The eight types are: land scenery, water scenery, biological scenery, meteorological and natural scenery, relic sites, construction and facilities, tourism commodities and human activities. Under each type, there are several sub-types.

The new system, jointly formulated by the State Administration of Tourism (SAT) and the Geographic Science and Resources Research Institute, which works under the supervision of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is expected to improve on and correct the current disorder in tourism development.

"The scientific appraisal of tourism resources is a precondition for the rational and orderly development of resources," said Yin Zesheng, a noted researcher from the CAS, who has long been engaged in the related tourism resources studies.

In each type, the SAT is expected to divide resources into five grades in accordance with their values, scales, and potential environmental impacts, and then decide which resources are worth developing and how best to develop them.

(eastday.com August 30, 2002)