As usual, we end our S3 Newsletter with news items that are only loosely related to the business world.
On this occasion, we will continue both with the list of large, yet little-known Chinese cities, as well as with the list of the most beautiful national parks in the country. Additionally, we will end this edition talking about a number of initiatives taken by S3UK’s Adrian Pryce in the community.
Large, yet little-known cities in China
After placing Wuhan (central China), Shenyang (northeast), Guiyang (southwest), Shaoxing (east), Chengdu (west), Fuzhou (southeast), Hainan Island (south), Xi’an (northwest), Nanjing (east), Kunming (southwest) and Harbin (northeast) on the map, we will now cross the entire country from northeast to the far southwest, where we find the capital of the Autonomous Region of Tibet: Lhasa.
The city of Lhasa is not only the capital of Tibet, it is above all also an important symbol for the Tibetan minority in China.
The place has had a major role on both a religious and administrative level on the Tibetan plateau, starting from the 17th century. Today, with a population of approximately one million inhabitants (i.e., a third of the entire region) it is, of course, a smaller capital city, when compared to the rest of the country.
Talking about Lhasa inevitably implies mentioning the Potala Palace, the building that clearly dominates the city and that was the official residence of the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist spiritual leader, from 1649 to 1959.
At present, the palace is a museum and since 1994 it has also been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monument sits on the Hongshan mountain, at an altitude of 3.650 meters above sea level.
Thanks to tourism and the ever-increasing integration of Tibet in the Chinese economy, by means of major infrastructure projects, among others, the region’s GDP almost doubled between 2015 and 2020.
The ten most beautiful national parks in China
We continue this list presenting to our readers the ten most beautiful national parks in China (from a total of 225 candidates).
We turn this time again to pure nature, choosing the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the southern Chinese province of Hunan. The upcoming release of the film Avatar 2 is, without doubt, the perfect excuse to select the spectacular scenery on which the first edition in 2009 was based.
The place is not only a Chinese National Park, it has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Apart from the overall park itself, it is worthwhile to highlight the ‘Coiling Dragon’ glass walkway, with a length of 100 meters, offering breathtaking views of the Hunan mountains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangjiajie_National_Forest_Park
Source: www.theculturetrip.com
Good Business: S3UK’s Adrian Pryce active in the community
Adrian continues to be active, raising the flag for S3 and also for better business. He writes a regular article for the business magazine All Things Business about one of his areas of expertise, CSR (corporate social responsibility) and the ESG (environmental, social & governance movement) promoting sustainability and more conscious, responsible and inclusive business as a means to drive growth and innovation.
Adrian also works to facilitate greater collaboration between the public-private-charity-academic sectors to bring business skills to address social problems. He chairs two children’s charities that work with disadvantaged children and children in care, one of which he founded, The Crysalys Foundation, which runs a major initiative piloted in Northamptonshire that is now gaining national and international attention – see Tackling Trauma.
In line with his – and S3‘s – social responsibility agenda, S3UK has signed up for the UK’s Good Business Charter accreditation to demonstrate its credentials as a responsible organisation and employer.