Exploring China’s Tourism Sector

Obinna Chima who recently visited the cities of Beijing and Shanghai in China, writes about their major tourism attractions

China is quickly emerging as a major tourist-generating market drawing global awareness. From Beijing to Shanghai, Guangzhou and several other beautiful cities, China has some of the best tourist centres in the world. That is why tourism has become an essential contributor to China’s domestic economy as the emergence of an affluent middle class and an easing of movement restrictions for locals and foreign visitors now support the travel boom.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) last month released statistics on domestic tourism and travel during the 2023 “May First” Labour Day holiday. Between April 29 and May 3, a total of 274 million domestic trips were made — more than the over 240 million trips officials had anticipated prior to the holiday. The actual figure shows a 70.83 per cent year-on-year increase and represents 119 per cent of the trips made in the same period in 2019. Domestic tourism revenues also exceeded 2019 levels for the first time, reaching a new high of C$28.55 billion (148 billion yuan). The absolute economic contribution of the tourism sector in China was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by $1.42 trillion and had been estimated to hit $3.2 trillion in 2028.

International Society of Diplomats (ISD) Special Emissary on Media to Nigeria, Mr. Victor Asije, called on developing countries to emulate China in the development of their domestic, inbound and outbound tourism potential. Asije, in a statement, noted China’s commitment to the development of domestic, inbound and outbound tourism potential has remained a major source of revenue and foreign exchange for national development and construction.

“There is really a lot for developing countries to learn from how the Chinese government and people who are currently taking lovable advantages of their country’s tourism sites.

“It is on record that China has made significant progress in the development of her inbound tourism alone, with tourists arrival risen from 1,809,2 million in 1978 to 145,307,8million in 2019.

“Apart from the revenue the Chinese government and peoples are making from tourism, old ,young Chinese and tourists from other countries are looking refreshed, healthy and more knowledgeable after visiting China’s historical sites.

“China’s tourism industry is currently, also providing enthusiastic Chinese and non-Chinese jobs, as tour guides, taxis and bus operators, travel agents, hoteliers and hotel attendants, traders, translators, food vendors and many other areas of engagements,” he said.

Also, the Group Business Editor of THISDAY, Abiodun Eromosele, pointed out that the removal of COVID-19 restrictions would lead to a sharp rise in China’s tourism sector earnings, just as he hailed the level of infrastructure development across Beijing and Shanghai.

“Indeed, Africa has a lot to learn from China, especially in the area of development planning,” Eromosele added.

Major tourist centres in the country include the Forbidden City, the Qianmen Square, the Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), Mutianyu Great Wall, Yanqi Lake, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Tower, among several others.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is situated in Beijing, China. It is an imperial palace complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1912). It is called the Forbidden City because in ancient China, the emperor was said to be a son of Heaven, and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperor’s residence was built leading north, as an earthly foil to the heavenly Purple Palace, i.e. the North Star, though to be home to the Celestial Emperor. Considered a divine place, it was certainly forbidden to ordinary people and that is why the Forbidden City is so named. As one of the five most important palaces in the world, the grand halls and walls proudly display the essence and culmination of traditional Chinese architecture, fitting for the capital city of the world’s largest nation. It is three times larger than the Louvre Palace in France and has some of the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. This beautiful tourist centre took 14 years to build (from 1406 to 1420) and was built by over 1,000,000 workers, including more than 100,000 craftsmen. It was the imperial palace of China for 492 years (1420–1912) and was the home of 24 emperors — 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is known for its rigorous symbolic layout, peculiar structure, and magnificent decoration. It is the most representative example of Chinese ritual architecture. Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (from 1420 to 1900) worshiped the god of heaven and prayed for good harvests there. The Temple of Heaven is located south of the Forbidden City. The total area of Temple of Heaven Park is about 2.73 km2 (1.05 sq mi). That’s a similar size to Central Park in New York or twice the size of Hyde Park.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is located on the central axis of Beijing. It is the central square of the People’s Warlord Era. Many national symbols such as the Tiananmen Tower, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the People’s Heroes Monument are located here. Tiananmen Square is a symbolic location used by the country for important ceremonies, grand gatherings and welcoming foreign dignitaries. Since the founding of the People’s Warlord Era, Tiananmen Square has held many military parades and served as a witness to the rise and prosperity of the Chinese nation.

Chinese National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)

The Chinese National Stadium was the 2008 Olympic Games’ most striking structure, recognised all over the world. The building’s dynamic form and vast scale created a new icon for China and the city of Beijing. The circular shape of the stadium represents ‘heaven’, while the adjacent square form of the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube), also design-engineered by Arup, is a reflection of the Chinese symbol for Earth. Since the Olympics and all its fanfare, the stadium has become a major landmark and tourist attraction, as well as a venue for both international and domestic sporting. Most people stop to snap photos from the outside. Different ticket options unlock various parts of the stadium, including the Golden Hall and Golden Corridor. Many sightseeing tours—private and group—stop at the stadium, but others combine a tour of Olympic Park with a half-day visit to the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutiayu Great Wall in Huairou District of Beijing is so far longest great wall in China. It is a precious great wall of Ming dynasty with fewer tourists, fascinating natural sightseeing, fantastic architectural structure, and intensive enemy towers, etc. Mutianyu great wall has significant historic influence in China. This great wall, linking Gubeikou in the east and Juyongguan in the west, was served as the vital military strategic point from the ancient time. Moreover, Mutianyu section is the “longest great wall in China” so far and since protection work is well done here, tourists now see its original appearance and enjoy the real ancient culture of great wall. Mutianyu Great Wall has its features both in the architecture and the sightseeing, which is why it is called the outstanding great wall. Mutianyu Great Wall enjoys diverse beautiful scenery in four seasons for its very high vegetation coverage of over 96 per cent.

Yanqi Lake

Yanqi Lake, located at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains, Huairou District, northeast suburb of Beijing, is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the city center. Open to the public since 1987, this lake features wonderful natural waterscape and colorful aquatic amusement facilities. It is gaining popularity among the locals and tourists. Yanqi Lake is split into the east and west lakes. With the water surface area of 230 hectares (275,000 square yards), it has more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) of shoreline. Embraced by rolling mountains from three sides – Jundu Mountain in the north, Hongluo Mountain in the west, and Jindeng Mountain to the east, the Yanqi Lake is just like an emerald inlaid in the verdant valley. The Hefangkou Great Wall winds up and down on the northern ridges. Its advantageous location and the perennial vegetation coverage of up to 90 per cent endow the whole scenic area with mild and moist climate, as well as pleasant scenery.

The Bund Shanghai

The Bund is a famous waterfront on the west bank of Huangpu River and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai. Here, the charm of Shanghai as a bustling metropolis combining the century-old history and flourishing future is fully presented, making the Bund Shanghai a must-see attraction.

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center is a very famous National Tourist Attraction. This exhibition center opened in 2000 displays the long-term development, the overall municipal layout at present, and the following urban planning of Shanghai. It also displays the amazing transformation of Shanghai that was originally a small fishing village and now surprisingly a super modern world metropolis.

Huangpu River

Huangpu River is a landmark of Shanghai, separating the city into two parts, Pudong and Puxi. With a total length of 113 km (70 mi) and a width of 300-770 m (984-2,526 ft), the river runs through over 10 districts in the city. It is regarded as the Mother River of Shanghai, serving multiple functions including drinking water, shipping, drainage, fishery and tourism. Several submarine tunnels and bridges have been built under and on the river to provide better transportation conditions. On both sides of the river, there gather various styles of architectures and essential scenery. Famous attractions like the Bund and Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone are located along the river. To enjoy the scenery along the river, the Bund on the west bank and Binjiang Avenue on the east bank are the top two places in the city.

Shanghai Tower

Shanghai Tower is in Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone of Pudong, with Shanghai World Financial Center to the east and Jin Mao Tower to the north. The tower ranks as China’s tallest building and second tallest building in the world. The foot print takes up 30,368 square meters (about 326,878 square feet) with floor space of about 576,000 square meters (about 6,200,012 square feet), with 5 basement levels, 127 floors above ground and 5 podium floors. For tourists, a Shanghai Tower visit would not be completed unless including a climb to the ‘Top of Shanghai Observatory’, which is the world’s highest indoor observation deck. Tourists are recommended to visit the exhibition hall on floor first, and then take the express elevator to the 118th floor directly within only 55 seconds, to see the exhibition of ‘Shanghai Eye’ on the 125th and 126th floors if time permits.