page_title: Tourism in China
section_title: Natural sites
hierarchical_section_title: Tourism in China / Tourist resources / Natural sites
caption_attribution_description: العربية: حقول الأرز في مقاطعة يونان الصينية. Português: Campos de arroz na Província de Yunnan, China. Deutsch: Reisterrassen in der chinesischen Provinz Yunnan English: (Honghe Hani Rice Terraces) in Yunnan Province, China. Español: Campos de arróz en la Provincia de Yunnan, China. Français&#160;: Rizières en terrasse des Hani de Honghe dans le Yunnan, en Chine. עברית: טרסות אורז במחוז יונאן שבסין. Русский: Рисовые террасы в провинции Юньнань 日本語: 中国雲南省の棚田 Македонски: Тераси на оризови полиња во кинеската провинција Јунан. Türkçe: Teras pirinç tarlaları.Yunnan Eyaleti, Çin Українська: Рисові тераси в провінції Юньнань, Китай. Tiếng Việt: Ruộng bậc thang ở Vân Nam, Trung Quốc 中文: 中国云南省梯田
context_page_description: Tourism in China is a growing industry that is becoming a significant part of the Chinese economy. The rate of tourism has greatly expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening-up. The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of w and outbound tourist markets. According to Xinhuanet, the world is on the cusp of a sustained Chinese tourism boom.
  As of 2015, China is the fourth most visited country in the world, after France, United States, and Spain, with 56.9 million international tourists per year.
  In 2017, tourism contributed about CNY 8.77 trillion, 11.04% of the GDP, and contributed direct and indirect employment of up to 28.25 million people. There were 139.48 million inbound trips and five billion domestic trips. Data from 2016 indicated that the majority of China's foreign tourists came from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Among the number of tourist arrivals who stayed for at least a night, 27.72 million came from Hong Kong, 4.81 million from Macau and 5.09 million from Taiwan.
context_section_description: China's mountains, lakes, valleys, caves and waterfalls:
  Mount Tai (Tai Shan) in the east, Mount Hengshan in the south, Mount Hua in the west, Mount Hengshan in the north, and Mount Song in the center of China have been called the Five Sacred Mountains since antiquity. The Taishan massif, which snakes through central Shandong, is admired by Chinese as paramount among them. Another mountain celebrated for its beauty is Huangshan in southern Anhui, known for its graceful pines, unusual rocks, cloud seas and hot springs.
  Jiuzhaigou, Huangguoshu Waterfall, and Guilin are all located in southwestern China. Jiuzhaigou in northern Sichuan is a beautiful "fairyland valley" running over 40 km through snow-covered mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and forest. The Huangguoshu Waterfalls in Guizhou are a group of waterfalls, 18 above-ground and four below, which can be heard from five km away. The Li River in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region winds its way through karst peaks for 82 km between Guilin and Yangshuo.
  On the plateau in northern China are many spectacular lakes. The Tianchi (Heavenly Pool) in the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Autonomous Region is 1,980 meters above sea level. This 105-m-deep lake is crystal clear, the high mountains surrounding it carpeted with green grass and colorful flowers.
  Along the renowned Three Gorges of the Yangtze River are many scenic spots and historical sites; the Qutang Gorge is rugged and majestic, the Wu Gorge elegant, deep and secluded, the Xiling Gorge full of shoals and reefs and rolling water. The Lesser Three Gorges are lush with greenery, flanking water so clear you can see to the bottom. The Three Gorges Dam built here is China's biggest key hydro-power project.
caption: The terraced rice paddies of Yuanyang County, Yunnan
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