Matzu Cultural Festival boosts local tourism

A series of festivities and celebrations marking the second Matzu Cultural Festival was held in Pingle county, Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from May 1 to 4, attracting tens of thousands of visitors across the country.

Sitting in the northeast of Guangxi, Pingle county, formerly known as Zhaozhou, has a history of more than 1,800 years. Boasting beautiful landscapes and profound traditional ethnic culture, it is regarded as one of the most important sites for spreading Matzu culture in the Chinese mainland.

Known as a great place for sightseeing and photography, Pingle is home to numerous scenic spots, including National Shizishan Forest Park, Lijiang River Tourism Zone, and Moon Hill. The county has also generated many traditional dishes and exquisite snacks, many of which are on the list of intangible cultural heritages for Guangxi and Guilin.

To promote the development of its tourism industry and its folk culture, Pingle has actively followed and enacted its tourism oriented strategy by issuing preferential policies and accelerating the construction of culture and tourism infrastructure in the past few years.

In 2018, the county invested 340 million yuan ($50.7 million) on the construction of 22 tourist projects, and renovated seven tourist attractions to achieve long-term normalization of its tourism industry. As a result, Pingle has witnessed a sharp increase in its tourism industry, and received 2.45 million visitors in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 96.34 percent. The county generated 2.18 billion yuan in its tourist consumption, up 94.47 percent year-on-year.

In addition, two major tourism projects worth 1.5 billion and 3.5 billion yuan are being introduced in the county, both of which are expected to further bolster its tourism infrastructure.

Featuring Matzu cultural performances and distinctive agricultural products, this year's Matzu Cultural Festival provided visitors a platform to enjoy the unique and diversified cultural charm of Matzu culture, as well as promote cultural exchanges and attract more investment to promote the integration of urban and rural development.