Romantic Zhuhai : A city of hundred islands
By Prashant —-
Zhuhai, China : Zhuhai , located in the south of Guangdong Province of China, is heading to be a MICE ( Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions ) tourism destination of the world with huge investments in infrastructure and product development.
Zhuhai , 140 kilometers from the provincial capital Guangzhou, is regarded by both Chinese and foreigners as the romantic city of China. The city with a population of more than 1.5 million is prosperous in tourism products and beautiful islands with modern resorts.
According to Ma Bing, Director of China Travel Hong Kong (Zhuhai ) Ocean Spring Co., Zhuhai is a largest holiday resort and international conference center of China. More than 25 billion RMB is invested to construct Ocean Spring Resort in Zhuhai.
‘The second phase development plan of the Ocean Spring Resort to develop the OSR as a theme park is to be implemented next year,’ he said.
Located in the western part of Zhuhai, Hong Kong China Travel (Zhuhai) Ocean Spring Resort is the first “national demonstration zone of tourism and leisure” awarded by China National Tourism Administration ( CNTA ) , and is a masterpiece constructed by Hong Kong China Travel Group following the construction and development of Shenzhen OCT, Window of the World, Splendid China.
Zhuhai faces Shenzhen and Hong Kong across the South China Sea to the east and is connected with Macau by the overland route to the south. Zhuhai is a gardenlike coastal city with 146 charming islands and the city is a modern ecotypic resort due to greenery. The beautiful Jingshan Road and Qinglu Road (Lovers’ Road) add romantic atmosphere to Zhuhai .
‘ Zhuhai is also famous for its hot springs and golf clubs where visitors coming from different parts of the world enjoy their stay here ,’ said Tony Liu, Deputy Director of China Travel Hong Kong (Zhuhai ) Ocean Spring Co.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, being constructed at the waters of Lingdingyang of Pearl River Estuary,is a landmark in Zhuhai’s modernization. Construction of the world’s longest cross-sea bridge linking China’s southern economic hub of Guangdong Province to Hong Kong and Macao started in 2009 and project consists of a cross-sea bridge, a sub- sea tunnel and two manmade islands linking it all together.
Starting from the Lantau Island in Hong Kong, the length of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge will be about 50 km including 6.7-kilometer undersea tunnel.
The mega project is estimated to cost almost 73 billion Yuan (10.7 billion U.S. dollars), to be shared by mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.The bridge upon completion by 2016 will connect Zhuhai , Hong Kong and Macao by land boosting tourism in the Pearl Delta area.
Since the establishment of Zhuhai City, the municipal government has given priority to city planning and environmental protection.’ The city is said to be an ideal place to travel ‘, opine western tourists visiting Zhuhai .
Major tourist attractions of Zhuhai are -The New Yuan Ming Palace, Statue of Fisher Girl ,Lover’s Road, Imperial Hot Spring Resort, Agriculture Wonders, Meixi Royal Stone Archways, Mysterious Island Theme Park, Macao cruise sightseeing, Shijingshan Cable Car ,Zhuhai Hot Spring ,Soilless Culture Tourism Base,Pearl Land ,Zhuhai Golden Gulf Golf Club among others.
Ocean Spring Metropark Hotel is constructed in Moroccon architecture style and naturally designed for better view of the South China Sea,the lake and the mountains.
Built like the Summer Palace in Beijing, the New Summer Palace ‘ New Yuan Ming Palace ‘ in Zhuhai attracts tens of thousands of tourists visiting Zhuhai each year. The New Summer Palace, which incorporates the classical royal palace complex, garden building on the Yangtze Delta and the western style buildings, reproduces the elegance and talent in the flourishing age of the Qing Dynasty.
According to Zhuhai Tourism Bureau, more than 90 star-level hotels with 12,000 rooms and several budget hotels offer quality hospitality to the visitors in Zhuhai.
The Cantonese cuisine and seafood of Zhuhai is said to be very popular among the tourists.
‘ Tourists visiting from USA and Europe regard Zhuhai a coastal paradise and more than 10 islands among 146 islands and islets have become leisure holiday resorts ,’ says a tour guide Billy Liu.
More than 35 million tourists visit Zhuhai including nearly 3.4 million foreign tourists each year.
