Chongqing- More than 20 interactive activities and 13 sightseeing routes for tourists to enjoy the red autumnal leaves of Wushan Mountain will be presented during the 14^th China Chongqing Yangtze River Three Gorges (Wushan) International Red Leaf Festival to be held on Nov. 20, according to a press conference of the Municipal People’s Government Information Office Wednesday.

“For 14 years, we’ve been committed to and succeeded in hosting the annual international red leaf festival to a higher and higher standard,” said Huang Yong, vice mayor of Wushan County, at the press conference. “Last year’s event brought in a total of 985,000 tourist visits, a 36.8% increase year on year, and created a total tourism revenue of 897 million yuan, a 30.2% increase year on year.”

A “Wushan Goddess” themed grand opening ceremony of the 14^th Wushan International Red Leaf Festival is scheduled to take place on the 20^th of November, and will supposedly bring a brand-new, ground-breaking, three-dimensional look for Wushan’s integrated development of culture and tourism.

The Yangtze River Three Gorges (Wushan) International Ultra Trail will course through the southern and northern ring roads of the Wushan Goddess Scenic Area, linking the banks of the Yangtze River Wu Gorge. The four sub-category trail running competitions, namely the 100km group, the 50km group, the 25km group, and the 5km group, have already received registration entries from over 2,200 participants and the number is expected to reach beyond 3,000 by the deadline.

The 2020 “Red Leaf Cup” China Tug-of-War Club Open, sponsored by the All-China Sports Federation and the Chinese Tug-of-War Association, will see 9 professional teams and 100 some amateur contestants – world champion team included – competing for the high prizes at the peak of the Wu Gorge Goddess Scenic Area.

The 2^nd Yangtze River Three Gorges Tourism Integration (Wushan) Tourism Promotion Conference will invite local and national tourism associations, tourism enterprises, media outlets, and relevant counties and districts to hold discussions and exchange ideas on the integrated development of tourism promotion in the greater Three Gorges area.

The Chongqing Wulipo International Symposium on World Natural Heritage Submission, sponsored by the China Association of Natural Parks and Scenic Sites, and the Wushan County People’s Government, will invite relevant experts and officials from the World Heritage Center, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Municipal Forestry Bureau, and the Shennongjia National Park Administration. They will hold in-depth talks on the value and protection of biodiversity of the Chongqing Wulipo National Nature Reserve.

Other than the two competitions and two conferences mentioned above, this year’s red leaf festival also features a series of interactive tourist activities, according to Huang.

The 5^th “Red Leaf Sends Love, Swear by All the Gods” Oath-Taking Competition, for instance, are now looking for 99 couples of “Red Leaf Lovers” from around the country to participate virtually. 19 couples will then be selected from the 99 duos by means of online voting to attend the Wushan “Red Leaf Sends Love, Swear by All the Gods” Oath-Taking Ceremony. Finally, five couples will be chosen on-site by a lucky draw to claim the top prize, which includes a CNY 2,000 air trip to Hainan where they will attend the annual China (Sanya) Tianya Haijiao International Wedding Festival, and serve as ambassadors of the “Red Leaf Sends Love, Swear by All the Gods” wedding photography brand.