Chinese believe travel and meeting with different people can expand one's vision and improve understanding and trust. That long-held belief is exemplified in the Chinese saying, "It's better to travel 10,000 miles than to read 1,000 books."
How sweet the experience was, so valuable as well! It brings people of different backgrounds closer and creates memories to be cherished for a lifetime regardless of ideological differences.
In order to strengthen mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges between the US and China, China's tourism industry watchdog and practitioners throughout the country vowed to initiate more fun-filled programs and provide tailored services for the American general public.
Last week, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) led a delegation of 80 from 18 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China to continue their "Beautiful China - World Heritage Tourism Promotion Event" in North America, and visited San Francisco on Saturday.
At the Asian Art Museum in downtown San Francisco, big pictures capturing the allure of China's 52 UNESCO World Heritage sites hang along the aisle. Booths set up around the hallway and staff from the 18 areas introduced museum patrons to China's local attractions.
Luo Linquan, consul general of China's Consulate General in San Francisco, said tourism is an effective way to expand the friendship between China and the United States, adding that about 5.32 million people from both countries visited the other in 2016, up 12 percent over the previous year.
"The US has now become China's third-largest source of tourists, with an average 2.1 million people visiting China annually," he said.
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