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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Opinion -> 
Paradise never far away
    2016-07-25  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    Wu Guangqiang

    jw368@163.com

    PLANNING to find a mountain or seaside resort to escape the sultry summer heat? Don’t bother to fly afar to soothe your body and soul on the breezy beaches of Miami or Bali or at tranquil village lodges down the Alps or in the Norwegian forests. Just book a room at Mount Mogan, a summer resort hidden in the lush hills of Zhejiang Province, where you can enjoy as much pleasure, at a much lower cost.

    Mount Mogan is gaining popularity at home and abroad as a getaway from the city hustle and bustle. It is located in Deqing, the county known as “a place of tea and bamboo” in the middle of the Shanghai, Ningbo and Hangzhou economic zone.

    Mount Mogan’s refreshing breezes first enchanted foreigners in the 1880s, as they rented rooms and houses from locals for great summer retreats. Soon came rich people from a foreign community in Shanghai who bought the mountain top for just 50 dollars. Before long, large numbers of European-styled buildings mushroomed: villas, houses, churches and public halls were built for missionaries, businessmen, customs officials and their families. Many of these buildings are still standing, and some have already been turned into hotels and guest houses that are operating today.

    Now Mount Mogan is sizzling hot for its home-stay guest houses. The rate of a standard room is a minimum of 1,000 yuan (US$149) per night during the off season, which is doubled during holidays and weekends. Some luxurious hotels charge 6,000 yuan (US$898) for a standard room per night. Even so, many holidaymakers can’t secure a room during the high season.

    Mount Mogan has become a great footnote to a catchy slogan, initially put forward by President Xi Jinping when he was governor of Zhejiang Province: Green mountains and clear water are a gold mine.

    Not only have local villagers gotten rich by operating guest houses out of their homes, but quite a few outsiders have rushed in to grab a share of the lucrative market. In fact, in the latest gold rush, beginning in the mid-2000s, the earliest birds included a number of foreigners, some of whom are still running the best hotels there now.

    

    Mount Mogan’s success is both inspirational and exemplary for other places in China that enjoy nature-bestowed beauty, yet benefit little from it. China’s 1.37 billion person population means there is enormous potential for the vacation tour market, so it is likely that thousands of more “Mounts Mogan” can be spawned across the country.

    China’s vast territory and its a great variety of geographic conditions and landscapes as well as climates make the nation one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Trips to different parts of the country offer completely different experiences.

    For instance: the vastness and grandeur of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia’s prairies; the majesty and steepness of Tibet’s mountains; the virility and exuberance of the forests in Xishuangbanna in Yunnan; and the sunshine and breezes at the beaches of Hainan Island. All these sceneries of endless variation cater to visitors of various interests and tastes. One will never be satiated in their exploration of China’s beauty.

    However, splendid views do not naturally result in money rolling in. A few requirements must be met first. Above all, convenient access to the destination is a must, so local governments must spend generously to improve infrastructure such as roads, Internet connections, electricity and water supply.

    The operators of local facilities should put their best foot forward to attract visitors. Mount Mogan fascinates holidaymakers with its verdant bamboos, trees and clear streams plus imaginative history and legends. Every place has its own unique features to lure people in. The question is how to draw it out.

    By turning China’s picturesque villages and towns into tourist paradises, we will not only do well to preserve them, but also allow the local people to live better lives without having to leave their homes.

    (The author is an English tutor and a freelance writer.)

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