Shanxi promotes rich traditional culture

Visitors pack the Xiaoxitian scenic area in Xixian county, Shanxi province. in October. (ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY)

In recent years, as the preservation and promotion of China's rich traditional culture have advanced steadily, public interest in ancient architecture has been increasing.

During this year's two sessions — the annual gatherings of the country's top legislature and political advisory body, which concluded last week in Beijing — many representatives from across the country discussed the deep integration of culture and tourism and offered suggestions to drive high-quality economic development through the preservation and promotion of historical treasures.

On March 6, at the open group meeting of the Shanxi delegation during the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, Tang Dengjie, an NPC deputy and Party secretary of Shanxi, shared a story.

"Last year, leveraging the popularity of the video game Black Myth: Wukong, we launched the 'Follow Wukong to Tour Shanxi' campaign, which significantly boosted our cultural tourism sector," he said.

"People say Shanxi has been blessed with a 'downpour of prosperity', and I believe we've received it well."

Tang said that the success of the campaign strengthened the government's resolve to transform cultural tourism into a pillar industry and a source of happiness for the people.

Shanxi, home to the largest number of ancient buildings in China, boasts 28,027 ancient structures. Among them are three wooden structures from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), and the world's tallest wooden pagoda, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, which was built in 1056.

Of the 36 scenes in Black Myth: Wukong, 27 are in Shanxi, mainly featuring the province's grottoes, temples, ancient buildings, sculptures and murals. It represents only 5 percent of Shanxi's 531 nationally protected cultural relics, highlighting the province's rich cultural resources.

Discussing how Shanxi plans to develop new quality productive forces, Tang said that the province is fully leveraging its cultural tourism market advantages, vigorously expanding new "culture plus tourism" industries and products.

During this year's Spring Festival, Shanxi's innovative approach to tourism resulted in a total tourism expenditure of 31.7 billion yuan ($4.4 billion), a 30 percent increase from the same period of the previous year.