Xiuwen seeks to boost cultural tourism

Beautiful view of Datun Bouyei stockaded village in Xiuwen, Guiyang. [Photo/Guizhou Daily]

China Yangming Cultural Park is located in Xiuwen, Guiyang. [Photo/Guizhou Daily]

Scottish Pasture in Xiuwen bathed in sunlight. [Photo/Guizhou Daily]

In recent years, Xiuwen county, Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has been making efforts to develop local tourism around Yangming culture.

Yangming culture is centered around and named after the famous neo-Confucian philosopher Wang Yangming (1368-1644), who lived during the Ming dynasty.

Focusing on Yangming culture, Xiuwen has built a number of attractions including the China Yangming Cultural Park, Longgang Academy, Wanyiwo Ruins Park and the Xiuwen Yangming Academy.

Additionally, Xiuwen has held the International Yangming Cultural Festival six times and developed over 200 kinds of related creative products.

Xiuwen has also improved other methods of local travel including camping, hot springs and canyon sightseeing, as well as academic research trips in Yangming Cultural Park and Damu village.

The number of tourism operators in Xiuwen has reached 4,682, increasing by 2,053 since 2021. The county has received 94,800 overnight visitors since 2023, a year-on-year growth of 32.2 percent, and the per capita expenditure of tourists increased by 15.19 percent.

Since 2022, Xiuwen has signed five contracts on cultural projects worth 1.1 billion yuan ($160 million), four of which are already being worked on.

Also, through activities including Xiuwen IP releases and cultural tourism week, the county has received almost 200,000 visitors in the summer of 2022, a year-on-year growth of 50 percent. In addition, over 300 groups consisting of more than 50,000 tourists have gone on study trips to Yangming Cultural Park.

Currently, Xiuwen enjoys four national 4A-level tourist attractions, one 3A-level tourist attraction and one provincial tourist resort, as well as five cultural enterprises above a designated size. In 2022, it was named the national leisure agriculture key county.

This year, Xiuwen will continue to organize relevant events to further promote Yangming culture.