“Guideline for Healthy Development of National Characteristic Towns”, hereinafter referred to as the “Guidance” was established by 10 departments, including National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Natural Resource and Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Guidance wrote that characteristic towns featured trade, culture and tourism, sports or an integration of the above could be developed in regions with relating resources.

    The Guidance clarified that in terms of border restriction, the designed area used for construction should be less than 5 square kilometers according to the principle, but the towns of sports, culture and sports and the integration of three classifications could rise the limitation to an suitable extent. In terms of space and function, the characteristic towns should focus on leading industries, as well as promote the integration of production, living and ecology and the coordination of industry, community, culture and tourism. Local governments needed to add cultural function to towns by finding derivative culture, like industrial culture, establishing a public space to present the general scenic beauty and cultural charm, attach unique cultural core and impression to the town and promote the social exploitation of cultural resource. Local governments should give tourism function to towns by supporting the combination of industry and tourism, arrange scenic beauty in industrial scenes, add landscape node and open space and coordinate practical and aesthetic functions. In terms of quality and effectiveness, the annual number of visitors should be more than 500 thousand according to the principle.

    The Guidance stipulated that the construction of cultural and tourism characteristic towns needed to shape tourism development with culture and promote culture with tourism; to develop industries including but not limited to news publication, animation, performance, exhibition and academic research; nurture services including revolutionary tourism, cultural heritage tourism, natural heritage tourism, beach tourism and recreation vehicle park and build culture-based tourism scenic area, street and vacation area. Relating departments needed to place public library, cultural hall and museum in a reasonable way and improve tourist service center, road, toilet and other kinds of facilities. Characteristic towns famous for advanced manufacture industry needed to develop industry tourism and science and technology tourism. Characteristic towns with the integration of three industries needed to promote businesses including but not limited to leisure agriculture, rural tourism, home stay economy and agricultural experience.