Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province will be included as part of a world-class "golden" tourist route with Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and Huangshan, Anhui province, according to local media reports.

The news was released at the 19th Session of the Inter-City Conference on YRD Economic Coordination held in Wuhu, Anhui, on Oct 15.

Quzhou boasts an advantageous geographical location bordering Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. After the Hangzhou-Quzhou high-speed rail opens in 2022, it will take just 41 minutes to travel between the two cities, and will take less than two hours to travel between Quzhou and Huangshan.

Quzhou will be a key part of a new "garden province" to be built in Zhejiang, as it is home to two 5A-level scenic spots: the Root Palace Buddhist Cultural Tourism Zone and Jianglang Mountain – Nianbadu scenic area.

The city also houses three world heritage items: Jianglang Mountain (a World Natural Heritage site), a sacrificial offering ceremony for the God of Spring (an Intangible Cultural Heritage item), and Jiangxi Irrigation System (a World Heritage Irrigation Structure).

In addition, the annual sacrificial ceremony for Confucius' birthday, which is held in Quzhou, the home of many of Confucius's descendants, always attracts many participants from China and abroad.

The Free to Tour Quzhou event, which started in 2017, has also greatly improved the reputation of the city and its scenic spots.

All of this explains why Quzhou was included as part of the new tourist route along with Hangzhou and Huangshan.

Hangzhou and Huangshan are world-renowned tourism destinations. The 265-kilometer high-speed rail between the two cities passes by four world heritage sites, seven 5A-level scenic areas, more than 40 4A-level scenic spots, and a dozen national forests and geo-parks.