All-for-one tourism

Brief introduction of Shiyan:
　　
Shiyan is called Yan for short, and is honored “Motor City” since it is famous for commercial vehicle production. Located in the northwest of Hubei Province, it is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province and a regional center city in the junction of Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi provinces and Chongqing City. Shiyan is also the core city of the ecological cultural tourism circle in western Hubei.

Shiyan is located in the central mountainous area of China, the Hanshui Valley of the Qinling-Daba Mountains, and the middle and upper reaches of the Han River. The city has the Qinling Mountains in the north, the Bashan Mountains in the south, the Hanjiang River across the whole territory, and the Wudang Mountain in the east. Shiyan has four distinct seasons and a pleasant climate. Shiyan’s unique geographical location makes it known as “the throat of Sichuan and Shaanxi and the towngate of four provinces.” It covers an area of 23,000 square kilometers and has a permanent population of 3.2 million by the end of 2020. Shiyan has a long history. In 1995, the only oryctocoenosis of dinosaurs and eggs in China was discovered in Yunyang District, and the skull fossils of “Yunxian Man” dating back 1 million years, discovered in 1989 and 1990 in the district, caused a sensation in the field of ancient human archaeology. It is revealed in the Annals of Yuntai, the only existing special local political chronicles in China that Yunyang area in Shiyan was once the central city in the adjacent area of Hubei, Henan, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces in Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1969, Shiyan City was established at the county level, and in 1973, it was upgraded to a city under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. In 1994, a new prefecture-level Shiyan City was established after merging with Yunyang area.

As an emerging modern city, Shiyan is striving to build a modern industrial system of “one major, three comprehensive and five new industries.” It has made the automobile industry as the leading industry, planned to comprehensively develop tourism, health and ecological industries, and decided to promote five supporting industries, which are digital economy, new materials, intelligent equipment, clean energy and modern services. Shiyan is home to Wudang Mountain, a world cultural heritage site, and Danjiangkou Reservoir, the source of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, as well as the headquarters of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Co., LTD. Wudang Mountain, Danjiang River and Motor City are three world-class business cards of Shiyan. Shiyan has been awarded the honorary titles of National Hygienic City, Most Livable City in China, National Garden City, National Forest City, and so on. In 2020, Shiyan won the title of “National Civilized City” during the sixth nationwide selection as the first prefecture-level city to win this honor in China.

Brief introduction of tourism in Shiyan:
　　
Shiyan City is a center of economy, culture, science and technology, and tourism in the conjunction of Hubei, Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces. The famous Wudang Mountain and Shennongjia are located in the city’s both sides. Shiyan currently has jurisdiction over four counties (Yunxi, Fangxian, Zhushan and Zhuxi), five districts (Maojian, Zhangwan, Yunyang, Bailang Economic Development Zone, Wudang Mountain Tourism Special Zone) and Danjiangkou City. The total area of the city is 23,700 square kilometers, of which the urban area is 1,190 square kilometers. Its total population is 3.46 million.

Shiyan City has a long history and splendid culture. It is an important birthplace of the Chinese nation. In 1991, archeologists discovered two complete skulls of Australopithecus fossils on the banks of Quyuan River, Yunxian County, and named them “Yunxian Man.” Anthropologists believe the discovery fills a missing link in the human development “chain” in Asia. It was listed as the first of the “Top Ten archaeological Discoveries in the World” in that year. Since people built ten dams for irrigation at Baier River and Chou river in the Qing Dynasty, and dams are called “yan” and ten is read as “shi” in Chinese, the urban area was hence named after the ten dams as “Shiyan”. The city is the birthplace of Taoism and Wudang Boxing. The Wudang Taoism already has a history of more than a thousand years. The ancient architecture complex of Wudang Mountain has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations.

With a unique geographical location, Shiyan is rich in tourism resources. It is located on the major tour route of “The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River - Shennongjia - Wudang Mountain - Ancient Longzhong,” which is a must to visit and a transfer station. Wudang Mountain is the holy land of Taoism. With its unique charm, natural scenery, architecture, and Kung Fu, and especially Wudang culture, Wudang Mountain attracts many tourists from home and abroad to visit and worship. Wudang Mountain ancient architectural complex has been included in the World Cultural Heritage list by the United Nations. Shennongjia, known as “the first peak in Central China,” is one of the three major oases in China, where “Wild Men” is rumored to haunt the large areas of primitive forest.

Shiyan City, located in the northwest of Hubei Province, is the center city of western Hubei ecological cultural tourism circle. As the only state-level garden city in the inland region of China, it has beautiful mountains and rivers and charming scenery. It has the world cultural heritage and Taoist holy land - Wudang Mountain, which is a typical scenic tourist resort with strange peaks and rocks, turbulent currents, mysterious clouds, and fog steaming. There are also many splendid scenic spots such as Huanglong Ancient Town, Danjiangkou Dam, Taiji Gorge scenic spot, Longyin Gorge, Tiger and Leopard Gorge scenic spot, Jiuhuashan Forest Park and Savage Valley and Savage Cave. In addition, Saiwudang Scenic Area, Sifangshan Botanical Garden, Huilong Temple, Huanglong Reservoir, Fangxian Hot Spring, Black Dragon Cave, Yunxian Martyrs Cemetery and so on are all well-known tourist resorts.