Hundreds of visitors flock to the city of Hezuo to take part in Silk Road-themed activities

Gansu is hosting an international cultural expo and a tourism festival to facilitate mutual learning and cooperation among different countries and regions, local officials said.

The 4th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and 9th Dunhuang Tour Silk Road International Tourism Festival opened in Hezuo, capital of the Gannan Tibet autonomous prefecture, on Tuesday. It attracted around 800 guests from more than 30 countries and regions.

Lin Duo, Party secretary of Gansu in Northwest China, said at the opening ceremony that the expo and the festival have promoted the province's and China's culture internationally. They have played a significant role in helping different countries and regions to achieve win-win results, he added.

From left: Yumen Pass, a relic of a military fort built in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) in today's Gansu province, was a key point on the Silk Road, an ancient trade route linking China with other countries. The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu is China's longest-serving rocket launch facility. Dawn breaks over Zagana, an ancient city tucked away in a valley in Gansu. Photos by Tian Xi / For China Daily

Lin said 23 themed activities would be held during the expo and the festival. The closing ceremony is scheduled for Aug 31 in Dunhuang city. The themed activities would involve forums, exhibitions, performances, trade negotiations and innovation events, he said.

"We believe the expo and the festival will be an excellent and distinctive gathering and guests will come back with fruitful results," Lin said.

He said Gansu is one of the origins of Chinese civilization and a representative region for communication and integration between Eastern and Western cultures.

The province boasts a history of farming, the Yellow River, the Silk Road and various ethnic groups, Lin said. He added the province welcomes foreign and domestic guests to enjoy its magnificent scenery, rich culture and specialties.

Zhu Shanzhong, executive director at the United Nations World Tourism Organization, said that tourism has become one of the most powerful and largest industries in global economic development. It generated 10 percent of global GDP in 2018.

Tourism is important for creating jobs, alleviating poverty and promoting economic recovery, playing a role in the steady development of the global economy, Zhu said.

"We gather here today to highlight protection of cultural heritage, discuss development of tourism resources and promote integration of culture and tourism," Zhu said.

The guests watched performances after the opening ceremony on Dangzhou Grassland, a popular tourist destination in Gannan. Local people sang, danced and rode horses to showcase their folk culture and welcome guests.

"The festival is part of a cultural revival of the Silk Road," said Atul Aneja, an associate editor at Indian newspaper The Hindu. "Activities like these will instill pride in people, help them understand their own cultural heritage and roots, make them more independent-minded, and in the end, lead them to discover their own independent model of development."

A financial forum on helping the development of culture and tourism sectors was also held in Gannan on Tuesday. Song Liang, executive vice-governor of Gansu, said the provincial government aims to provide diverse and innovative financial services for the cultural and tourism sectors. It hopes to turn the province's advantages in cultural tourism resources into industrial and economic strengths.

A Silk Road tourism commodity exhibition is running in Gannan, comprising 12 display areas and covering an area of 10,000 square meters.

In the Belt and Road display area, 14 countries such as Russia, France, India, Malaysia and Thailand are showcasing more than 1,300 products and rich resources in cultural tourism. The cultural, creative and tourism commodity competition area has collected 698 kinds of handicrafts, healthcare products, textiles, food, souvenirs, alcoholic drinks and tea. Experts will evaluate the goods and decide which will win the 15 prizes on offer.

The Silk Road tourism commodity exhibition showcases industrial art, creative designs, intangible cultural heritage and cultural tourism products from Gansu and other regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, its organizers said. They added that it demonstrates the achievements that Gansu - and China - have made in tourism commodities' research, development and production in recent years.

Gannan is one of China's 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures. Most of its area has an elevation of 3,000 kilometers. The prefecture boasts a magnificent landscape that is rich in pastoral beauty. Among its renowned attractions are Labrang Monastery, Langmu Temple and Laga Mountain.

Local people said the most characteristic experience in Gannan is drinking highland barley wine and buttered tea in a tent. Visitors can also enjoy local beef, mutton and yogurt. Gannan received 12.21 million visits in 2018, a year-on-year rise of 10.4 percent.

After the closing ceremony, related activities will last until Sept 5 in Dunhuang. They will include a forum on Chinese culture and the Belt and Road Initiative; an international forum on global cultural heritage protection and sustainable development of tourism; a cultural tourism creative product exhibition; and an art exhibition by the China National Academy of Painting.