AAAAA (5A) is awarded to the most important and best-maintained
tourist attractions in the
People's Republic of China, given the highest level in the
rating categories used by the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As of 2020, there are 279 tourist attractions listed as 5A.
History
The origins of the rating system for tourist attractions are based on criteria first set out in 1999 by the
China National Tourism Administration (predecessor to the current Ministry of Culture and Tourism) and revised in 2004.
The criteria include quality and management factors like ease of transportation links, site safety, cleanliness, etc., and also takes into account the uniqueness and recognition of the sightseeing offers.
Tourist attractions were graded according to the criteria on a scale initially from A to
AAAA with AAAAA or 5As added on later as the highest rating. A group of 66 tourist attractions was certified as the first set of AAAAA rated tourist attractions in 2007.
The first batch included many of the most iconic historical sites in China including the
Forbidden City and
Summer Palace. Additional batches of additional sites have been added including 20 new 5A sites in February 2017.
On rare occasions, a few locations have been downgraded from the highest rating category for deficiencies in visitor experience.
List
Downgrading
Tourist sites found deficient by the
China National Tourism Administration (merged into the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2018) have lost their 5A accreditation due to deficiencies in visitor experience.
In 2015,
Shanhai Pass
Shanhai Pass or Shanhaiguan () is one of the major passes in the Great Wall of China, being the easternmost stronghold along the Ming Great Wall, and commands the narrowest choke point in the Liaoxi Corridor. It is located in Shanhaiguan Di ...
in Hebei was the first tourist site to be downgraded from 5A. The next wave of downgrading occurred in 2016 with the removal of
Orange Isle
Orange Isle ( zh, s=橘子洲, t=橘子洲, p=Júzi Zhōu) is an isle in Xiang River, Changsha, Hunan, China. It also known by other names, such as Ju Isle () and Shuilu Isle (). It has a length of , a width of and a total area of . It was also a ...
in
Hunan and
Shenlong Gorge
Shenlong, (, literally "god dragon" or "divine dragon", Japanese: 神竜 Shinryū) is a spiritual dragon from Chinese mythology who is the master of storms and also a bringer of rain. He is of equal significance to other creatures such as Tianlo ...
in
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
for "security concerns, overpricing, poor environmental management and poor facility maintenance, as well as bad service mainly resulting from a lack of staff members."
See also
*
List of protected areas of China
*
List of national parks of China
References
External links
Complete list of AAAA tourist attractions (Chinese)at the website of the central government of the People's Republic of China
{{China topics, state=autocollapse
Tourism in China
Tourist Attraction Rating Categories of China