Wudang Mid-Autumn Day tourists hit new high

By Zhang Qiong ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2014-09-09

During the 3-day Mid-Autumn Day holiday, tourists from all over the country flocked to Wudang Mountains. The national 5A-level scenic area features beautiful natural scenery, magnificent royal architecture, and a profound culture. What’s more, it is also an ideal place for moon watching – an eternal theme for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

By the afternoon of Sept 8, the scenic spot received a total of 52,900 visitors from home and abroad during the three days, increasing by 6.7 percent compared to the same period last year. The tourism revenue amounted to a historical record of 41 million yuan ($6.7 million) over the same period, or a year-on-year increase of 8.9 percent.

The photo shows the ticketing center of Wudang Mountains scenic spot during this year’s Mid-Autumn Day.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The T-mall e-commerce ticketing system recently launched by Wudang Mountains, as part of its intelligent tourism project, cut a striking figure. The convenient electronic ticket and self-service ticket-checking system contributed a lot to the upsurge in tourists.

This year, the travel peak mainly appeared on the first two days of the holidays, as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which values family reunions, fell on the third. On Sept 6, the first day of the festival, the tourist flow to Wudang exceeded 13,900.

The parking lot of Wudang Mountains scenic area during Mid-Autumn Day, 2014 [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The traditional cultural tourism items in Wudang, such as the Taoism Tea art performance, the divination by the Book of Changes, and praying for blessings attracted many visitors as usual during the holidays. Tourists’ favorite scenic spots in Wudang include the Golden Summit, South Crag, Prince Slope, Xiao Yao Valley, and Purple Heaven Palace.

Meanwhile, a selection of new sights, such as the Wudang Mountains Museum, Wudang Geological Museum, and the Tai chi Lake new area, opened to visitor for free during the holidays, which effectively relieved the major scenic area’s reception pressure.

On Sept 8, the very day of Mid-Autumn, tourists on the top of Wudang Mountains witnessed a wonderful combination of pseudo-classic architecture, green mountains, and cloud and mist. The whole Golden Summit was surrounded by a sea of cloud at one moment, looking like a fairyland. All the tourists at the scene were amazed. A couple of visitors from Zhejiang province said that the Wudang trip was very memorable.

Contributed by Wang Liang and Jiang Yuanbo from Wudang Mountains Tourism Bureau