On January 7th, the 2020 Shanxi Cultural Tourism Year of China was held in Beijing with the theme of “coming to Shanxi to experience New Year atmosphere”. Attendees were more than 200 people from Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Shanxi Provincial Culture and Tourism Department, Beijing travel agencies, tourism association, tourism e-commerce and self-driving club.
In the conference, on both sides of aisles and the main hall, there were boards introducing Shanxi’s New Year customs and characteristic intangible cultural heritage, creating an atmosphere similar to that of crowded custom street. The God of Wealth, kids in traditional Chinese clothes and managers of piaohao (traditional Chinese institution similar to a bank) and other characters could interact with guests to enable them to have a taste of tradition. Through games like guessing lantern riddles and quiz of knowledge relating to New Year customs, guests could get lucky bags in which were “gold ingots” that had collection value and could be used to exchange gifts in intangible cultural heritage street.
Li Gui, deputy directer of the culture and tourism department of Shanxi province, introduced to guests that there were 10 highlights to experience New Year flavor, including “xuanwei, pinwei, tuwei, shiwei, minwei, yunwei, tiwei, meiwei, shangwei and qingwei”. Yellow River, Great Wall and Taihang Muontain were sections of custom activities. The government wanted to have a route to visit all cultural heritage sites and a visiting area that could include all sites to push forward the integrated development of culture and tourism.
During the spring festival, more than 1400 projects of more than 10 classifications would be lunched in Shanxi province. Those events were with high participation and local flavor and covered a large area. Tourists from home and abroad could admire ice and snow landscape, see lantern of various shapes in the ancient city, visit traditional temple fair, watch shehuo (local performance) in the Spring Festival; feel custom culture in Shanxi and go to color winter world. Those events included Taiyuan “the beauty of the era and the art of Shanxi” 2020 happy Chinese new year exhibition; theme activities of “the Spring Festival in Datong” in Datong ancient city; lantern festival in Shuozhou ancient city; Zinzhou 2020 Wutai Mountain temple fair to greet the spring; Pingyao Chinese year festival in the middle of Shanxi province; Yangquan new year hot spring experience; Luliang large-scale lantern festival named “happy new year in village and lantern shine in Jiajiazhuang village; ‘the 3rd Eighth Route Army Art Lantern Festival’ in Wuxiang county of Changzhi city”; a series of events named “visit Shanxi again” in Jincheng city; new year discount activities in Yunqiu mountain of Linfen city and “the 4th ancient Chinese shehuo festival” in Yuncheng city.
Apart from customs for the Spring Festival, there were houses waiting for you to live in. 175 houses and courtyards named “Yellow River household, Great Wall households and Taihang Mountain households” could enable tourists to experience Spring Festival atmosphere and original customs. “Yellow River households” focused on scenic beauty and customs, rural life, local customs, Chinese opera and local food. “Great Wall households” focused on remains of the Great Wall, ancient battle field sites, border scenic beauty, nationalities integrated, border fair and military culture. “Taihang Mountain households” .
Besides, relating roads and routes for high-speed trains were put into use. To celebrate the Spring Festival, Shanxi provincial culture and tourism department established six theme routes in five areas, including pilgrimage and bless-wishing in the north of Shanxi, trip for business culture in the middle of Shanxi; ancestor worshiping in the south of Shanxi; trip to see ancient villages and castles in the southeast of Shanxi, custom cultural trip in the west of Shanxi, trip to visit villages in mountains and near rivers in the east of Shanxi. Along the route, you could have a personal taste of Spring Festival customs in different places.
Li Gui said that a complete picture of Shanxi customs and cultural tourism were introduced in all aspects by introduction of customs, living habits and culture, all of which were attractive for visitors. “Chinese year in Shanxi” was a postcard for cultural tourism in the province and a warm invitation saying that this winter, came to Shanxi for a traditional, popular and characteristic Chinese year.