China is a country of unlimited possibilities, at least in tourism industry. On July 28, 2007 a major part of the long-anticipated OCT East resort opened to tourists. The OCT East resort is modeled on the Swiss alpine village of Interlaken. It occupies some 9 square kilometers and is located 30 kilometers from Shenzhen city, which neighbors Hong Kong across the mainland China border.
The resort comprises of three major areas, Tea Stream Valley, Wind Valley and Knight Valley. The last one is still under construction. The resort is located in the altitude of 300 meters among the hills and freshwater lakes of eastern Shenzhen. This unique eco-tourism attraction includes 299-room Interlaken OCT Hotel, with four world-class restaurants, the 1,000-seat ‘Interlaken Theatre’. The hotel has a themed lobby lounge resembling a medieval European cathedral with high-vaulted ceilings, gothic chandelier and stained glass windows. There are ‘gingerbread’ houses, restaurants, shops and street entertainment, but also a giant 10,000 sq. meters indoor and outdoor spa with pools and springs. In other parts of the resort a tourist can watch the preparation of tea, listen to folk songs, and eat vegetarian food made from tea-leaves, tofu, and other local farm products. There is also a 1.5 square kilometers tea garden, offering beautiful scenery as well as fresh air. Trekking through the tea garden is a pleasant and relaxing experience. The resort offers plenty sporting activities ranging from golf to cycling.
As Joseph Zitnik, the hotel’s General Manager said “The resort is quite unique, genuinely eco-friendly and a multi-dimensional leisure and recreational experience which should appeal to a wide range of visitors from home and abroad.” A spokesman for developers, Shenzhen OCT Sanzhou Investment, adds, “Our aim is to bring visitors and residents closer to nature with an appealing, beautiful and fun eco-tourism destination.” The second phase of the project, Knight Valley, is scheduled to open in 2008.