Yuncheng in northern China strives to build highway into superior tourism route in three years

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Guan Yu, a great general who served during China’s Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.), has long been revered as a symbol of loyalty. Today, he has become an icon who promotes tourism in his hometown of Yuncheng, Shanxi Province in northern China, People’s Daily reported.

In September 2022, a digital museum honouring the deified historical person known as Guandi was created near the Guandi Temple in Yuncheng. The two-story red edifice, outfitted with holographic projection and virtual reality technology, intends to reach out to more people with Guan Yu’s stories.

A Guan Yu-themed pedestrian strip was also erected near another temple honouring Guan’s family in Yuncheng’s Changping hamlet, where hot pot, traditional noodle meals, fried dough twists, and other local delicacies are offered.

A variety of crosstalk theatres and cultural merchandise outlets may also be found on the pedestrian strip. On the street, plays based on the Three Kingdoms are frequently performed.

“We do our best to promote local tourism,” said Wang Peng, an employee of the company that manages the pedestrian street.

Wang stated that the pedestrian street intends to exhibit Guandi culture, adding that five plays about Guandi have been developed and appropriate cultural experience activities have been added on the pedestrian street.

In ancient times, Yuncheng was called “Hedong,” which means “East of the Yellow River.” It is a city with a rich culture and a long history. It is home to 102 national-protected key historical and cultural sites, as well as over 6,000 pieces of immovable cultural artefacts.

Yuncheng has been trying to promote the combined development of culture and tourism in recent years.
In the last several years, the city has undertaken institutional changes at three key state-owned tourism sites, including the Guandi Temple and the Yongle Palace, bringing new growth points to traditional tourist attractions.

A large stage production about Hedong’s effect on the building of Chinese culture, for example, is constantly in high demand. To attract visitors, the Yongle Palace, known for its Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) paintings, has staged a series of exhibits of cultural artefacts.

Yuncheng’s tourist attractions are growing. A route along the Yellow River that connects 24 national-level tourism attractions has seen the establishment of a variety of tourist destinations, including a Yellow River-themed ecological park and a bed-and-breakfast cluster. A tourist belt with distinctive traits of southern Shanxi has emerged.

“Yuncheng, working to optimize its tourism layout and improve its tourism services, will strive to build the highway into a superior tourism route in three years,” said Chen Xiaoguang, head of Yuncheng’s culture and tourism bureau.

“It’s important to expand the economy in accordance with local features. The development of the culture and tourism sector must be advanced as a part of urban development, so as to meet people’s expectations for better cultural lives,” said Wang Zhifeng, head of Yuncheng’s publicity department.

In recent years, the city has constructed a variety of tourist attractions based on historical characters and stories. These places have not only improved the cultural life of the locals, but have also contributed to the growth of the city’s culture and tourism sectors.

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