Town in Hunan carves own path to success

Langshan Mountain, located in Langshan town, Xinning county, Hunan province, attracted both domestic and foreign tourists during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.

The mountain, a well-known UNESCO geopark, has continuously developed through tourism, cultural attractions and increasing leisure facilities. The town is one of the top 10 culture-tourism towns in Hunan province.

Langshan covers an area of 10.5 square kilometers and neighbors two tourism attractions — Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Zhangjiajie in Hunan. But Langshan has carved its own path for alleviating poverty through tourism.

It now has visitor centers and a culture-business neighborhood. It also has more than 30 boutique bed and breakfast businesses and more than 200 homestays.

Last year, the number of tourist visits in Langshan reached 5.95 million, generating revenues of 4.1 billion yuan ($630 million). The development of tourism also provides jobs for 2,448 local people.

Langshan aims to add 3,000 more jobs upon completion of a series of construction projects in the near future.

Tang Ziye contributed to the story.