Figures replicating a classroom scene depicting Ye Ting in his school years at the Ye Ting Memorial Hall in Huizhou, Guangdong province. [PHOTO BY YANG FEIYUE/CHINA DAILY]
Authorities work hard to develop and establish new and immersive cultural tourism experiences, Yang Feiyue reports in Huizhou, Guangdong.
Qin Lan has been busy preparing several themed exhibitions at the former residence and memorial hall of general Ye Ting in Zhoutian village, Huizhou city, Guangdong province.
Born in the village, Ye played a key role in the Northern Expedition, a military campaign to topple the incumbent, warlord-led Beiyang government (1912-28), to reunify China.
"We're upgrading the main exhibition about general Ye, and are also putting together a few related exhibitions showcasing many historical sites related to a rescue in Hong Kong," says Qin, the curator at the memorial hall.
In 1942, guerrilla forces led by the Communist Party of China rescued Chinese cultural celebrities and anti-Japanese patriots from enemy control in Hong Kong during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and transferred them to safety.
"One of the rescue routes passed our neighborhood, thus leaving behind valuable traces," Qin explains.
Over the past three years, when the COVID-19 pandemic kept visits to a minimum, Qin and her team took the initiative to stage exhibitions about local historical figures and events at schools and residential communities across the city, as well as in Hong Kong and Macao.
"The public have shown great interest in the Chinese general, and are fascinated by his patriotism, family precepts and anecdotes," Qin says.
There were over 200 such events that reached more than 200,000 people, according to Qin.
Now that tourism has resumed, Qin and her team are preparing more diverse experiences for travelers.
Learning tours will be developed to cover historical sites related to Ye and the Hong Kong rescue and boost rural tourism at the same time.
Currently, young guides have come up with a unique classroom experience, where they use distinctive musical instruments, like ukuleles, to narrate Ye's story.
"We have developed our own lyrics to portray general Ye Ting's life in a tune that is very appealing to today's young people," Qin says.
Shadow puppets have also been applied to portray historic scenes, such as battles, which Qin believes makes the presentation more vivid to visitors.
A new parking lot has been built to better satisfy the needs of visitors with cars.
A panoramic view of the Ye Ting Memorial Hall. [Photo provided to China Daily]
"We will strive to help everyone appreciate local history and Hakka culture, overseas Chinese culture, rural tourism and folk customs on the learning tours here," Qin says.
Zhoutian village is part of the Nanyue ancient post road, a major cultural relic-themed tourism route that China is working to develop further.
The country is planning to pilot up to five cultural heritage-themed national-level tourism routes as part of the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), according to government authorities.
In May, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly released a circular about the establishment of such routes, which are designed to revolve around China's immovable cultural relics, including ancient cultural sites, such as tombs and cave temples.
Other elements, ranging from historical and cultural towns and cities, agricultural and industrial heritage, to museums and memorial halls, natural landscapes and scenic spots, are also expected to be integrated into the project, based on the subject of each route.
The themed tourism routes will also be interconnected with the construction of national cultural parks and relevant national strategies. The routes are designed to further leverage the rich traditional cultural resources, including cultural relics, across the country.
The circular also urged efforts to examine and analyze the status of cultural heritage protection and management. It seeks to establish a list of immovable cultural relic sites that are currently in operation, and maximize the integration of eligible sites into the tourism routes.
At the end of November, the National Cultural Heritage Administration hosted a work conference on the development of such tourism routes in Huizhou.
It was aimed at boosting efforts by related parties in the development of those routes.
Visitors at the opening of an exhibition about Ye's wife Li Xiuwen. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Various regions have actively explored the establishment of regional and county-level cultural heritage-themed tourist routes, achieving varied results, said Guan Qiang, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration at the conference, where representatives from 14 provincial cultural relic departments, and those from Hong Kong and Macao, were present.
Guan emphasizes that various regions and relevant departments should thoroughly implement the spirit of the important exposition by President Xi Jinping on cultural heritage work, enhance ideological awareness, fulfill their primary responsibilities, and promote the establishment of cultural heritage-themed tourist routes.
He says it is necessary to strengthen interdepartmental collaboration, coordinate the establishment of cultural heritage-themed tourist routes according to such aspects as cultural heritage, culture and tourism, development and reform, as well as promote the work in a concerted manner.
Top-level design should be strengthened to systematically plan cultural heritage-themed tourist routes, prioritizing the exploration of values, and promoting the display of, and access to, lower-level immovable cultural heritage sites, Guan adds.
He also called upon relevant parties to take steps to develop the themed routes, implement cultural relic protection, restoration, display and utilization.
Folk performances and distinctive sports experiences can be integrated to promote the cultural relic routes, says Guan.
China has seen notable progress in the excavation, utilization and protection of cultural relics, according to official statistics.
The country has more than 766,000 immovable cultural relics and 108 million State-owned movable cultural relics, according to a 2021 report from the State Council.
The country has strengthened archaeological work by approving the implementation of over 7,000 archaeological excavation projects, achieving important results, the report says, adding that an average of more than 1 billion yuan ($139.3 million) is spent on ensuring the safety of cultural relics every year.
At the November conference, Long Jiayou, deputy director of the Guangdong culture and tourism department, said establishment of cultural relics-themed travel routes has broken away from the traditional scattered utilization of cultural heritage, stringing together cultural and historical resources with different themes.
Long thinks of cultural relics protection units as transcending time and space while they record the footprints and living conditions of our predecessors, as well as their beliefs and pursuits.
"The proposal and development of cultural relics-themed travel routes inject a vividly new gene into cultural tourism and offer a delightful way to inherit and promote the cultural spirit," Long says.
" (The efforts) represent a new scene, a new calling card, and a new attempt at the integrated development of culture and tourism," he adds.
In addition to the Nanyue ancient post road, Long says Guangdong abounds in cultural relics, and local authorities have strived to break the spatial and physical barriers between them and create routes that are educational, enjoyable and accessible.
Lu Yuanzheng, head of Zhejiang Province Institute of Architectural Design and Research, shared the overall planning of the travel route of Su Shi, a renowned poet during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), at the conference.
"The focus lies in narrating the life story of Su with an emphasis on highlighting his contemporary values," Lu says.
The key is to present a broadminded ideology with a sense of responsibility for the world through Su's stories, showcase the philosophy of universal love and the outstanding traditional qualities of seeking truth, practicality and reality, Lu explains.
The travel route should outline the various stages of Su's life, follow a main chronological storyline, and connect different geographical spaces.
At the same time, it should impart a differentiated thematic positioning of the cities Su visited throughout his life, thereby creating a cohesive narrative structure across urban units, Lu says.
For instance, Su was deprived of power when he was exiled to Huizhou, but he fully leveraged his connections to do good deeds and accomplish practical tasks for the people.
His achievements have continued to benefit the people of Huizhou. He also achieved the elevation of personal character and his life pursuits in the process, according to Zhang Wei, a senior engineer with the Zhejiang institute.
Zhang suggests that related parties in Huizhou pay keen attention to authenticity and integrity when presenting Su's footprint on the city nearly 1,000 years ago, while trying their best to re-create travel routes he took, in order to provide visitors with an immersive experience.
