The 5A Scenic Spot, a title awarded by the National Tourism Administration, marks the highest national standard for scenic spots in the country at present, with demanding requirements for infrastructure and service.
According to a set of criteria released by the administration last year, a qualified candidate for a 5A Scenic Spot must have held the title of a 4A Scenic Spot for at least one year and enjoy great international fame.
In addition, it must receive tourists of more than 600,000 person-times every year, with overseas tourists numbering more than 50,000.
One rule requires that tourist guides with a bachelor's degree or above should account for more than 30 percent of all guides in a 5A scenic spot.
The criteria use a 1,000-mark system to evaluate a scenic spot from every aspect, such as transportation, safety measures, heath service, postal service, shopping, management and environmental protection.
A 5A scenic spot must score at least 950 in the system.
Yuntai Mountain began its bid for a national 5A Scenic Spot in April 2006, and successfully passed the evaluation by tourism authorities at the end of last year.
China now has 66 national 5A scenic spots in 28 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, such as the Great Wall, the Palace Museum, the Terracotta Warriors Museum, Huangshan Mountain, the West Lake and the Shaolin Temple.
(China Daily June 15, 2007)