Chengdu's Qingyang focuses on rich culture to attract tourists

A place that carries the essence of Chengdu's cultural roots, Qingyang district looks to tap into its profound historical resources and create new consumption opportunities for visitors, local officials said.

The district caught the world's attention at the China (Sichuan) Giant Panda Culture and Tourism Week held in Macao recently, with promotional activities covering the Kuanzhai Alleys, Jinsha Site Museum and Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum, where great Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Du Fu once lived. The events also highlighted the Qintai Road as well as special intangible cultural heritage techniques such as Shu brocade, silk embroidery and silver silk.

Since being awarded among the first group of "Tianfu Tourist Counties" in Sichuan province, Qingyang district has used cultural tourism projects to promote the innovative development of Bashu civilization and Tianfu culture, and strived to explore a new path for the city's revival.

"Fragrance lasts for 10 kilometers from Qingyang to Huanhuaxi," according to a famous line by Chinese poet Lu You during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Lu described the scene as he rode through Chengdu and became fascinated by the gorgeous plum blossoms he smelled along the way.

The scenery depicted in the poem will reappear after the completion of the Xunxiang project, which aims to re-create the beautiful scenery of the flower shop and outdoor plum blossom corridor in Lu You's poems.

Running from the 12th Bridge on Shudu Avenue in Chengdu to Qingshuihe Bridge on the Second Ring Road, the project has a length of about 10 kilometers on either side.

More than 10 varieties of plums are planted on both sides of the road. When plum blossoms are in full bloom in winter, people can smell the fragrance. The demonstration section of the project has been completed and opened.

Other projects such as the Qingyang flower shop and the Caotang Academy will also be launched. They combine poetry culture and plants with new consumption, and they stand for urban renewal.

Qingyang district has "three streets, two squares and five spots "among the "eight streets, nine squares and ten sceneries" of Tianfu Jincheng, a key urban project in Chengdu.

Qingyang district is improving the quality of key areas and characteristic blocks such as Shaocheng, Huangchengba, Wenshufang, and the Intangible Heritage Expo Park. The district strives to show off the prosperous scenery of Qingyang's thousand-year history.

Qingyang district has also promoted business integration and consumption scenarios.

It introduced tourism routes such as the cultural roots, non-genetic inheritance, folklore leisure and Shu capital cuisine, which links well-known spots such as Jinsha Site, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Qingyang Palace, Wenshu Monastery and Kuanzhai Alleys.

Qingyang district also relies on cultural and tourism resources to develop its night and weekend economies, launching series of activities related to markets, food, exhibitions, entertainments, tours and overnight stays.

In 2019, Qingyang district received more than 25.34 million tourists from around the world, an increase of 39.23 percent year-on-year. Its comprehensive tourism income was 28.91 billion yuan ($4.38 billion), up 30.71 percent year-on-year.

Qingyang district has gathered more than two-thirds of the cultural tourism resources of Chengdu, providing rich soil for the region's cultural and creative industries.

The district insists on enhancing cultural value through the aggregation of various business types.

It is shaping cross-border and diversified industrial forms, which have promoted the development of the cultural tourism industry.

The Mingtang Creative Work Area located in Kuixinglou Street is a typical example of the district's innovative development of cultural tourism resources.

The area is converted from two old buildings in the 1980s, which is one of the first 136 creative spaces in the country and committed to developing into a multicultural convenience space in China.

"Kuixinglou Street belongs to the old imperial city area," said Yu Kan, creator of the Mingtang Creative Work Area. "Its 2,300-year history has precipitated many cultural elements of Chengdu, which completely preserve the urban texture and community life of old Chengdu,"

The area focuses on small cultural and creative projects while building an incubation space and ecological platform in the fields of music, design, products, art festivals, workshops and education.

The area also participates in investment, cooperation, and operation of small, micro cultural and creative teams. It launches more than 200 projects and activities every year.

Qingyang district has also strived to promote the integration of culture, innovation and experiences and build key projects such as Kuanzhai artisan workshops and characteristic cultural performance areas.

In 2019, Qingyang district introduced 78 key cultural and creative enterprises and 20 film and television animation companies while building the country's first 5G digital film and television center in Shaocheng Shijing Cultural and Creative Industrial Park. Its support of the cultural and tourism industries cost 33 million yuan.

A total of 256 cultural enterprises issued 9.1 billion yuan in loans. The added value of the cultural and creative industry in this area was 12.12 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 25.8 percent.