Baiyun Mountain 2009 Chronicles

How time flies! In the twinkling of an eye, 2009 has already passed. Baiyun Mountain has undergone enormous changes in 2009: the narrow footpath has been replaced by a wide main road leading straight up the mountain; the villagers have moved from remote areas of the mountain to their new home - Baiyun New Village, and their living conditions have improved and they have started a business and received visitors. It can be said that in 2009, Baiyun Mountain has changed from a relatively unknown, bleak land to an officially open park full of visitors, revealing to everyone her unique new features. What did we actually go through in 2009 to construct the targeted 4A-level Baiyun Mountain scenic spot? Find out in the following chronicles!

Chronicle 1: The villagers moved into their new homes and embraced their new lives

Tourism could stimulate the local economic development in accordance with this objective. Moreover, in order to ensure the long-term development of the scenic area, the company designed and drew up plans for the construction of a commercial street in Baiyun Mountain scenic spot for the villagers to encourage them to use this to their advantage by engaging in trade and making their own fortune, thereby stimulating the local economic development.        

        However, the actual relocation process came up against all kinds of difficulties. In the face of difficulties, the company leader and Baiyun Mountain employees made great efforts to constantly communicate with the villagers and promote mutual understanding, and they finally got the support and cooperation of the local villagers. On April 10, spitting firecrackers and a hubbub of voices transformed the usually quiet mountain village into a scene of great rejoicing; the villagers were all busy moving to Baiyun New Village in front of the mountain gates - their new home. In light of these circumstances, a visitor named Zhao Jianlin was moved to write several poems specially to express his thoughts on the villagers’ lives in view of the change. Below are two of these poems:

No comparison between past and present

In the old days, the mountain path was difficult to walk along,

The lives and livelihoods of the mountain people depended on the carrying pole.

In the modern dynasty, a dragon descended to earth,

And opened a wide road leading to the mountain peak.

Farewell

A celestial dragon moved to Baiyun Mountain,

And added new colour to the old mountain valley.

The mountain people built a new village,

And bade farewell to their thatched huts. 

Chronicle 2: Baiyun Mountain officially opened, and welcomed guests and friends from all over the country

April 29 was an extraordinary day on Baiyun Mountain. After over two years of planning and construction, the preparatory work for Baiyun Mountain was finally completed and the park officially opened. On that day, all the city, county and township leaders as well as guests and friends from other units gathered on Baiyun Mountain together to witness the official opening of Baiyun Mountain Park, a landmark moment.

      After the park opening ceremony, we amused ourselves, some took pictures of the magnificent mountain gates; some went to the Moon Bay Reservoir to go bamboo rafting. Some strolled to the Yulong River to listen to the murmur of flowing water, look at the green mountains, scoop up a handful of clear water, and catch a few small fish and crabs. Some climbed the highest peak in the mountain range, White Mountain Peak, to look for traces of the White Immortal, look down at the Wooden Bridge Reservoir and Copper Mountain Lake, and truly experience the feeling of “climbing clear to the summit and seeing how small surrounding mountain tops appear as they lie below”.

Chronicle 3: Discovery and exploration (Thoughts on the development of new lines)

During the dog days of June, all Baiyun Mountain employees took advantage of the slack season for tourism to open new lines and install temporary signposts in preparation for the busy tourist season. Everyone came to Redhead Valley with shovels, axes, sickles and other tools, and felt the joy of exploration and innovation as they completed the development of the two branch lines serving tourist destinations.

In Redhead Valley, everyone cleared up the lines while exploring the beautiful valley. Upon hearing the acclaim, “This truly is a natural green corridor”, everyone ran over and found that the beautiful and peaceful valley, with its numerous branches and thick foliage was indeed a good place to enjoy the cool air and have a rest. The pear and persimmon trees also drew everyone’s attention, and they all tried to guess the ages of the trees and they longed for the trees to fruit as soon as possible so that they might taste the delicious fruits. After that, everyone started looking for the legendary red crabs, “I’ve caught a crab, look, what a big head!”, “I’ve caught one too, what a pity it’s too small, ha-ha, I’d better let it go find its mother”.

In Jiawan Valley, everyone broke through brambles and thorns to get through the dense woods. Upon hearing the distant sound of gurgling water, they moved closer and saw that it was actually the beautiful Fairy Maiden Waterfall, below which was a spring pool so clear that one could see the bottom. Everyone conjured up an image of fairy maidens playing in this very pool in a mythical time. Going downstream, everyone came upon the Shuanma Village of Li Zicheng, who had fought in these dense woods. After they had finished clearing up the roads and installing the signposts, they looked back once more at the beautiful Fairy Maiden Waterfall, the blue sky and white clouds, the clear slow-flowing springs, the birds singing clear and melodious songs; these surroundings were just like a dream.

Chronicle 4: The leader of the scenic area handled the incident on August 15 in a calm manner, and mobilized employees to ensure everyone’s well-being  

On August 15, 2009 at about 19:00, the construction team was driving an overloaded skip car down the mountain when the car accidentally overturned, but it so happened that employees of the scenic area were having an installation and safety lesson at that time and they found it at once. Faced with an emergency, the leader of the scenic area did not panic, but calmly and immediately arranged for the employees present to give first aid to the injured people while he dialed the emergency telephone number 120 and informed the villagers of Baiyun New Village and asked them to go up the mountain and take part in the rescue. He reported the incident to the company leader at the first opportunity and he contacted the township public security and transport police, who arrived on the scene and got involved with the rescue. Due to the prompt rescue and the appropriate arrangements, the injured workers all received timely examination and treatment the same evening, and their injuries were stabilized. Afterwards, the leader of the scenic area also arranged for employees to be on duty at the hospital to comfort the families of the injured people.

       It can be said that on the day of the accident, the leader’s high degree of conscientiousness and the employees’ enthusiasm and dedication showed that Tian Long people are all models of society. It was only due to the selfless Tian Long spirit that the injured workers were able to get effective help in the shortest possible time, and that a safety incident at the scenic area could be averted and normal operations could continue.

Chronicle 5: Golden Week coincided with two festivals, and the park was full of visitors 

The National Day Golden Week Holiday 2009 coincided with the 60^th anniversary of New China, but also coincided with the traditional Chinese festival, the joyous Mid-Autumn Festival, which were both festivals worth celebrating. It was also an important tourism week with regard to the Baiyun Mountain Ecotourism Resort. On the eve of National Day, red flags were inserted near the gates of Baiyun Mountain, and celebration banners were hung on the gates with the words: Welcome to the celebration of the 60th anniversary of New China, climb the mountain peak and observe the beautiful natural scenery. A festive air filled the entire mountain.

       During National Day Golden Week, Baiyun Mountain was extraordinarily busy and was full of visitors. There were crowds of visitors on the mountain paths, by the Yulong River and in front of the Fairy Maiden Waterfall. In order to provide a better tourism service, employees of the scenic area had to meet stringent requirements on personal appearance, speaking etiquette, efficiency of ticket selling and checking and other aspects, and they were required to provide free tea for the visitors, conduct free guided tours and so on, and they were unanimously commended by the visitors.

Chronicle 6: A day trip that combined education with recreation

A busy October had passed, and as Baiyun Mountain employees enjoyed their gains, they evaluated their own shortcomings at work. On November 9 and 10, the leader of the scenic area arranged for all the employees to go on a group trip. Upon hearing the news that they were going to go on a trip, everyone was extremely happy. With cost saving and learning on the agenda, we chose the scenic area near Baiyun Mountain, Copper Mountain and Copper Mountain Lake. On the day, we enjoyed ourselves to the full, climbing Copper Mountain, viewing and admiring Copper Mountain Lake, and visiting the botanic garden rock garden. Whilst sightseeing, we made comparisons with our own scenic area, learnt about other people’s advantages and discovered our own inadequacies. It may be said that it was a fun trip, which combined education with recreation. In short, 2009 was an extraordinary year in the development history of Baiyun Mountain; it was a year in which, under the Corporation’s policy guidance, Baiyun Mountain strengthened the foundation for innovation, and it was an energetic and promising year for all employees in the scenic area. I believe that in 2010, there will be better developments at Baiyun Mountain scenic spot, and all Baiyun Mountain employees will bring everyone more surprises!