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YICHANG, China, Dec. 11, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

As of November 15, 2020, the "Travel to Hubei with Love" campaign has been

carried out for 100 days, and the comprehensive benefits of Yichang tourism are

constantly increasing. According to data released by The Culture and Tourism

Bureau of Yichang City, 41 A-level scenic spots in Yichang had received 6.059

million tourists as of November 18, 2020. The city also received reservations

of 204,000 tourist groups, ranking first in Hubei province.

"Listen to me sing, my friend; sing about a young lady scolding a wooer..."

Boating on the Qingjiang river, one can always hear long shouts from both sides

of the river, loud and vigorous, brimming with full enthusiasm. Looking around,

one only hears the sound but does not see the singer, with the lingering sound

reverberating in the mountains.

The unsophisticated singing is Changyang Folk Songs, which have a history of

more than 3,000 years and a wide range. The singing comes straight to the point

and takes the lead, with the vibrato having a strong special tone and wild

flavor. In 2008, Changyang Folk Songs were included in the National Intangible

Cultural Heritage List. Cao Feng, a performer of the folk songs, is the

representative inheritor of the 10th batch of Yichang municipal intangible

cultural heritage projects.

On top of Yichang's Wuluo Zhongli Mountain, folk songs and dances are

everywhere. "When spring goes to summer, it is autumn again. The storm and

waves fade away the years, and the lotus forest bids away spring and welcomes

autumn..." Immersed in the sounds of Sanxian, Erhu and Pipa, Wang Mingjun, an

inheritor, sings against the background like a frame of freehand brushwork. A

few words can make people intoxicated with the charming Qingjiang scenery.

In the Wuluo Zhongli Mountain Square, where the ruins still exist, Bashan folk

dancing springs to cheerful rhythms. Whether the people dancing, or people

watching, everyone's face is filled with happiness to the bright dancing

clothes.

Walking along the Qingjiang Gallery, the national 5A scenic spot, one will be

greeted by the rich Batu culture, such as Tujia folk dancing, Xilankapu ethnic

costumes, Tujia delicacies and traditional handicrafts...

In recent years, Yichang of Hubei province has integrated the Yangtze River

culture into the development of tourism, conducted in-depth research on the

cultural connotation of the Yangtze River, promoted the creative transformation

and innovative development of excellent traditional culture, and relied on

tourism to show and enhance cultural charm, which not only makes the culture

come to life, but also injects sustainable impetus into tourism.

In the Three Gorges scenic area, the weeping marriage performance with strong

Tujia ethnic characteristics, after rearrangement, brings a new experience for

tourists with a more interactive sense.

In the scenic area of Qu Yuan's hometown, 10 non-heritage exhibition halls,

including Dragon Boat Festival Customs Hall, Qingtan Folk Customs Hall, Liu

Zhihua Wood Carving Studio and Guizhou Inkstone Hall, have opened one after

another. Tourists can deeply feel the full range of Xiajiang culture while

appreciating the scenery.

In the scenic racecourse of Yuan'an marathon, local intangible cultural

heritages such as folk songs, plays of gongs and drums, and operas are staged.

Runners listen to the ancient sound of remote mountains that has been inherited

for 200 years while racing in the scenic field.

In Qinglong Village, Yiling District, there is an active lion dance team on

stilts. They are the inheritors of folk culture and art, and their unique

skills attract tourists who come to experience the pastoral scenery, which adds

cultural charm to the rural tourism.

Yichang is the origin and fusion place of Ba culture and Chu culture, which was

home to Qu Yuan, a world cultural celebrity, Wang Zhaojun, the messenger of

national harmony, and Yang Shoujing, an outstanding scholar in the late Qing

Dynasty. The Sanyou Cave, or the Three Travelers Cave, bears the carving of the

classics of the three most famous poets of the Tang Dynasty -- Baixingjian,

Baijuyi, and Yuanzhen, and Su Xun, Su Shi and Su Zhe, the most famous

literature family in Northern Song Dynasty. Changbanpo Battlefield witnessed

the heroic deeds by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei who galloped across the

battlefield with great ambition in Chinese history.

The infusion of Yangtze River culture makes tourism crafts and agricultural

products become tourism commodities, rural residence become home-stays, and

traditional folk customs become new tourism experiences...Cultural tourism has

provided more opportunities for local farmers to find jobs at home and increase

their incomes, thus injecting new impetus into the post-epidemic recovery and

economic and social recovery.

Source: The Culture & Tourism Bureau of Yichang City

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   Caption: Local artisans from Ziqiu Town are performing.