On the Road, Sichuan-Earthquake by Alex E | No comments

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the second of a three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

At the upper reaches of the Minjiang river and the edge of the Tibetan plateau sits Shenxi village, the remote home to a group of Chinese villagers. Shenxi village, an hour hike from the nearest paved road, seems a world apart from the rest of civilization. However, the activities of this town profoundly influence the rest of Sichuan province and surrounding areas. Shenxi village sits atop the Sichuan water basin, which stores water runoff from the Himalayas and supplies vital water to Sichuan and regions downriver.

Water cleanliness is a persistent issue for China’s water lifelines that carry snowmelt from the Himalayas eastward to the Pacific Ocean, from which one quarter of China’s population drinks contaminated water every day, according to the United Nations (PDF). These issues with water cleanliness are often the result of unsanitary conditions and practices in human settlements that border major rivers.

Seperated by only a mountain from the epicenter of last year’s earthquake, Shenxi village was devastated by the damage it inflicted. Aside from the toll on human life, many of the buildings in Shenxi collapsed outright and those still standing suffered heavy damage. Villagers who returned to Shenxi village after the earthquake rebuilt their homes with the limited resources available, and the result was a village that lacked adequate sanitation. WildChina recently completed a three day project building bio-friendly toilets in this area.

Students and Villager in front of completed toilet

Students and Villager in front of completed toilet

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Improving Local Practices in Southwest China, Part I: Developing a Model Village for Sustainable Peri-Urban Development in Anlong, Sichuan

October 26, 2009 in On the Road, Sichuan-Earthquake by Alex G | No comments

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in areas that we visit. This is the first of a three-part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural Southwest China, and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

Imagine a beautiful, rural, riverside village that serves as a living relic of China’s traditional agricultural history. Then imagine the trash and pollution that clouts this image – unmanaged sewage, outdated farming practices, and unsanitary living conditions, to name a few.

In China’s poor rural communities, scenes like this are all too common. However, organizations such as the Chengdu Urban Rivers Association (CURA), a Sichuan-based NGO, are working to change this by building sustainable development practices in these communities from the ground up. In one such community, CURA hopes to make a model of sustainable development that can be applied to similar rural areas of China. WildChina recently had the exciting opportunity to bring a group of school children from Beijing to engage in this endeavor, specifically to conduct water testing as well as improve water and sanitation technologies.

 

A student cleans a new eco-toilet facility, built by students on WildChina's service learning trip to Anlong in Sichuan province.

A new eco-toilet facility, built by students on WildChina's service learning trip to Anlong, Sichuan province.

Located along the banks of the Zou Ma River (one of the Fu-Nan Rivers) near Chengdu, Anlong was once a community plagued by severe water pollution as a result of livestock, chemical fertilizer, and more. Although efforts in the mid-1990s cleaned up the rivers to some degree, the Fu-Nan Rivers Comprehensive Revitalization Project was not entirely effective. As such, communities like Anlong still needed help to rid themselves of pollution and contamination.

CURA has been working with the Anlong community to develop sustainable practices for farming, sanitation, and development. 

Read the rest of this entry »

WildChina on Let’s Travel! Radio (Oct. 22, 12 pm EST)

October 22, 2009 in In the News, WildChina Experts by Anita | No comments

You’ve read our blog – now hear us on the radio! On Thursday, Oct. 22, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST in the U.S., tune into Let’s Travel!, a weekly, global radio talk show hosted by New York-based Susan Raphael (visit NY Talk Radio.net for live streaming). This week’s show features WildChina Founder Mei Zhang and The Nature Conservancy’s Lulu Zhou on the topic of responsible travel in China, with discussion on some of our favorite areas: Yunnan and Sichuan.

Let’s Travel! focuses on the world of travel and culture. Through a partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s World Heritage Alliance, which supports World Heritage conservation and sustainable tourism, Let’s Travel! broadcasts a monthly segment on World Heritage.

There will be an encore broadcast of the show on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:00 pm EST. Check back here for the podcast!

China’s Holy Mountains

July 28, 2009 in On the Road, Travel Tips by Mei | No comments

Talking to a journalist recently. He asked me: I’m thinking of going to China in Sept. or Oct. to do a story on China’s holy mountains. Have you been to many of them? Any particular one worth profiling?

Here is my answer:
I am sure you’ve researched, two different definitions of China’s holy mountains:
Wuyue, Five sacred mountains:
1. Tai Shan, Taoist mountain of the east, Shandong
2. Heng Shan Bei, Taoist mountain of the north, Shanxi
3. Hua Shan, Taoist mountain of the west, Shaanxi
4. Heng Shan Nan, Taoist mountain of the south, Hunan
5. Song Shan, Taoist mountain of the center, Henan

Four Buddhist mountains:
1. Wutai Shan in Shanxi
2. Putuo Shan in Zhejiang
3. Ermei Shan in Sichuan
4. Jiuhua Shan in An’hui

Shame to say, I’ve only been to Er’mei, which is stunning. Most of these places are very crowded with tourist, but if you opt for hiking up the mountain the same way the monks did years ago, it’s still really beautiful. Jiuhua Shan is close to the Yellow Mountain. There are some lovely villages nearby that’s worth your visit – Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon was filmed there – all those bamboo forests.

If you include Tibet on the list, then I have been the holiest of all Mt. Kailash. I hiked around the mountain myself for 2 days. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Voluntourism: Rejuvenating Romance

March 20, 2009 in In the News by Emma | No comments

Teaching English, building roads, and revitalizing schools are not usually the first things that come to mind when most people think of romantic getaways. However, a recent article in TIME talks about couples growing closer through service vacations, or voluntourism.

From the article:

Even though volunteer vacations don’t leave much room for candles and flowers, says Antoniotti, they have been rejuvenating for her relationship. “Not that a typical vacation isn’t fun, but if it’s really easy, you don’t have those experiences that stretch you,” she says. “It’s like in exercise how they say tiny tears in your muscles allow you to get stronger. Little things that take you outside of your comfort zone challenge you as a couple and make you stronger.”

WildChina has always been dedicated to serving the local communities we visit, and we’re constantly on the lookout for new projects. We’ve taken students on service trips in Guizhou, work closely with the WWF in Sichuan, and are developing service trips with Habitat for Humanity. Visit us at wildchina.com and follow us on Twitter to learn more!

WildChina on the Web – 7/31/08

July 31, 2008 in In the News by Emma | No comments

Sometimes WildChina ends up in interesting places on the information super highway, so I thought it would be nice to share some of these links. I realize that these have been out there for awhile – let’s just say they took the slow boat from the US to get to the Beijing office.

  • Here’s a blog post written by Tom Swick of the Florida Sun-Sentinel. He mentions a letter our founder Mei Zhang sent out in May after the Sichuan earthquake.  We’re still thankful that our guides in the area came away unharmed, and were glad to hear that the earthquake yesterday in California was relatively minor.
  • For those of you looking for a secret “in” to the Olympics, check out this recent Forbes article mentioning WildChina. While we can’t promise you tickets to the opening ceremony, we can help you beat the crowds on custom tours outside of Beijing.
  • Finally, while the BBC program “Wild China” is not affiliated with this WildChina, we’ve been getting a few inquiries about going on the same trips as that camera crew. While we can’t exactly duplicate their routes, we’re always excited to show people the largely unknown (until now??) beauty of China’s wilderness.

As I discover more places WildChina has traveled to on the web I’ll post a new list of links. Let me know in the comments if I miss something!

First Group in Chengdu After the Earthquake

July 2, 2008 in In the News, Sichuan-Earthquake by Emma | 1 comment

00.10 AM June 23

We landed at Chengdu Shuangliu airport. 42 days after the earthquake, 38 days after escaping from Chengdu, I’m back again. I feel especially bonded with this city. I am excited.

On the plane, a lady sitting next to me asked: are you going there to help (抗震救灾)？With so many lao wai? Haha, I laughed. No, we are visiting there. Actually, we’re the first tourist group coming to Chengdu after earthquake.

When entering the city, we saw many big red boards by the road, with many encouraging words, such as: “众志成城”; “同心协力，共建美好家园”. The city is as peaceful, as beautiful as before.

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WildChina’s Donation

June 2, 2008 in In the News, Sichuan-Earthquake by admin | 1 comment

Confronted by such terrible tragedy, every little bit counts.  We have decided to make a collective donation to assist with the relief efforts in Sichuan.

WildChina has donated 21,906 RMB in total.  The staff raised 7,302 RMB, which was matched, in equal amounts, by our Chairwoman, Mei Zhang, and our CEO, Albert Ng.  The funds have been donated to the Red Cross Society of China and the Kangmei Institute of Community Development.  In addition to our financial contribution, WildChina is donating all of its tents and sleeping bags to the disaster area.

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