Economic Daily:
We all know that Guizhou boasts rich tourism resources. General Secretary Xi Jinping, during an inspection visit to Guizhou, also expressed his great expectations for tourism in the province. My question is, how will Guizhou implement General Secretary Xi's instructions and promote the development of tourism industrialization? Thanks.
Shen Yiqin:
Mr. Li will answer this question.
Li Bingjun:
Thank you for paying attention to tourism in Guizhou. General Secretary Xi Jinping instructed us to make a big push to industrialize tourism, "to achieve robust growth of tourism and develop it into a pillar industry." When inspecting Guizhou earlier this year, he reiterated that tourism ecology with humanistic elements should be enriched to realize the high-quality development of tourism.
Historically, Guizhou's transportation had been inadequate and the province lacked links with the outside world, which objectively protected its natural resources, culture, and integrity. The Guizhou scenery, with its hills and rivers, is indivisible as a well-integral whole. More than 92% of its land is covered by hills and mountains. This nature creates an enjoyable landscape untouched by man, where you don't need to look hard to find waterfalls, karst caves, lakes, woods, and canyons. General Secretary Xi Jinping praised Guizhou as being a garden province. The pleasant weather and ecological environment are the hallmarks of Guizhou, and with an average temperature of around 23 degrees centigrade in the summer, the province is like an air-conditioned oasis. Its diverse forest vegetation makes it like a natural oxygen bar as well as a popular summer resort. Guizhou is also characterized by its cultural diversity. It has rich resources of red culture, Yangming culture, and ethnic culture. Guizhou is a sacred and blessed place of the Chinese revolution, where the Zunyi Meeting was held as a key turning point in the Chinese revolution. The spirit of the Zunyi Meeting forms an important part of the spiritual pedigree of the CPC members. It was in Guizhou that Wang Yangming, the great Confucian philosopher, meditated, delivered lectures, and initiated Yangming culture during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the essence of traditional Chinese culture.17 ethnic minority groups permanently live in the province, making it famous for having a multi-minority culture. The Miao people's silver jewelry and embroidery have unique characteristics. The Dong people sing songs with their heavenly voices. The Bouyei people's eight-sound style of singing is often billed as music from heaven. That is why we say when traveling throughout China, you will be overwhelmed by the varied beauty of Guizhou, which is a magnet for pleasure seekers who can enjoy the peace and fresh air, please their eyes, and refresh the mind.
Over the past few years, transportation in Guizhou has changed fundamentally. Moreover, we made a big push to protect and develop tourism resources and improve supporting facilities and services, which has enabled the tourism industry to make great strides. During the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), the number of visits and total travel sales in Guizhou maintained a 30% rate of growth in the first four years, not including 2020, when trips were impacted by COVID-19. In the next stage, we will continue to follow the instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping to intensify our efforts to industrialize tourism and promote its high-quality development, so that every visitor to Guizhou can experience a homelike atmosphere and have travel change their lives for the better. The summer holiday is coming and cool Guizhou is waiting for you! Thank you.