Visitors ride a bike at Wuxi Hongshan Tourist Resort. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Hongshan sub-district in Wuxi's Xinwu district is working to develop rural tourism based on its rich tourism resources.

The overall plan of Wuxi Hongshan Tourist Resort recently obtained official approval from the Jiangsu Provincial Government.

The resort, with a planned area of 17.25 square kilometers, will extend from Xigan Road in the north to Wangyu River in the south, Zhenxing Road in the west, and Caohu Lake in the east.

The 3,200-year-old Taibo Canal passes through the resort, which boasts historic and cultural resources at the national level, such as the Three Tais and One Site (Taibo Canal, Taibo Tomb, Taibo Temple, and Hongshan Site), as well as Qian Mu and Qian Weichang's former residences. It is also endowed with rich natural resources and a high proportion of pleasant water areas, such as Lianghong Wetland Park, as well as large areas of fertile land.

Hongshan Tourist Resort will utilize cutting edge technology like the internet of things in its management, while spotlighting Wu culture, recreational agriculture, and natural landscapes.

Hongshan sub-district is famed for its sweet grapes in the summer. [Photo/wxrb.com]

The resort will feature cultural venues, flower and agricultural farms, as well as wetland parks. It is expected to attract about 1.8 million visitors annually.

The first batch of eight projects, worth about 7.5 billion yuan ($1.16 billion), was signed to settle in the resort last October, covering industries such as the internet of things, high-end cultural tourism, as well as modern agriculture.

Wang Jieping, director of the local tourism industry association, said that the new resort is expected to be the highlight of cultural tourism development in Wuxi during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.