As usual we finish our S3 Newsletter with some articles not so closely related to the business world.
On this occasion, we continue with the list of great (but little known) Chinese cities and we finish (what a shame!) the list of the ten most beautiful national parks in China.
And finally, we take time to express our solidarity with the victims in Morocco.
1. Large yet little-known Chinese cities
After Wuhan (central), Shenyang (northeast), Guiyang (southwest), Shaoxing (east), Chengdu (west), Fuzhou (southeast), Hainan Island (south), Xi’an (northwest), Nanjing (east), Kunming (southwest), Harbin (northeast), Lhasa (southwest), Changsha (centre-south), Suzhou (east), Macau (south), Hohhot (northwest), Chongqing (west) and Zhengzhou (centre-east) on the map, we travel a little further to the east of the country, where we find a city with a strong industrial character: Wuxi.
The city of Wuxi may be a household name for business people who manufacture or buy products in China. But being close to Shanghai (just 130 km away) and well connected to it by high-speed rail, it is likely that even they will not know the amazing city in depth.
Wuxi is a major industrial city in Jiangsu province, with a population of about 6.5 million.
Like other cities in the Yangtze River Delta, Wuxi is known for the canals that run through it, including the Grand Canal of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.
And like several cities in the region, Wuxi is also located on the shores of Taihu Lake, an important local tourist attraction.
For decades, Wuxi has had a considerable and highly diversified industrial activity, which is why it occupies a prominent place in the aforementioned Yangtze River Delta, but this time in the context of China’s main economic development zones, second only to the Pearl River Delta, where Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, etc. stand out.
2. China’s ten most beautiful national parks
And yes… we end our series presenting the 10 most beautiful national parks in China… with a literally ‘high level’ park.
Mount Emei or Emei Shan, located in the western province of Sichuan, reaches a height of 3,099 metres and is one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, with more than a hundred temples and monasteries.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
From the base to the top of Mount Emei, there are Buddhist temples of various sizes to visit and appreciate spectacular Buddhist architecture.
Also, along the way, visitors can soak up the Buddhist culture with amazing natural wonders.
And thanks to the density of the trees, it is possible to encounter some wild animals such as monkeys, tiny squirrels and other cute species.
There are two cable cars on the mountain, but it should be noted that, although both cable cars significantly reduce the walking distance, the climb between the two can take between 6 and 8 hours, with a difference in altitude of 1,500 metres.
Finally, the summit of Mount Emei has a subarctic alpine climate, with long, cold (but not too cold) winters and short, cool summers.
3. Solidarity with the victims of the earthquake in Morocco
As all our readers have no doubt seen in the news, Morocco suffered a strong earthquake (with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale) on 8 September, with the epicentre very close to the well-known tourist destination of Marrakech.
The immediate result was thousands of casualties, severe damage and isolated populations.
At S3 Group we have a direct and close relationship with Morocco, so we reach out and help Morocco.
And we ask all our S3 Newsletter readers to do the same.
To get aid quickly and directly to the most affected mountain villages, we have donated (and we ask you all to do the same) to a private initiative coordinated by Diane Delaveau in close collaboration with our very own Salah Noordin (pictured in the photo accompanying this article, in the midst of aid coordination activity).
Donate now (5, 10, 20 or 100 euros, everything helps) via this link and help Morocco: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8XuOakBQkA!
Keep up to date on how the team is applying your donations by checking this blog: https://www.tumblr.com/dianedelaveau