Featuring a meandering route, heavily-wooded mountains and red, yellow and blue lines, Liyang No. 1 Road in Liyang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, is one of the most well-known scenic roads in China.  

The 365-kilometer road connects 98 villages, over 220 rural tourist attractions, and seven surrounding counties and cities. Viewing platforms, campgrounds, cafes and other facilities were built along the road to make it a better experience for tourists.  

Nestled near mountains and Taihu Lake, Liyang is considered an important hub in the Yangtze River Delta region and boasts a superior ecological environment. But places with excellent natural scenery are often hard to reach due to geographical barriers.

Therefore, Liyang created a way for citizens and tourists to get close to nature.

Liyang No. 1 Road is not only a local landmark, but a gateway offering people the chance to revel in nature just by hopping in their car. Visitors can cruise No. 1 Road to Tianmu Lake, a national 5A tourist attraction, to enjoy the breathtaking views.

The road to prosperity

Liyang No. 1 Road is called "Rainbow Highway" because of the red, yellow and blue lines painted in some sections. It was the first road in China with three colored dividing lines, and has successfully applied for national intellectual property certification.

The road connects famous scenic spots in the province including Tianmu Lake, Changzhou South Mountain and Changdang Lake. In the first half of 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liyang still received 4.8 million tourists and tourism revenue hit 5.7 billion yuan (about $900 million).

Liyang No. 1 Road has helped 100,000 farmers increase their income as of 2020, Xinhua reported.

Not only has Liyang No. 1 Road helped facilitate tourism growth for local business owners and farmers, its iconic rainbow lines have made it an attraction in its own right.