Matzu Cultural Festival to kick off in Guilin's Pingle

A press conference for the Matzu Cultural Festival is held on April 18, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The second Matzu Cultural Festival will be held in Pingle county, Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang automatous region from May 1 to 3, and is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors from across the country, according to a press conference held by the Pingle government on April 18.

Pingle county, formerly known as Zhaozhou, is situated in the northeast of Guangxi and has a history of more than 1,800 years. Boasting beautiful landscapes and profound traditional culture, it is regarded as one of the important sites for spreading Matzu culture in the Chinese mainland. The county is home to numerous scenic spots, including National Shizishan National Forest Park, Lijiang River Tourism Zone, and Moon Hill. Pingle also boasts many traditional dishes and exquisite snacks, and many of them are on the list of intangible cultural heritage of Guangxi and Guilin.

Chen Li, minister of the county's Party committee publicity department, delivers a speech at the conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Over the past few years, Pingle has actively carried out the Tourism-Oriented Strategy and introduced preferential policies to promote the development of its tourism industry. In 2018, the county invested 340 million yuan ($50.7 million) to accelerate the construction of 22 tourist projects, and renovated seven tourist attractions, ensuring the normalization of the county's tourism industry.

Wang Xuezheng, vice-minister of the county's Party committee publicity department, answers reporters' questions in an exclusive interview. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Pingle experienced substantial growth in its tourism industry, and received 2.46 million visitors in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 96.34 percent. Its tourist consumption totaled 2.18 billion yuan, up 94.47 percent year-on-year. Currently, the county is introducing two tourism projects worth 1.5 billion and 3.5 billion yuan respectively, both of which are expected to give a big push to the development of its tourism industry.

Centering on Matzu culture, this year's event consists of a host of festivities and celebrations, including the opening ceremony, water and land tours, trade fairs, aquashows, and folk customs, in order to promote cultural exchanges and attract enterprises to invest in Pingle.