Shennongjia, a UNESCO-protected site in central China, was officially designated a "World Tourism Mountain" on Friday, May 29, during the International Mountain Tourism Day opening ceremony in Hubei Province.

The UNESCO-protected site was honored by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) as one of two Chinese peaks to join this elite global club this year, alongside Fujian Province's Wuyi Mountain. As the first site in China to hold the UNESCO "Triple Crown" – being simultaneously recognized as a World Biosphere Reserve, Global Geopark and World Heritage Site – Shennongjia's newfound status sets a global benchmark for balancing strict biodiversity conservation with sustainable green tourism.