During the interview with the delegation of Guizhou province to the Two Sessions on March 9, Yang Yongying, deputy to the National People's Congress and governor of Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, was one of the attending deputies who made a speech.

Deputy Yang Yongying being interviewed. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, the annual growth rate of tourists and the tourist revenue of Qianxinan prefecture has been above 45 percent, promoting the development of the region.

In 2017, the GDP of Qianxinan prefecture reached 106.76 billion yuan ($16.87 billion), which was an increase of 12.5 percent over the same period in 2016. This growth was the fastest growth the province had ever seen. The disposable income per capita of urban and rural residents was 27,758 yuan and 8,596 yuan respectively, an increase of 9.2 percent and 10.5 percent. The urbanization rate stood at 43 percent, shortening the gap between Qianxinan and other parts of the province and the nation.

In addition, Qianxinan prefecture has held International Mountain Tourism Conference for three consecutive years since 2015. It has become the permanent host of the event.

Speaking of Qianxinan prefecture's unique geology, Yang Yongying said its mountainous region accounts for 96 percent of its total area. That is 11 percentage points higher than Switzerland, known as "land of mountains." The nine counties of the prefecture are surrounded by the Nanpan River and Beipan River. Alongside these rivers, there are five lakes including Wanfeng Lake and Guangzhao Lake. 

In the past five years, Qianxinan prefecture has built landscape tourist scenic areas including Wanfenglin National scenic spot, Wanfeng Lake, Sancha River, and Maling River Valley, as well as cultural scenic spots, attracting tourists from all over the country.

Qianxinan prefecture is renowned for its karst features and it boasts natural beauty as well as rich culture. There are more than 800 intangible cultural heritages in Qianxinan prefecture including folk dance, folk stunts, festivals, and folk customs. In 2018, Qianxinan prefecture's air quality was rated “A” throughout the year and its water was reported to be above the quality standard, making it a more than suitable place to live.