LAOSHAN Mountain was listed as a national 5A tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration on Jan. 14. It is the first in Qingdao.

    The administration implemented new management mode to improve the attraction, such as setting up Dahedong and Yangkou temporary customer service centers and operating tour coaches. The main scenic spots were under strict management, with gate control and video monitoring systems. All tour coaches had to park in car parks outside the service centers and tourists must buy tickets for sight-seeing vans in the park. The administration introduced 92 environmentally friendly sightseeing vans to connect the six scenic spots in the north of the park, which would not only ease traffic congestion in the area but also protect the environment.

    There are 193 kilometers of vehicle lanes, 30 kilometers of roads with greenery on both sides and 17 car parks covering 180,000 square meters in Laoshan. The administration also set up more than 300 outdoor billboards each in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Telecommunication service booths and shops had been upgraded with 31 POS terminals installed.

    A professional yacht company has started operating offshore sightseeing tours. The project opened in May 2010 and has cost more than 40 million yuan. After the construction of Dahedong and Yangkou temporary customer service centers, work had started on an official Laoshan tourist service center. The Beijiushui temporary customer service center will be open during high season this year.

    Laoshan has also been working hard promoting cultural events with its rich religious resources. It has cooperated with the Chinese Taoism Association to hold forums on Taoism over the past two years. A teaching base for religious study at the Renmin University of China was founded at the Taiqinggong Palace, while the first martial arts performance troupe in North China was also established in Laoshan. Two performances created by the Donghai Ancient Music Ensemble were well-received by tourists and national leaders.

    The mountain administration has spent more than 27 million yuan on religious cultural design and construction, repairing three ancient temples and organizing religious activities. It also introduced a Taoism culture and health project, in which a Taoism cultural venue covering more than 3,000 square meters has already opened.

    (Wang Yuanyuan, Yu Feng)