Scene of the theme promotion event for Shanxi Province Cultural and Tourism Development in 2025
China Economic Times reporter Cao Ying ■Zheng Jinwei
This article was published on September 11, China Economic News Network
The morning light is slightly dewy, the sea of clouds surging in Wangmang Ridge in Jincheng, and the sunlight penetrates the mist and sprinkles on the rock walls of the hanging road. The figures of hikers complement each other with the towering Taihang. On September 8, the 2025 Shanxi Provincial Cultural and Tourism Development Theme Promotion Event kicked off on this land that brings together the wonders of Chinese civilization and nature. The event is themed "Life above mountains and rivers", bringing together forces from all parties in the cultural and tourism industry, aiming to inject new vitality into the high-quality development of Shanxi's cultural and tourism industry through a series of measures such as the integration of characteristic cultural and tourism, the docking of supply and demand industries, and the promotion of cultural and tourism consumption.
Intangible Cultural Heritage + Technology Thousand-year-old culture "lives" and brings new vitality
"Every ancient castle and every mural in Jincheng is a 'living fossil' of Chinese civilization." Xue Mingyao, deputy secretary of the Jincheng Municipal Committee and mayor, introduced that Jincheng has 72 national security units, 40 national historical and cultural towns and villages, 186 traditional Chinese ancient villages, 117 Ming and Qing ancient castles, and 177 intangible cultural heritage projects. History is within reach and culture is around you.
Xue Mingyao, deputy secretary of the Jincheng Municipal Committee and mayor, made a promotion for Jincheng Municipal Culture and Tourism
At this promotion meeting, Jincheng's "cultural foundation" amazed the audience through "static display + dynamic interpretation". The inheritor of intangible cultural heritage demonstrated Lu silk weaving skills on the spot, and the old artist used Shangdang Bangzi to interpret the Taihang story. The most shocking thing was the "Star Miracle" in the night. Many drones arranged 28 star patterns over the Fengcheng Health and Wellness Demonstration Zone, and combined with the singing and dancing performance of "Star Constellation Myth", the Taihang culture that blends astronomy and humanities vividly interprets the Taihang culture that blends astronomy and humanities.
Promotion by Wang Aiqin, Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
"Shanxi is a 'museum on the earth', and cultural heritage must be moved from the 'window' to the 'tourists'." Wang Aiqin, director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said that Shanxi has the largest ancient building group in the country, painted with the largest existing wall paintings in China, and the largest time span. The ruins of the Great Wall have left behind historical memories of immigration, military farming and expeditions of various dynasties, and witnessed the development process of national integration.
Highway + Food Slowly enjoy life "retain" the hearts of tourists
"The 13,000 kilometers of the Yellow River, the Great Wall and the Taihang three No. 1 tourist roads have woven a full-region tourism network of 'city and scenery,' and made 'fast forward and slow travel' a reality." Guo Bingfu, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Transportation, expressed the confidence of Shanxi's cultural tourism to "slow down".
In Jincheng, Taihang No. 1 tourist highway connects Wangmangling cloud sea and Xiyagou waterfall. The "Taihang Renjia" B&B along the way allows tourists to pick Codonopsis pilosula, brew forsythia tea, taste the top ten bowls, Eight-eight banquets and other delicacies, and experience the Taihang life of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset". "In the past, tourists came to Jincheng to 'save flowers and ancient castles', but now they are 'living and enjoying life'." Pan Lixia, the star promoter of Jincheng City's cultural and tourism industry, introduced that the local area has achieved the transformation from "from sightseeing to traveling".
Immersive performance "The Myth of the Stars"
These life-filled experiences are the vivid practice of the dimensions of "accommodation" and "food" in the inbound travel guide. Tang Yun, vice president of Tripadvisor TripAdvisor (China), said: "For international tourists, an accurate and comprehensive inbound travel guide is the urgent need to "understand Shanxi and enter Shanxi", and is also a key bridge to open up the 'cultural concept' and 'on-site experience'." The slow life scene of "perception and participation" has become the key for tourists to "not want to leave when they come."
Innovation + Demand The spirit of "building" will bring about a new future
"Cultural tourism development cannot only answer 'where to go', but also solve 'why come'." Zeng Bowei, vice president of the Leisure and Holiday Branch of the China Tourism Association, pointed out the direction for Shanxi's cultural and tourism. He suggested that Jincheng needs to take the "heart of Chinese culture" as its core image, and create a product combination of "main dishes + side dishes" around the theme of ancient castles and health care, transform enthusiastic folk customs into the advantages of "heartwarming service", and transform the natural beauty and cultural thickness of Taihang into the "spiritual habitat" needed by modern people.
This idea is highly consistent with Shanxi's cultural and tourism transformation, and is also taken root in government-enterprise cooperation. The Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Ctrip Group jointly launched the Shanxi Tourism "Super Plan" and established a special development fund to open up a new journey of cultural tourism with the "government-enterprise cooperation + innovation integration" model. The plan will focus on the inbound tourism market, combine Ctrip's global traffic and Shanxi's cultural and tourism resources, and launch customized routes and multi-language services to allow Shanxi to reach international tourists more accurately.
Longma Lake in the Night
"We are shifting from 'resource dependence' to 'innovation-driven'." Zhao Junlong, member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said that in the next step, Shanxi will deepen the integration of "digital intelligence + cultural tourism", launch theme products such as "Follow the Black Myth: Wukong" to visit ancient buildings" and "Follow the Yan Emperor to find the roots and visit Jincheng", improve inbound tourism services, and improve the tourism supply system around the entire region, all seasons and all ages. As Zeng Bowei said: "When every resource in Shanxi can meet the spiritual needs of tourists, 'must come to Shanxi' will become a consensus."
The sea of clouds has dissipated, and the Taihang is still majestic; the promotion meeting has come to an end, and a new chapter of cultural and tourism has just begun. This grand event held in Jincheng not only demonstrates Shanxi's "hard resources" and "soft charm", but also outlines the transformation blueprint from "tourism destination" to "life yearning place". In the future, when more people come from culture and stay for life, the land of the Three Jin Dynasties will surely write a more exciting answer to the high-quality development of cultural and tourism.
Picture source: Photo provided by the event organizer
