Create a Yellow River culture tourism belt with international influence was an important plan made by the CPC Central Committee as well as an innovative act to protect, inherit and promote Yellow River culture. The task was listed clearly in “The 14th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Outline of Long-Term Objectives for 2035 of the People's Republic of China”.
On June 3rd, the promotion and construction of Yellow River culture and tourism belt were jointly carried out in Qihe County of Shandong Province by the Resource Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Social Development Department of National Development and Reform Commission and Shandong Provincial Cultural and Tourism Department. Officials from ministries and commissions of the central government and relating departments of the nine provinces (regions) along the Yellow River as well as representatives from financial institutions, enterprises and association participated the event. The target was “protect, inherit and promote Yellow River culture to make the river a people-benefiting happy river”. Attendees made suggestions, promoted projects, signed contracts for cooperation and promote tourist routes to get achievements.
During the event, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism established 10 national tourism routes themed “Yellow River”, including origin exploration trip of Chinese civilization, ancestor-finding trip along the Yellow River, a trip to admire world heritage along the Yellow River, a trip of ecological culture along the Yellow River, a cultural trip for a tranquil Yellow River, a cultural trip to observe Chinese grottoes, a trip of intangible cultural heritage along the Yellow River, a trip to inherit revolutionary gene, a trip to admire modern cities with ancient origin, a trip to of rural rejuvenation along the Yellow River, all of which could shape an overall image of the Yellow River of China. At the same time people from every field would have a better understanding of the protection, inheritance and the promotion of Yellow River culture as well as of the importance of the image of the Yellow River of China.
Han Ziyong, president of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, believed that the Yellow River basin was one of the core areas to promote Chinese civilization. In history, Chinese civilization had made new achievements one after another, which enabled it to remain young and inclusive. Now, Chinese were facing “a changing situation that wasn’t met in the last 100 years” and we were sure that the Yellow River culture would boost our confidence and enhance our strength.
“Building a tourism belt of Yellow River culture requires us to further shape the river’s image and status as a ‘mother river’ by culture exploration, ecological improvement and project establishment”, said professor Wang Degang, president of Tourism Research Center of Shandong University and the vice president of China Tourism Association. He also said that currently, not everyone had a clear notion of the Yellow River culture, so it’s necessary to offer various forms of promotions of systematic culture in cultural and tourism development, so as to enable everyone to be participators of innovative development as well as protectors and inheritors of Yellow River culture.
During the event, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism gave following suggestions: first, culture and tourism should complement each other to establish a series of tourism destinations with Yellow River culture as signature; create a series of cross-regional national tourism routes with Yellow River as the theme and quality tourism routes meeting tourists’ actual need; carry out the implementation of signature projects and to tell the stories of the Yellow River in a new era to innovate the ways for marketing of smart tourism.
In recent years, the government had achieved abundant results and experience in the construction of a Yellow River culture and tourism belt in adjacent provinces and regions.
Wang Lei, director and secretary of the department of culture and tourism of Shandong province, introduced that the local government designed a development structure with equal consideration to river and ancient road, main stream and branch as well as cities and villages. The highlight was regions with rich resource. The river was the principle axis which was supported by three main branches, including the ancient road of Han and Song dynasties in the north of Shandong, the ancient road of Ming and Qing dynasties in the west of Shandong and Wenhe River valley in the central region of Shandong. The region was also supported by four zones, including the zone where the Yellow River entered Shandong, Wensi Zone, Yinan Zone and the Yellow River delta zone. There were more than 200 projects in the key project library of Yellow River culture and tourism in Shandong with a planned total investment over 570 billion yuan.
Tian Weidong, secretary of Dezhou city of Shandong province, said that Dezhou government explored, protected and inherited Yellow River culture resource and built a batch of signature tourism destinations including but not limited to international ecological city of Qihe River and Yellow River, Xiajin ecological tourism zone of the ancient riverbed of the Yellow River and Leling thousand-year-old jujube trees garden. Among all of those attempts, Qihe county successfully established a national all-for-one tourism demonstration zone.
Wei Qingxiang, vice mayor of Lanzhou city of Gansu province, said that Lanzhou had been innovative while sticking to the right course. It make full use of resources relating to the Yellow River. The local government created a 47.5 kilometer-long scenic belt relied on historical, cultural and natural resources of the Yellow River; aimed at the improvement of Yellow River routes; coordinate certain sites and zones and focused on the main route to “harness the river, add vegetation, carry out projects on mountains, promote culture and use human resource”. The government also needed to carry out key projects including the improvement and refurbishment of Yellow River Building, Lanzhou ancient street, Danxia landform and Baita Mountain section of the Yellow River.
Xi Jianchao, researcher of Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggested that we could learn from national requirements to build national cultural park when constructed Yellow River cultural and tourism belt. On one hand, we needed to show government responsibilities by not breaking the bottom line. On the other hand, there would be spillover effect from culture and cultural relics resources by the integration of culture and tourism. The government encouraged the participation of market players and communities to construct an effective usage model of cultural relics and cultural heritage.
The promotion of Yellow River tourism belt was a systematic work requiring cooperation between provinces and ministries and regional coordination. During the event, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism enhanced it’s communication with National Development and Reform Commission and other departments and improved the coordination to use resource. 10 key projects were signed with an total investment of 43.33 billion yuan.
The culture and tourism department of Henan province was the leading department of Yellow River tourism alliance of nine provinces and regions along the river. Jiang Jiding, head of the department, said that an important platform for coordinated development was composed of more members, enhanced consensus, richer cooperation content and improved brand influence. He advocated that they needed to improve the international influence of the alliance with high positioning; to create a cultural and tourism integration of the Yellow River basin by cooperation of multiple departments and to continuously improve the reputation of the brand for Yellow River culture and tourism belt, so as to create brand for various festivals and to improve the influence of the tourism belt in the world.
Chen Huaqiang, general manager of the China Government-Enterprise Cooperative Investment Fund Co., LTD, said that financial support was indispensable for the high-quality construction and development of Yellow River cultural and tourism belt, so he suggested that government, tourism enterprises and financial institutes should cooperate to establish funds for the belt and for branch industries, so as to expand financial resource and to promote the implementation for projects.
Chen Guozhong, secretary of Shandong College of Tourism and Hospitality, advised that in the construction of Yellow River cultural and tourism belt, people in charge could learn from mature cooperation mechanism for regional tourism to build a non-barrier tourist area and to create a development and coordination mechanism for regional tourism of several administration zone. In addition, the authority could develop new business; nature market participator, innovate market mechanism and perfect the mechanism for management, investment and examination, all of which were measures to guarantee effective, orderly and sustainable development of a high-quality tourism market for Yellow River cultural and tourism belt.