The World Expo will make the city nicer; Zhongshan will make the World Expo more wonderful

(Comprehensive news of this website) The World Expo in Shanghai, China in 2010 will be another major international event occurring after China successfully hosted the Olympic Games. In a sense, the duration of Shanghai World Expo (six months), the number of countries and regions and the number of people participating in it (According to official prediction, 70 million people will visit Shanghai World Expo), and the extensive influence of the expo, will even exceed the Olympic Games in many aspects. “The effect of the World Expo” will not only benefit Shanghai, but also radiate the Yangtze River Delta and China as a whole. In addition, Shanghai World Expo will be an unprecedented opportunity for displaying the images of various cities in the Yangtze River Delta and promoting the development of culture, economy, tourism, etc.

Adjacent to Shanghai, Nanjing is blessed with an advantageous geological location. Zhongshan Scenic and Historic Area is located at the Nanjing exit (entrance) of Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway. Automobiles coming from the direction of Shanghai can directly enter the scenic area through the connection line of the expressway. EMU trains shuttle frequently between the two cities. This will make it very convenient for tourists to travel from Nanjing to Shanghai for visiting the World Expo and go from Shanghai to Nanjing for visiting Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum and the Ming Tomb (a world cultural heritage). As reported, Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum and the Ming Tomb have been appraised and selected by Shanghai World Expo Administration as “Demonstration points for the journey of experience under the theme of the World Expo in the Yangtze River Delta” , as a characteristic route of the culture of the Republic of China and the culture of the Ming Dynasty of Nanjing. With the inauguration of such festivals as “The culture festival of the Ming Tomb as a world heritage” and “The international osmanthus festival of Nanjing, China”, diversified activities will enable you to enjoy another wonderful tour after having experienced the grand World Expo.  

The year 2010 is featured by the enhancement of the quality of tourist services nationwide. In order to optimize the service environment of Zhongshan Scenic and Historic Area, completely enhance its service quality, set up its desirable image, as well as welcome the grand World Expo, the scenic area endeavors to upgrade its management and services, having made 8 pledges of excellent services to the society and the public: “Protecting and managing the area by law; enhancing the ecological quality; maintaining the environmental sanitation; guaranteeing an orderly transportation; ensuring the safety of tourists; standardizing the operation of commodities; providing excellent services; settling complaints in time”, so as to welcome Chinese and foreign tourists with more beautiful sceneries and more excellent services, e.g. reinforcing relevant publicity; releasing messages and bulletins in time via public media; setting up welcoming boards at various major entrances to the scenic area; prolonging the period of being available to tourists; setting up VIP green passages for World Expo delegations at ticket check-ins of the scenic area; carrying out convenience measures in series in various tourist centers: setting up “recharging stations for mobile phones” (for tourists to recharge their mobile phones free of charge); providing umbrellas, crutches and armchairs free of charge; providing packs of needle and thread free of charge; providing timetables of trains and long-distance coaches for tourists to consult; offering such services as booking air tickets on a commission basis.  

In order to offer better explanation services to individual tourists as well as Chinese and foreign tourists in groups during the period of the World Expo, the management department of the scenic area has offered training concerning the acquisition of knowledge about the World Expo to over 80 full-time and part-time tour-guides, especially tour-guides of such foreign languages as English, Japanese and Korean. Recently, professional lecturers have been specially invited from Eastern Airline Company to offer courses of service etiquette training to tour-guides. Through such courses as those designed for systematically narrating service awareness and etiquette spirit, teaching service skills and guiding appearance, manners, behaviors and etiquette on the spot, these lecturers endeavor to help tour-guides to grasp standardized service etiquettes, set up a desirable professional image, enhance the awareness and quality of customer services and forge gold-brand service workers.  

In addition, many auxiliary measures of the scenic area preferential for the World Expo have been promulgated in succession. So far, the Ticket Center of the Administration of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum has reached an agreement with the subsidiary of UnionPay Business in Jiangsu Province. Under this agreement, during the period of the World Expo (from May 1, 2010 to October 31, 2010), tourists holding Shanghai tourist cards of UnionPay standard can enjoy a discount of 50% while buying adult tickets of the Scenic Area of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum by swiping cards (the original price is 80 yuan RMB). As reported, the Scenic Area of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum is the only scenic area in Jiangsu Province that has joined Shanghai tourist cards. The other 8 scenic spots for which tourists holding Shanghai tourist cards of UnionPay are entitled to a discount of 50% include: Shanghai Happy Valley; Shanghai Museum of Science and Technology; Shanghai Madame Tussauds Wax Museum; Shanghai Natural Wild-insect Kingdom; the Sightseeing Hall of Shanghai Global Financial Hub, Ancient Fengjing Town; Shanghai Changfeng Ocean World; Huangpu River Cruise of Qiangsheng.

(Relevant links)
This year, the 5-year comprehensive project of environmental improvement of Zhongshan Scenic and Historic Area has been consummately completed. Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum has undergone a thorough change since it was established 80 years ago. With the investment of nearly 5 billion yuan (RMB) of the municipal CPC Committee and the municipal people’s government of Nanjing, 10 ticket-free parks have been built up on the outer edge of Zhongshan Scenic and Historic Area. By demolishing buildings,restoring greenery and restoring the reclaimed land to forest, this scenic area has acquired a newly-added greenbelt of over 466 hectares, thus having increased the per-capita greenbelt area of Nanjing by 0.6-0.8 square meter, and raised the afforestation rate of the scenic area from 72% to over 80%.

Not only has the appearance of the scenic area undergone a huge change, but also its function of tourist services has been completely enhanced. In recent years, the scenic area has successively invested more than 150 million yuan (RMB) in completely upgrading its facilities for tourist services. As a result, 22 tourist toilets of the scenic area have been newly-built and renovated; more than 1700 signs and marks of the scenic area have been renewed and standardized, on which versions of such four kinds of languages as Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean are offered at the same time; three tourist centers and four ecological parking lots have been newly built; all barriers for roads, facilities, etc. in the scenic area have been removed; the construction of “a digitalized scenic area” has been carried out completely; an electronic access control system marked by modernization has been built up; an LED system of releasing public information has been initiated; a digital commanding center has been set up; the Chinese-English website of “Digital Zhongshan” has been modified (so as to provide tourists with abundant tour-related messages, dynamic information about the scenic area, and 8-hour online consultancy services); an electronic business platform has been set up, so as to make it possible for tourists to book tickets via the network. 

Furthermore, the scenic area has established and perfected a system of complaints and rescues. Management Measures of the Administration of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum for Tourist Complaints and Help-seeking has been formulated; a 24-hour telephone call for tourist complaints and help-seeking has been set; the commanding headquarters of emergency rescue (marked by a clear distinction of duties and responsibilities) are ready for rescues at any moment; vehicles exclusive for emergency rescues have been prepared, which are equipped with such medical equipment as the stretcher and medicine-chest; a training of basic knowledge about first-aids has been offered to people engaged in rescuing the injured (to make sure that emergencies can be dealt with at the highest speed). Moreover, free-of-charge medical-care points have been set up in the scenic area, so as to rescue tourists suddenly falling ill. (Written by Feng Li; edited by Chen Ken)