Tourism, cherries bring sweet success

Visitor numbers rising

Since March, the number of tourists visiting Luding Bridge has been rising. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people arrive every day.

For safety reasons, only 80 to 100 are allowed to stand on the structure simultaneously, according to Li Yuanjiao, an administrator in charge of the bridge.

The surge in tourist numbers has a lot to do with the area's improved roads and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC on July 1, because the bridge is a reminder of an important moment in history, he added.

As most of Luding is mountainous, many people from Chengdu and neighboring areas visit the county on weekends to escape the city crowds.

Guo Yurong, the middle-aged owner of a rural resort, said all 31 star-rated rural hotels and resorts in the county are full of visitors on weekends.

At this time of year, they come to eat cherries, as well as dishes made from chicken, bacon, beans and edible wild herbs.

As it is the harvest season for red cherries, farmers can be seen in the streets of the county seat selling the fruit from bamboo baskets, with a kilogram costing about 20 yuan ($3).

Because the trees are located on different parts of the mountain, Luding's residents have plentiful supplies of the fruit until June because when the trees on the lower parts of the mountains have been stripped, the ones higher up are still in full bloom, Guo said.

On April 17, the county's 11th cherry festival was held, drawing visitors from near and far to taste the fruit and walk across Luding Bridge.

Each resort has cherry trees, where visitors can pick the fruit from the trees and eat them for free and to their hearts' content, Guo said.