CHINA DAILY TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013 nation 7

shandongspecial Qingzhou to cash in Officials restoring ancient city relics on cultural treasures By Zhang Xiaomin According to the plan, [email protected] some 12 square kilometers in By Wang Qian figures once lived in the region, For this purpose, the govern- the city center have been set [email protected] including (960- ment of Qingzhou has invested The city of Qingzhou has aside as a protective zone for 1279) statesmen Fan Zhong- more than 10 million launched a campaign to architectural relics. The city of Qin- yan and Xiu as well ($1.63 million) annually into restore and preserve local his- Traditional houses and gzhou is drawing on its rich as the famous female poet Li the cultural industry over the torical and cultural heritage landmark buildings will be historical resources to boost Qingzhao, of the same period. past few years. It also unveiled Wang Qian / Daily sites, laying a firm foundation under full protection and the development of the cultural They left the city abundant cul- a range of favorable polices for Liu Dawei, chairman of China Artists Association, works on a for its strategy to revive local some damaged ancient build- industry. tural legacies and relics. major cultural projects, includ- painting during the third Chinese Painting Festival, held in April tourism, officials said. ings will be repaired. These “Endowed with splendid The city now has 135 intan- ing tax cuts, preferential loans 2013. Qingzhou had been the include former residences of historical and cultural lega- gible cultural heritage items. In and incentives in land use. capital for one of the nine renowned historical figures, cies, Qingzhou plans to make addition, it has almost 900 sites Thanks to these efforts, more city’s publicity department, exhibition. Set to be complete zhous — or province-level old streets and structures, the its culture industry a new pil- of cultural relics, among which than 710 culture-related enter- said about 30 cultural projects by 2015, it is expected to attract administrative regions — in ancient government office— lar for local growth,” said Sun six sites are on the national list prises have settled in the city, are under construction in the 3.5 million visitors annually. ancient China for more than the yamen — as well as time- Zhongli, the city’s Party chief. for protection. covering such sectors as paint- city backed by a total invest- Gao said the city has a good 1,600 years. honored brands. At the center of Shandong It was approved as a national ing, calligraphy, publication, ment of 50 billion yuan. cultural ambience. It is now The city is still home to More than 100 such sites province, Qingzhou had long historical and cultural city by news media, entertainment, The largest one is the home to more than 500 art a number of old buildings have been identified and been one of the political, eco- the State Council last year. animation and tourism. 76-square-kilometer Yunmen galleries, which hold over 100 and communities that bear included in the list for full nomic and cultural centers of “The legacies give the city a Revenues from these enter- Mountains Eco-Friendly Cre- exhibitions of paintings, cal- silent witness to the archi- preservation. ancient China, especially from unique advantage to develop prises accounted for more than ativity Park. ligraphy works and other art- tectural achievements and To date, the city has invest- the Han Dynasty (206 BC- its culture industry. We should 5 percent of local GDP last year, With a total investment of works annually. styles of the Ming (1368- ed 200 million yuan ($35.8 AD 220) to the Ming Dynasty try our best to transfer the his- according to the city govern- 15 billion yuan, it will be a site He said the city is a trading 1644) and Qing (1644- million) in the old buildings. (1368-1644). torical and cultural wealth into ment. for film and video production, hub for paintings and callig- 1911) dynasties. Ancient streets like Ouyuan, Many renowned historical economic benefits,” Sun said. Gao Lingyun, head of the tourism, performances and raphy works in North China. Last year, the local gov- Beimen and Dongmen have Nine art markets have been ernment launched an ongo- been renovated. Structures established in Qingzhou, and ing program for preserving such as the Kuixing Tower, they generated combined rev- and utilizing the histori- Fucai Gate and the ancient enue totaling 10 billion yuan cal sites, including ancient city walls have been restored. last year. city relics and the Wann- And 232 ancient houses were The city’s authorities also ian Bridge of Song Dynasty repaired. want to use its culture and his- (960-1279), the Nanyang The government has also tory to add more appeal to local Moat and the Dongmen made efforts to rescue endan- tourism. Street of Ming Dynasty, as gered intangible cultural The government has allocat- well as the Ouyuan Street heritage practices such as the ed a total of 2 million yuan to of Qing Dynasty, in a bid to traditional game of kongzhu, invite inheritors of intangible develop them into tourism clay sculpture, shuttlecock cultural heritage to perform in attractions. making, and the ancient major scenic spots since 2012. “The ancient heritage is music instrument of the cuo- “It is a good way to attract one of the invaluable assets of qin. Masters and inheritors tourists and protect our Qingzhou. We should cher- of such arts are organized ancient arts and traditions, ish it and let it play a greater to perform in public, giving most of which are endangered great role in local growth,” locals and tourists opportuni- in the modern era,” said Zhao said Han Xingfu, mayor of ties to learn. Shihua, director of Qingzhou Qingzhou. The local government is cultural industry development He said the city has now applying for a 5A sta- office. employed the National tus — the nation’s top grade Last year, the city received Research Center of Histori- for scenic areas — for its 8.48 million tourists from Chi- cal Cities at ’s Tongji major attractions includ- na and abroad, up 73.1 percent University to draft an overall ing the Qingzhou Ancient from 2012. Tourism revenue plan for protecting, renovat- City Scenic Area, Qingzhou amounted to 7.3 billion yuan, ing and rebuilding Qing- Museum and the Yuntuo Local artists play the ancient music instrument cuoqin for residents and tourists at a park. Ju Chuanjiang / China Daily increasing 63.4 percent. zhou’s ancient remains. Scenic Area.