Majestic Xuefeng Mountains in C China's Hunan attract global hiking enthusiasts

Boasting of unique natural landscape and profound cultural and historical heritage, Xuefeng Mountains, which span four cities and 10 counties in central China's Hunan Province, hold great appeal for hikers.

Known as the "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of Hunan,” Xuefeng Mountains is far from the hustle and bustle of city life. With a forest coverage rate of more than 76 percent, it has earned a reputation as "the lung of China.”

Foreign hiking experts make an on-the-spot survey of the Xuefeng Mountains in central China's Hunan Province. (Photo courtesy of Hunan Xuefeng Mountain Ecological Culture Tourism Co., Ltd.)

In 2019, world-renowned hiking experts Leon McCarron and David Landis visited the Xuefeng Mountains three times, and spent eight days hiking and cycling in the mountains. They ultimately designed an international hiking route aligned with global standards and preferences.

The route is over 100 kilometers long, stretching from 200 meters to more than 1,000 meters above sea level. It represents the first international hiking route launched in Hunan Province. It allows hikers to enjoy the unique view of modern high-speed railways blending together with terraced fields, explore traces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and experience the intangible culture heritage of the Huayao people, a branch of the Yao ethnic group, who live in the Xuefeng Mountains.

Foreign hiking experts trek the Xuefeng Mountains in central China's Hunan Province. (Photo courtesy of Hunan Xuefeng Mountain Ecological Culture Tourism Co., Ltd.) 

The carefully designed international hiking route begins at the Xuefeng Mountains grand Huayao scenic area. Equipped with facilities incorporating elements of Huayao ethnic culture, including a theater inspired by the traditional decorative headwear of Huayao women and 27 B&B hotels, the Xuefeng Mountains grand Huayao scenic area has become a popular choice for vacations.

Dotted with numerous attractions, including Huxing Mountain, a high-speed railway station, ancient villages, and featured tourist spots, the route represents an important part of the local government's endeavor to integrate hiking tours into cultural tourism, according to an executive of Hunan Xuefeng Mountain Ecological Culture Tourism Co., Ltd., a tourism development company based in Xupu county, Hunan Province.

Photo shows a theater along an international hiking route in Xuefeng Mountains, central China's Hunan Province. (Photo/Chen Jun)

The model is translating the locality's pristine ecological environment, rich cultural heritage, and other resources into advantages for economic development, the executive added.

Descending from the Huxing Mountain, gurgling streams accompany hikers through ancient trees shading villages, where glimpses into the lives of ethnic minority groups offer fascinating cultural experiences.

Young women of Huayao, a branch of the Yao ethnic group, rest in an ancient forest in Chongmudang village, Longhui county, central China's Hunan Province. (Photo courtesy of Hunan Xuefeng Mountain Ecological Culture Tourism Co., Ltd.)

For instance, in Shanbei village, Gezhuping township, Xupu county, tourists can often see young Huayao women making handicrafts using an embroidery technique called Tiaohua, or cross-stitch embroidery, in front of their homes.

Tiaohua is considered an essential skill for Huayao women. They start to learn the craft from the age of 7 or 8, and are often highly skilled at it. Their excellent craftsmanship has become a new source of income.

Since 2014, the local government has intensified efforts to boost the development of cultural tourism by tapping into the natural resources and farming culture of Shanbei village with the help of the tourism development company. The endeavor has not only created jobs for locals, but promoted the protection and inheritance of the village's traditional farming culture. As a result, the per capita annual income of Shanbei village has increased from around 2,300 yuan ($315.86) in 2014 to about 15,000 yuan.

Women of Huayao, a branch of the Yao ethnic group, make handicrafts using an embroidery technique called Tiaohua, or cross-stitch embroidery. (People's Daily Online/Xiang Yu)

"Now that we have more and more tourists, many of them buy Tiaohua handicrafts from us. That brings me a stable income," said Feng Zhaimei, a local inheritor of Tiaohua, which has been designated as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in China.

More efforts will be made to further improve support facilities for tourism services to attract more tourists and hikers to the magnificent Xuefeng Mountains, said an executive of Hunan Xuefeng Mountain Ecological Culture Tourism Co., Ltd.

Photo shows terraced fields in Shanbei village, Xupu county, central China's Hunan Province. Because these terraced fields stretch from 300 meters above sea level all the way to an altitude of more than 1,400 meters in high mountains, they are called "terraced fields above clouds.” (People’s Daily Online/Xiang Yu)

A farmer plows a terraced field in Shanbei village, Xupu county, central China's Hunan Province. (People's Daily Online/Xiang Yu)