Sichuan province's Guangyuan held a hiking event on a fabled route across its Jianmen Pass in early July to boost local tourism. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sichuan province's Guangyuan held a hiking event on a fabled route across its Jianmen Pass in early July to boost local tourism.

The Shu Road connected Xi'an, in Shaanxi province, to Sichuan in ancient times and has a history of more than 3,000 years.

The road was put on the world heritage candidates list by UNESCO in 2015. Of the 3,700-square-kilometer core road area, more than 2,000 sits in Guangyuan.

The local government is now developing hiking routes along the Shu Road to promote tourism and increase local resident's income, said Fan Xuechen, deputy mayor of Guangyuan.

Hiking tourism can help protect ecology and culture along the road, Fan added.

Related:

Beautiful lake Longquan in Chengdu

Old photos record the change of Sichuan over a century