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Shaolin Scenic Spot of Mount Song in Zhengzhou Ranks First among the Top Ten Most Influential Scenic Spots in Henan Province

A survey entitled “2018 Survey on Tourism Influence in China” was kicked off recently. Jointly conducted by Public Opinion Laboratory of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Travel News, Public Opinion Data Center of people.cn, New Lvjie, comrc.com.cn ,School of Tourism Management of Beijing International Studies University, Zhongshe Think Tank of China Social Sciences Press, and Tourism Big Data Alliance, the survey will cover all provinces, cities, autonomous regions and 100 tourist cities. Objects to be evaluated include over 1600 scenic spots and travel destinations as well as nearly 1000 tourism enterprises. With more than 5 million interviewees, the online survey will be conducted by wenjuan.com. The survey has won support from such institutions as China Travel News (Beijing) Culture Media Co., Ltd., China Travel News Tourism + Studio, pinchain.com, tripvivid.com, kulv Data Marketing, China Travel We-media Alliance, Zhongqing Wenlv Business School and cyyun.com.

The list of the top ten most influential scenic spots in Henan was released on May 4th.

As revealed by the list, Shaolin scenic spot of Mount Song in Dengeng ranks the first among the ten most influential scenic spots in Henan with a high score of 96.3, Longmen Grottoes scenic spot in Luoyang ranks the second with a score of 91.5, and Yuntai Mountain scenic spot in Jiaozuo ranks the third with a score of 89.2. The scenic spots taking the fourth place to the tenth place on the list include Qingming River Garden in Kaifeng; Yin ruinsin Anyang; Baiyun Mountain scenic spot in Luoyang; Pingdingshan Yaoshan Mountain-Central Plains Buddha scenic spot; Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luoyang; Xishan Laojieling-Dinosaur Site; Huangbai Mountain National Forest Park in Xinyang.

According to Liu Zhiming, chief specialist at Public Opinion Laboratory of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, evaluation indicator for China tourism influence is one part of the nation publicity indicator set up by the laboratory. Nation publicity indicator includes four aspects, i.e., public opinion influence, micro-media communication power, brand influence and tourism influence. The evaluation considerations of tourism influence include scale resources, management capacity, communication power and image power. During the new media age, communication power and image power constitute a significant portion of the overall influence.

Located in Dengfeng, Henan, Mount Song scenic spot is located at 74km east of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, and 77km west of Luoyang, the capital of nine ruling dynasties. Mount Song scenic spot was selected by the State Council as one of the first batch of national key scenic spots, and was also selected by UNESCO as one of the first batch of world geoparks. Mount Song scenic spot is one of the first batch of national forest parks and the demonstration site of national civilized scenic spot.

The major part of Mount Song scenic spot covers an area of 162.5 square kilometers comprising Shaolin scenic spot, Songyang scenic spot and Zhongyue scenic spot. Acclaimed as the “ancestor of all mountains” and “sacred mountain of culture”, Mount Song, over the course of 8000 years of cultural development, was home to Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Hailed as the “most lofty mountain under the earth”, Mount Song has witnessed the coexistence of and communication between Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. With the mountains, water and forest, a unique cultural phenomenon called “Mount Song Cultural Circle” featuring “heaven and earth; Buddhism and Taoism; civil accomplishments and military prowess” has been created here at Mount Song.

Mount Song scenic spot now has 1127 sites of historical relics including 16 national key cultural relics protection units. Boasting the largest collection of national treasures among county-level cities in the country, Mount Song is acclaimed as “hometown of cultural relics” and “natural history museum”. Among the cultural relics, there are: Zhougong Sundial Platform, the oldest astronomical site existing today in China, and star observation platform of the Yuan Dynasty; Shaolin Temple, birthplace of the Chan sect and Shaolin Kung Fu; Zhongyue Temple, the largest and the oldest sacred place of Taoism among the Five Mountains; Songyang Academy, the four academies of The Northern Song Dynasty and the birthplace of Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming Dynasties; three que of the Han Dynasty, the oldest que existing in China today, including Taishi que, Shaoshi que and Qimu que; Shaolin Temple Tallinn, the largest ancient pagoda complex in China; pagoda of Songyue Temple, the oldest brick pagoda existing in China today. Boasting the accumulation of extensive and profound Chinese culture along with world-class geological wonders, Mount Song is regarded as the “chief” of the Five Mountains. The historical buildings complex called “Under Heaven” in Dengfeng was designated by UNESO as world cultural heritage in 2010.

The places of natural beauty and cultural interest within Mount Song Shaolin scenic spot have attracted numerous specialists and scholars for intellectual exploration. Historians call it “hometown of cultural relics”; architects call it “art palace of architecture”; painting and calligraphy artists call it “treasure house of paintings and calligraphy”; scholars call it “five generations alive at the same time”; tourism lovers call it “chief of the Five Mountains”; and Wushu circle regards it as “the number one in Kung Fu world”.

As the epitome of Chinese cultural history, Mount Song offers everything from astronomy, archaeology, biology, architectonics, geology, forestry and aesthetics to culture, art, sports, religion and education. Walking into Mount Song Shaolin scenic spot, you will open the encyclopedia of Chinese civilization and be immersed into the several thousand years of Chinese history.

Now, start off on your journey and explore the wonders of Mount Song Shaolin scenic spot!

 

Copyright by Zhengzhou Municipal Tourism Administration