Traveling toward prosperity

A town in Yunnan is seeking to capitalize on its scenery and multiethnic culture to put itself on the tourist map to catch up with development and overcome poverty, Yang Yang reports.

He Qinglin is on a mission to bring the world to his hometown-by bringing his hometown to the world.

The 30-year-old ethnic Naxi has spent the past three weeks traveling throughout the Dali Bai and Dechen Tibet autonomous prefectures in Southwest China's Yunnan province. He has been on the road seeking cooperation with travel agencies and tourist attractions to introduce his hometown and guesthouses to potential customers.

He comes from Tacheng town, the "east gate" of Dechen's Weixi Lisu autonomous county inside the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, the region of three parallel rivers-the Jinsha, an important upstream branch of the Yangtze; the Lancang, known as the Mekong outside of China, that runs into Southeast Asia; and the Nujiang that runs into Myanmar as the Salween River.

Despite its graceful landscapes, diverse flora and fauna, and rich and unique ethnic culture, Weixi has remained largely unknown to tourists.

However, China's tourism development is entering a new stage, when people want more relaxing holidays and deeper interactions with local cultures beyond mere sightseeing following a tight schedule on an economical budget.

Insiders in Weixi, including He, expect more visitors in the coming years.