Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Mr. Zhang Zheng, vice minister of culture and tourism

Mr. Ming Wenjun, director general of the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT)

Mr. Chen Binbin, director general of the Public Service Department of the MCT

Mr. Miao Muyang, director general of the Industrial Development Department of the MCT

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

Sept. 30, 2024

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO), as part of the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we have invited Mr. Zhang Zheng, vice minister of Culture and Tourism, to brief you on relevant developments and to answer your questions. Also present today are Mr. Ming Wenjun, director general of the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT); Chen Binbin, director general of the Public Service Department of the MCT; and Mr. Miao Muyang, director general of the Industrial Development Department of the MCT.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Zhang for his introduction.

Zhang Zheng:

Good afternoon. Today is Martyrs' Day, and we would like to pay tribute to the people's heroes. On the occasion of this press conference, we would like to express our gratitude to reporters for their interest in and support for the culture and tourism work over the years. I'm very glad to have the opportunity to be here with my colleagues and share with you the relevant progress in promoting the high-quality development of culture and tourism.

Our country will thrive only if our culture thrives, and our nation will be strong only if our culture is strong. Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to cultural and tourism work, made comprehensive arrangements for building a leading country in culture, and held conferences on tourism development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions on the work of public communication and culture as well as tourism. The leading Party members group of the MCT has conscientiously studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, kept in mind the overall work of the Party and the country, focused on people's aspirations for a better life, and strived to advance the high-quality development of culture and tourism. You may have already noticed that the culture and tourism craze has become the norm and has attracted widespread attention.

Now I will present to you the overall situation from six aspects:

First, we have strived to create and launch excellent literary and artistic works. We have given more support to stage performances and the creation of fine art, implemented a series of artistic creation projects in the new era, encouraged literary and artistic workers to produce works drawing inspiration from everyday life and the experiences of the people, and launched many good performances and activities. For example, the large-scale art performance "The Great Journey" celebrating the centenary of the Party's founding demonstrated the artistic style of a major country. The dance dramas "The Eternal Wave" and "A Tapestry of a Legendary Land" with which you are all familiar with have been both critical and commercial hits. Artworks reflecting the spirit of the times and focusing on the people's lives have been produced one after another.

Second, we have strived to improve the efficiency of public cultural services. We have rationally planned, built and improved the network of public cultural facilities, and created nearly 40,000 new public cultural spaces including reading spaces and cultural stations. To adapt to the development of information technology, we have built a smart library system and a public cultural cloud, providing more good places and good resources that allow people to read, learn and unwind. To meet the needs of the people, we have organized activities such as village galas, singing competitions and square dancing, attracting more and more people to sing, dance and have fun.

Third, we have strived to preserve and inherit cultural heritage. We have implemented the project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization and the Archaeological China project, carried out the fourth national survey of cultural relics, and advanced the preservation, inheritance, research and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage in a systematic manner, making intangible cultural heritage shine with new brilliance and vitality and better connect with modern life. With "museum fever" and "intangible cultural heritage fever" continuing to heat up, appreciating cultural relics and experiencing intangible cultural heritage has become a new fashion. In July, the Beijing Central Axis was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List, attracting widespread attention from across society and making experiencing cultural heritage once again a popular activity during the summer holiday.

Fourth, we have strived to promote the sustainable growth of the cultural industry. We have implemented strategies such as the national cultural digitization strategy and implementation of major cultural projects to spur the development of the sector, and advanced the continuous expansion of the scale of the cultural industry, achieving growth of business entities and significant improvements of quality and efficiency. In the first half of this year, the operating revenue of enterprises in cultural and related industries above designated size reached nearly 6.5 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. Concerts and music festivals are popular all over the country. "China-chic," "neo-Chinese style" and "creative cultural products" have adopted both Chinese aesthetics and modern design, becoming commonplace in people's daily lives and attracting countless fans. 

Fifth, we have strived to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry. We have continued to improve traditional forms of business and cultivate new forms of business and new scenarios, promoted the accelerated integration of tourism and culture, sports, commerce and agriculture, launched diversified, personalized and high-quality products, held a series of activities such as China Tourism Day and "Travel in China for a Better Life," and carried out consumption promotion activities during important periods such as holidays, so that people can travel with abundant choices, good experiences and for a reasonable cost. In addition to primary choices for travel such as national 5A tourist attractions and national tourist resorts, performances, sporting events, films and TV dramas have also attracted tourists and become new leisure choices. In the first three quarters, tourists made an estimated 4.29 billion domestic trips and tourism-related consumption reached 4.32 trillion yuan, increasing by 16.8% and 17.1% year on year, respectively, close to the peak level in 2019. This boom in tourism has not only enriched people's lives, but also boosted market confidence, driving the growth of consumption in transportation, accommodation, catering and retail, and giving play to its due role as a contributor to the people's well-being and their sense of happiness, as well as an emerging strategic pillar industry. 

Sixth, we have strived to present Chinese culture to the world. We have held a series of art performances to mark major diplomatic events, such as the China-Central Asia Summit, to actively expand bilateral and multilateral cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation as well as to broaden the brand influence of "Happy Spring Festival" celebrations. Focusing on the bottleneck of inbound tourism, we have launched a series of measures and enhanced the level of facilitation. Twenty-seven "Nihao! China " overseas promotional tourist events have been held in 14 countries, attracting more foreigners to travel to China to experience a home away from home and China's beauty. The number of inbound visits in the first three quarters is expected to reach 95 million, a year-on-year increase of 55.4%, recovering to 93.4% of the same period in 2019.

In the next step, the MCT will conscientiously study Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and focus on the objective of accelerating the building of a strong country in culture and tourism. We will give priority to meeting people's cultural needs and inspiring people, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, deepen reform and promote innovation, and introduce a raft of targeted and effective incremental policies and measures. A series of activities will be launched to benefit the people and enterprises and promote consumption, and more excellent cultural products and high-quality tourism products will be provided, all with the aim of achieving new breakthroughs in the high-quality development of culture and tourism.

With the National Day holiday approaching, we will hold rich and colorful cultural and tourism activities, as well as introduce practical measures to benefit the people. For example, the National Stage Art Excellent Plays Performance and the National Art Troupe Performance Season are currently underway with good plays staged one after another. The National Art Exhibition held every five years has opened at the National Art Museum of China with a collection of excellent works. A series of events such as The National Day Culture and Tourism Consumption Month, and The Creative Rural Life Season will be held and nearly 1,000 activities with the theme of intangible cultural heritage will also be launched. I hope everyone will pay more attention and make more reports.

Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thanks to Mr. Zhang for the briefing. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before asking your questions.

Cover News:

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has stressed that we will refine the mechanisms for supplying cultural services and products. What can be done to provide more high-quality cultural and tourism products and services, so as to better meet people's new expectations for their intellectual and cultural lives? Thank you.

Ming Wenjun:

Thank you for your question, I would like to share my view from the perspective of literature and art. We believe that the people's aspiration for a better life is often reflected in the needs for high-quality literary and artistic works. We have also been constantly improving the systems and mechanisms in this regard to further advance literary and artistic creation. We hope that through such initiatives, we can better meet the needs of the people.

First, the creation and production of more excellent literary and artistic works are the basis for our work. Just now, Mr. Zhang has introduced some excellent works for the stage that have recently become popular. These new and excellent works that young people love, such as "The Eternal Wave" and "A Tapestry of a Legendary Land," have set off a dance drama craze. At the same time, the Peking Opera in Beijing's opera houses, Kunqu Opera in Suzhou's gardens, Qinqiang Opera on Shaanxi's thousand-year-old city wall and Hebei Bangzi in local communities are all also singing about Chinese opera fever. These happy scenes are the result of the promotion of artistic creation planning by the local cultural and tourism departments. We will also continue to carry out a series of major art creation projects, in which planning plays a very important role. It will drive various categories of the arts to continuously launch excellent literary and artistic works, especially the introduction of wonderful small and medium-sized works of art such as opera excerpts, dances and children's songs. At the same time, we will also support the high-quality development of some artistic varieties, such as musicals, and increase support for Chinese opera, so as to enable more people from the generations born after 2000 and 2010 to love our fine traditional Chinese culture.

How will we achieve this? We will make great efforts to build and strengthen art troupes at all levels. Many large art troupes, famous art troupes and art troupes like Ulan Muqir, a traveling art troupe performing for herdsmen in remote areas, perform across the country all year round. They have made excellent art works popular at the city and community levels. We will provide category-based guidance and assistance to state-owned art troupes, private art performance groups, grassroots rural opera troupes and folk troupes, improving various construction mechanisms so as to promote their high-quality development. With these high-quality cultural resources, we will also continue to expand the channels for high-quality cultural resources to reach the grassroots level as well as further improve the mechanism for government procurement of performance services, which has been implemented for many years. We will make greater efforts to introduce opera into the villages, communities, campuses and streets, so as to bring brilliant performances to people in both urban and rural areas. We will continue to support digital performing arts' content to enter "small screens," "medium screens" and "big screens" by means of live broadcasts, performances and screenings, as well as will encourage famous artists and new talents to enter the live broadcast room, put excellent works on screens and explore the opening of a second theater online, so that more audiences can share in the achievements of literary and artistic innovation and development.

The film "A Tapestry of a Legendary Land" adapted from a stage drama will be released nationwide tomorrow, adding splendor to the National Day holiday. I hope many people will go to the movies to enjoy it.

Literature and art should provide good content for culture and tourism's integration. Many friends have fallen in love with the regions south of the Yangtze River because of Kunqu Opera, storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect. They have walked into the Kuanzhai Alley because of Sichuan Opera. They have immersed themselves in the Unique Henan · Land of Drama theater complex in Henan's Zhengzhou and the Unique Dream of Red Mansion theater complex in Hebei's Langfang. In addition, they have visited beautiful Xinjiang after watching the TV series "To the Wonder" or the evening gala called "Lift Your Veil: Xinjiang is a Good Place." We will continue to improve the level of integration of literature and art with tourism, so that literature and art can promote innovation within the market, empower industries and enrich tourism. At the same time, we have also actively promoted international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation through literature and art. A few days ago, the National Ballet of China marked the 60th anniversary of the premiere of "The Red Detachment of Women." Over the past 60 years, this famous drama has been performed nearly 5,000 times at home and abroad across five continents, arousing a wide range of resonance and receiving high praise from audiences. Recently, the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater's martial arts-themed "Wing Chun," which has also been performed overseas, has sparked a lot of cross-country appreciation from the audience.

In the next phase, we will also promote more excellent theatrical works internationally, sharing Chinese stories and emotions with the world while highlighting humanity's shared future and struggles. Recently, many young people have fallen in love with Yue Opera because of "New Dragon Inn," especially the wonderful performance of the actress in the male role, demonstrating the public's appetite for fresh artistic talent and new productions. We're committed to building broader platforms that showcase promising, hardworking newcomers and creating venues for innovative, boutique productions, ensuring our artistic stage remains vibrant and diverse. Thank you.

Economic Daily:

We've noticed that over the past two years, cultural and tourism enthusiasm has been growing nationwide, leading to the emergence of numerous trending cities, popular scenic spots, and new projects. What are the MCT's considerations regarding the promotion of cultural and tourism consumption and industrial development? Thank you.

Miao Muyang:

Thank you for your question. As Mr. Zhang mentioned, the cultural and tourism craze has become the new normal. We're seeing a surge in the cultural and tourism market, with continued consumption vitality. The cultural tourism industry has evolved into a vital sector that enhances quality of life and promotes happiness. It plays an increasingly important role in driving economic transformation, stimulating consumer spending, and meeting people's aspirations for a better life. Based on current industry trends, we're preparing to introduce a series of measures to boost cultural tourism consumption and advance the sector's development.

First, we will launch a plan to enhance new business formats. We'll accelerate the development of new cultural and tourism industry segments, including online performances and broadcasting, immersive experiences, cruise and yacht services, and RV camping. We'll promote specialized travel models such as "show-based tourism," "sports event tourism," and "film and TV location tourism," while building on successful cases where TV shows have boosted regional tourism, as demonstrated by how "To the Wonder" transformed Xinjiang into a trending destination.

Second, we'll implement a cultural and tourism consumption promotion plan. We'll encourage all regions to introduce consumer-friendly measures and launch a National Day holiday cultural and tourism consumption month. Under the theme "Celebrating National Day and Exploring Our Beautiful Land," we'll coordinate approximately 24,000 events across 3,600 categories, highlighting contemporary lifestyles, magnificent landscapes, history and culture, and pillars of the nation, or significant achievements of strategic importance. Regions will issue 500 million yuan in cultural and tourism vouchers and other consumption subsidies. The " China Travel Makes Life Better" campaign will be conducted to bring benefits, convenience and joy to the general public.

Third, we will advance the digitalization of the cultural and tourism industry. We'll establish multiple scientific and technological innovation platforms, promoting the integration of technologies such as 5G, AR/VR, and artificial intelligence into the cultural tourism sector. This will create new digital experiences through smart tourism and immersive attractions. Many visitors have already experienced examples of this transformation, including Shanghai's "Horizon of Khufu" and "The Wind Rises in Luoyang" and Henan's "Back to the Jurassic."

Fourth, we will implement equipment upgrades throughout cultural and tourism facilities. Using ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, we will replace outdated cultural and tourism equipment that has been in use for many years and no longer meets performance and safety requirements. This includes upgrading to high-safety, reliable, and user-friendly sightseeing vehicles, cable cars, recreational facilities, performance equipment, and smart cultural and tourism infrastructure.

Fifth, we will launch the national scenic byway project. We'll develop a series of tourist routes featuring distinctive cultural features and comprehensive support services while improving tourism infrastructure along these routes.

Sixth, we will coordinate the Creative Rural Life Season initiative. We will take innovative steps to launch activities such as rural music concerts, art festivals, and creative fairs to provide more opportunities for people to experience rural customs and culture. A prime example is the ongoing China-French Classical Music Art Season in Pengzhou, Chengdu, which has attracted a large number of music fans.

Seventh, we will launch additional tourist trains. In cooperation with the State Railway Group, building on the 1,430 tourist trains already operating this year, we will introduce 330 new tourist trains, including the well-known Longjiang Special, Panda Train and Hulunbuir Special.

Eighth, we will optimize visa-free transit policies. Working with relevant departments, we will continuously improve visa and customs clearance procedures, gradually expand the list of visa-exempt countries, enhance transit visa-free policies, and streamline services for inbound tourism to promote its high-quality development.

In short, we will work to create a welcoming, pleasant, and secure consumption environment, continue to advance the upgrading of cultural and tourism products and business formats, and provide higher-quality travel experiences for people, ensuring everyone arrives enthusiastically and departs fully satisfied.

Thank you.

Science and Technology Daily:

Scientific and technological innovation has played an important role in driving cultural development. What will the MCT do to further enhance the efficiency of scientific and technological innovation and better support the high-quality development of culture and tourism? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

This is a very important question, and I appreciate you raising it. In the new era, emerging technologies are becoming a powerful engine for advancing the high-quality development of culture and tourism. New technologies have given rise to more products, scenarios and experiences. These technologies have also provided us with better ways to experience cultural and tourism offerings. Let me share how new technologies can better drive the development of culture and tourism in the following aspects.

First, we will focus on the supply of high-quality products. We will use intelligent technologies to assist creation and production, advance breakthroughs in integrated technologies and equipment such as those utilized in set design, lighting, sound and performance interaction, and cultivate a variety of new forms of business such as integrated online-offline exhibitions and performances, cloud performances and cloud theaters. From digital art exhibitions to holographic projection stage performances, from the "The Longest Day in Chang'an" theme block to the "Wind Rises in Luoyang" immersive full-sensory theater, technologies such as digital presentation and the combination of "virtual" and "reality" allow audiences to feel a greater sense of intimacy and realism.

Second, we will focus on upgrading public services. We will actively guide and support scientific and technological innovation projects, and increase technological research and market application of scientific and technological advances. From smart libraries and museums to smart scenic spots, new immersive experience spaces, and large-scale theme parks, information technologies have been increasingly applied in cultural and tourism scenarios. Nowadays, it has become the new norm for people to enjoy public cultural services online, including reading books, watching stage performances, viewing exhibitions, attending lectures and learning skills. In the increasing number of tourist spots, tourists can enjoy more convenient, colorful and cool services, such as automated entry, intelligent guides and immersive experiences.

Third, we will focus on the inheritance and protection of cultural heritage. New technologies will be applied in intangible cultural heritage projects involving ceramics, embroidery, lantern festivals, calligraphy and painting, enabling traditional intangible cultural heritage to shine. Cultural heritage has been brought to life and become popular in new ways, attracting more people, especially young people, to pay attention to and disseminate it, injecting new vitality into the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. The "Yongle Encyclopedia" high-definition image database restores the original appearance of the encyclopedia, turning the national treasure into a three-dimensional comic book, demonstrating the twists and turns of history with background animations and sound effects. Readers can enjoy the exquisite traditional paper craftsmanship and delicate calligraphy brushstrokes online and feel the beauty of Chinese culture.

Fourth, we will focus on market oversight and monitoring. By means of big data and artificial intelligence technology, we will strengthen intelligent screening and precision identification of violations of laws and regulations, so as to protect people's legitimate rights and interests in culture and tourism. We will boost the improvement of equipment and technologies in the industry and enhance the level of intelligent management, making efforts to ensure cultural and tourism facilities are more comfortable, cultural and tourism venues are safer, and the cultural and tourism market is more orderly. At the same time, through a series of standards, we will promote the standardized management of performance venues, stage equipment, tourist attractions and amusement facilities, so as to provide safe and secure services.

Next, we will continue to advance the development of innovation platforms and the cultivation of scientific and technological projects, speed up advancing the application of new technologies in the field of culture and tourism, actively support technological innovation focusing on the fields of service scenarios of digital culture and integration of culture and tourism, and cultivate new quality productive forces, so as to better support the high-quality development of culture and tourism. Thank you.

Beijing Youth Daily:

At present, young people are paying increasingly more attention to and are increasingly interested in intangible cultural heritage. What is your view on this situation? Also, what measures has the MCT taken to promote the systematic preservation of intangible cultural heritage and advance its role in enriching people's cultural lives? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

That is a very pertinent question. Intangible cultural heritage is closely related to young people. I would like to invite Mr. Chen to answer this question.

Chen Binbin:

Thank you for your question. As you said, intangible cultural heritage is becoming increasingly popular now. How can we interpret this situation? First, I would like to share some data. After years of hard work, China has basically established a system of intangible cultural heritage lists, covering national, provincial, municipal and county levels. A total of more than 100,000 representative intangible cultural heritage items and more than 90,000 representative inheritors have been identified, while 43 intangible cultural heritage items have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, ranking first in the world. China's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have introduced regulations on protecting intangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage is becoming an important part of a more beautiful life. There are three aspects that deserve attention:

First, we have continued to promote closer connection between intangible cultural heritage and daily life. During this year's Spring Festival, a topic generated heated discussion online, which was "the sense of occasion comes from intangible cultural heritage." A total of 45,400 intangible cultural heritage activities were held nationwide during the Spring Festival. The popularity has continued from the Spring Festival to today. For example, from Zibo barbecue to Tianshui spicy hot pot, and from Guangxi's snail noodles to Fujian's Shaxian snacks, food-related intangible cultural heritage has satisfied people's taste buds and warmed their hearts. In addition to food, people can also pursue intangible cultural heritage during their travels. Just now, Mr. Miao mentioned several things that people can travel to seek out. In fact, it has become a new norm in recent years for people to travel to seek out intangible cultural heritage, further releasing new consumption potential. For example, going to Qinhuai to experience the Lantern Festival, going to Quanzhou to try on head-pinned flowers, and going to Shexian county to play with fish-shaped lanterns. These places have been added to the lists of "must-visit" travel destinations by many young people. When the first season of "China in Intangible Cultural Heritage" aired, it achieved 710 million views, and reached more than 8 billion views online.

In addition to being beautiful and delicious and integrated into life, intangible cultural heritage can also truly serve social development and benefit people's livelihoods. We have set up over 9,100 intangible cultural heritage workshops in more than 60% of counties nationwide, that is, 1,721 counties, so that villagers can achieve flexible employment on their doorsteps. For example, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province launched a charity program themed "Helping Moms Find Jobs Near Home," which relies on Miao embroidery. One of the workshops is called "Qixiu Workshop." This intangible cultural heritage workshop has provided nearly 2,000 rural women with vocational skills training, enabling them to realize their simple dream of taking care of their children while embroidering flowers to support themselves and their families. In 2022, traditional tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in China were added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Among the 832 counties lifted out of poverty nationwide, more than 150 have taken the tea industry as one of the leading industries, with an annual output value of more than 100 billion yuan, leading a total of more than 2.6 million poor people out of poverty and toward prosperity.

The third point of intangible cultural heritage that deserves attention is its youthfulness. Although it is a cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage has now been accepted by more and more young people. For example, tai chi and baduanjin aerobics, which you're all familiar with, have both been taken as regimens to stay healthy by many young people. In the "Black Myth: Wukong" which is very popular this year, there is a northern Shaanxi folktale at the beginning of the game, which received tens of millions of views in two minutes. More and more young inheritors have entered the livestreaming room. According to our statistics, more than 99% of the 1,557 items of national intangible cultural heritage in China have relatively stable new media accounts and content. The youthfulness of intangible cultural heritage fully demonstrates the vitality of fine traditional Chinese culture. Intangible cultural heritage has also been connected with fashion. For example, gambiered Guangdong gauze, rattan weaving, velvet flower and other examples of national intangible cultural heritage have joined hands with international brands. A fashion show with the theme of Hainan's Li brocade also appeared at Paris Fashion Week in the past few days.

With the National Day holiday approaching, intangible cultural heritage themed activities will be held in various places for people to taste delicious food, have fun and create good experiences. For example, the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, the Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum have prepared intangible cultural heritage performances, food markets and academic research experiences for people. Tianjin will hold a joint exhibition of intangible cultural heritage from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and launch activities such as the Shehuo (a traditional carnival-like folk celebration) tour and the intangible cultural heritage shopping festival. Shanxi will organize several hundred intangible cultural heritage inheritors with noodle skills to make a single noodle together, demonstrating traditional noodle skills on the spot and offering free noodles for tourists to taste. You are all welcome to participate in our intangible cultural heritage themed activities during the National Day holiday. Thank you.

Jimu News:

In recent years, the cultural and tourism market has been "hot." However, we have also noticed that the cultural and tourism market has also seen some safety incidents, regulation violations and other problems. What measures have been taken to advance the development of the cultural and tourism market in a steady, secure and orderly way? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

We will have Mr. Ming Wenjun answer this question.

Ming Wenjun:

Thank you for your question. In recent years, the cultural and tourism market has been very hot, which is directly related to the people's sense of happiness and fulfilment. In the process of development, there are indeed some problems as you said, including some security risks, unreasonable low-cost tours and ticket scalping. We have attached great importance and paid much attention to these issues. In our work, we have followed three very important principles and have strived to take them as our ultimate objectives, ensuring that travel is safer, the market is more orderly and services are more convenient.

We have always given top priority to ensure safer travel. We have continued to improve the working mechanism for workplace safety and ensured that the primary responsibilities for workplace safety have been fulfilled. During important periods such as festivals and holidays, flood seasons and summer vacation, we have made arrangements for work to be done on the safety of the industry and have urged the industry to strengthen safety precautions. In addition, travel tips have been issued through multiple channels and by multiple means to enhance tourists' safety awareness. Some of the tips are very detailed. For example, we have worked with departments of public security and transport to regulate the use of passenger safety belts, as ensuring the safety of tourists' lives is our top concern. At the same time, we have worked with meteorological departments to launch meteorological warning services for tourism. During the summer vacation period this year, a total of 833,000 meteorological disaster warning messages were sent to 222,000 tourist groups, ensuring the travel safety of tourist groups.

We have always strived to ensure a more orderly market. In order to solve the problem of ticket scalping, we have worked with public security authorities to strengthen governance, implemented real-name ticket purchase and real-name admission for large-scale performances and have increased the proportion of tickets sold to the public for large-scale performances from 70% to 85%, increasing the supply of tickets. At the same time, we have strictly investigated illegal activities such as ticket information scalping and speculation, as well as protected the legitimate rights and interests of consumers in accordance with the law. In order to solve the problems of "unreasonable low-cost travel and unlicensed travel services," we have continued to carry out a series of special operations targeting these problems. Since the beginning of this year, more than 40,000 pieces of illegal online marketing information have been cleaned up. Over 2,200 cases have been investigated and prosecuted. Typical cases have been made public, deterring violations of laws and regulations. We have strengthened the development of the credit system, guided and urged all localities to strengthen the identification of non-credit-bearing subjects, which includes dishonest enterprises and individuals in the key supervision list, implemented more targeted regulations and have made those who have lose credibility pay the price.

More importantly, we have always kept in mind the objective to ensure easier access to government services. We have developed the "Cultural and Tourism Market Pass" APP, which makes government services more convenient. People can submit applications for and check the progress of high-frequency government service items anytime and anywhere. In order to enhance public satisfaction, we have also continued to improve the evaluation system for government services within the cultural and tourism market to enhance the quality of services. At the same time, we have regulated law enforcement and inspections involving enterprises, introduced the list of items, specified the standards for areas of discretion, guided the advancement of measures and methods, such as "the law-abiding are let be," "no punishment for a first offense" and "quick handling of simple cases," provided smooth channels for reports and complaints as well as have responded to public appeal in a timely manner.

Tomorrow is the National Day holiday. I would like to take this opportunity today and also invite friends from the media to jointly remind tourists to make reasonable arrangements with their itineraries, enhance safety awareness, take a prudent approach to choose low-cost tourism products with significantly lower prices than the cost, cautiously participate in high-risk projects and to not go to areas that are undeveloped, not open to the public and lack security. Thank you.

The Poster News APP:

Popular scenic spots around the country are currently attracting large numbers of tourists. It has become a new option for ordinary people to follow performances, movies and poems to travel. What measures have been taken to enrich the supply of tourism products and improve the management and services of scenic spots? Thank you.

Miao Muyang:

Just now, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Ming and Mr. Chen introduced that a show, a song, a drama or an intangible cultural heritage have become the reasons for travel and an important tourist attraction. This leads to the conclusion that tourism has become an important way of life, learning and growing. Based on the diverse, personalized and high-quality needs of the people, the MCT in recent years has done a series of tasks focusing on these aspects.

First, we have been dedicated to the development of top-notch scenic spots. Second, we have created cross-regional tourism products. Third, we have developed high-quality tourist routes.

In the process of developing top-notch scenic spots, we have enhanced the cultivation of leisure and vacation products such as resorts, leisure districts, and key villages and towns for rural tourism while increasing the supply of tourism offerings including A-level scenic spots and red tourist attractions. At the same time, we have given precedence to the launch of integrated experiences such as industrial tourism and sports tourism.

As of now, there are 15,700 A-level tourist attractions nationwide, among which 339 are 5A-level attractions. There are 300 classic red tourism scenic spots and nearly 900 national and provincial tourist resorts, with 85 at the national-level. Moreover, there are more than 700 national and provincial tourism and leisure districts, including 164 at the national level. Additionally, over 9,500 villages and towns have been designated as rural tourism destinations, with 1,597 recognized at the national level. Eight villages, including Yucun in Zhejiang and Xidi in Anhui, have been selected as "Best Tourism Villages" by the U.N. World Tourism Organization, ranking first in the world. Furthermore, there are 26 national ski tourism resorts, 22 national industrial tourism demonstration bases, 74 national sports tourism demonstration bases, and 42 new spaces for immersive smart tourism experiences.

With respect to the creation of cross-regional tourism products, we have promoted the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports, Culture, and Tourism Belt, the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, the Yangtze River International Golden Tourism Belt, and the Yellow River Culture and Tourism Belt. 

When it comes to the development of high-quality tourist routes, we have established a number of routes with prominent themes and distinctive features, launching diverse options focused on rural tourism, major national projects, food tourism, and self-driving tours. We released 14 eco-tourism routes in conjunction with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration yesterday, and we have launched 85 boutique national rural tourism routes. 

In the next phase, we will strive to promote the construction of world-class tourist attractions and resorts, intensify the development of high-level scenic spots and resorts, roll out several rural tourism clusters, create more cross-regional tourism products, and cultivate a number of renowned tourist counties.

Travelers currently face several difficulties and operational obstacles, such as complications in making reservations, difficulties in gaining entry to scenic spots, and challenges in processing payments. To address the issue of reservations, we have stipulated that tourist attractions operating below their maximum carrying capacity year-round do not require reservations. For those that do require reservations, we have guided scenic spots to reasonably establish and promote online and offline reservation channels for ticket purchases, simplify reservation procedures, and optimize reservation services. To tackle the difficulties in gaining admission to scenic spots, we have instructed tourist attractions to minimize the collection of personal information, comprehensively upgrade the online and offline identification systems for scenic spots, implement online reservations for ticket purchases and entry with vouchers, and continue to improve the compatibility and convenience of permanent residence permits for foreign nationals.

To address the payment difficulties faced by inbound tourists, we have vigorously promoted payment facilitation. We have pinpointed four types of tourist venues as key locations: national tourist attractions rated 4A and above, provincial-level tourist resorts, national tourism and leisure areas, and national key villages and towns for rural tourism. These venues are obligated to offer diversified payment services, including acceptance of foreign bank cards, QR code payments, and cash transactions. Currently, we remain committed to continuously guiding these four major types of key tourist venues in refining the reservation and verification procedures for foreigners' documents and payment methods, in a bid to optimize the payment environment for inbound tourism, enabling inbound tourists to enjoy a hassle-free travel experience in China.

At the same time, to facilitate inquiries from tourists, we have published information about 5A tourist attractions, national tourist resorts, and boutique rural tourism routes for all provinces and equivalent administrative divisions nationwide on the official website of the MCT.

Here, I would also like to ask all reporters to widely publicize the tourist information and travel routes available on the official website of the MCT.

Thank you.

United Daily News:

With regard to cross-Strait personnel exchanges, the Chinese mainland recently announced the resumption of applications for travel endorsements for Fujian residents to Matsu and Kinmen. According to previous statements from the MCT, group tours for Fujian residents to Taiwan island will not resume until direct sea passenger transport between Pingtan and Taiwan is reinstated. What is the current progress on this? What is the follow-up plan? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

Thank you for your question. We understand that some mainland residents have already started their trips to Matsu and Kinmen. Please also note that during the National Day holiday, Matsu and Kinmen are expected to experience a surge in tourism. We hope that mainland residents will soon be able to travel to Taiwan. Additionally, we hope that the Taiwan authorities will ensure the smooth progress of cross-Strait tourism and exchanges for the well-being of the people on both sides of the Strait. Thank you, and I wish you a happy National Day holiday!

Shou Xiaoli:

There are two reporters raising their hands. We'll take the last two questions, please.

China Daily:

In recent years, the intellectual and cultural demands of the people in urban and rural communities have been rising. What efforts have been made to enrich cultural products and services at the community level and improve the service quality? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

We will have Mr. Chen answer this question.

Chen Binbin:

Currently, going to cultural venues to enjoy performances, visit exhibitions and listen to lectures has become a prominent interest among the general public. Meeting these needs and expectations is a key focus of our public cultural services. We are making progress in this regard from the following three aspects:

First, we've made it more convenient for ordinary people to access cultural venues and enjoy a wider range of services. I wonder if you've noticed that in many cities, in addition to traditional museums, art galleries, libraries and other facilities, there are many new additions called "city studies" and "cultural stations." These new cultural spaces are scattered throughout the community. They may not be large but offer rich content, making it easy for ordinary people to read books and enjoy small exhibitions and performances. These small but beautiful spaces have been developing rapidly. As of the end of August this year, the total number reached 38,800, reflecting an increase of 5,000 compared to last year. In addition to opening more facilities, we've also promoted extended and staggered hours for public cultural facilities. After the pandemic, the National Library's opening hours were extended to 9 p.m. in the summer and 8 p.m. in the winter. Recently, you may have noticed that museums and other public cultural facilities in Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi'an and Guangzhou have also extended their hours to accommodate the large number of tourists during the National Day holiday. The quality of services has also improved continuously. Over the past two years, online data has shown that citizen night schools for the arts have emerged in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong and other regions, operated by public cultural institutions. There have been instances where 650,000 citizens scrambled for over 9,000 spots in these night schools, illustrating that studying art and recharging through night classes has become a way of life for many young people.

Second, we have organized a diverse range of cultural activities for people in villages and communities, focusing on their needs. Nowadays, people participating in cultural activities not only listen and watch but also want to sing and dance themselves, taking center stage. In recent years, we have continued to promote activities such as square dancing, choral singing and Spring Festival "village galas." On New Year's Day this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping praised the Spring Festival village galas, elevating them from a "small showcase" to a "diverse garden." In 2024 alone, there were 23,500 Spring Festival village galas, with nearly 100 million participants, greatly enriching rural cultural life and driving the development of rural tourism and industries. These activities are primarily organized by cultural and artistic groups that have formed spontaneously. As of this year, there are 460,000 registered groups, with many more unregistered. These cultural and artistic groups have become the main vehicles for mass cultural activities in our communities. This year, we will host a "Hundred-Group Art Show," featuring outstanding national mass cultural and artistic groups, which will encourage the participation of tens of thousands of groups.

Third, we have delivered high-quality resources at the community level through various public-benefit cultural projects. One of the biggest challenges in remote and impoverished areas is the lack of artistic talent. In recent years, the MCT has continued to promote the selection and dispatch of 187,000 professional cultural cadres and workers to community-level organizations, while also training 16,500 personnel for these cultural units. We have also actively promoted services for people with disabilities offered by public cultural institutions. For example, libraries at and above the county level nationwide have been required to provide services for blind readers. Currently, there are more than 35,000 reading seats designed for blind people and over 1.5 million Braille books available in libraries nationwide. To facilitate access for blind readers, libraries and relevant departments have collaborated to deliver Braille books directly to their homes and organize activities such as audio-described movies. They also provide intervention services for children with autism. Public cultural services aim to ensure that everyone in society feels a sense of warmth.

In the next step, we will further deepen reform across the board, open more cultural venues to the public, and bring additional cultural services closer to the people, continually addressing their ever-growing cultural needs. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

One last question, please.

Phoenix Satellite Television:

In recent years, the Chinese Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival have gained popularity in more countries. Recently, a series of policies have been introduced to facilitate exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals, and the inbound tourism market in the Chinese mainland continues to thrive. What work has the MCT made to promote international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation? Thank you.

Zhang Zheng:

Thank you for your question. I will address it. International exchanges and cooperation in culture and tourism are important avenues for promoting international people-to-people connections. We have earnestly implemented the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and made significant efforts to advance the integration and mutual promotion of inbound and outbound visits.

For example, we have showcased the unique charms of Chinese culture and deepened cultural exchanges with other countries. We will continue to explore the value and significance of typical symbols of Chinese culture, promoting deeper and more substantive progress in exchanges and cooperation. In 2024, we organized "Happy Spring Festival" celebrations with nearly 500 online and offline activities in various forms across more than 110 countries and regions, with the symbolic red of China illuminating landmarks worldwide and reaching nearly 40 million people. We also launched the "Lucky Rabbit" and "Lucky Dragon" mascots for the Happy Spring Festival, which have been well received by people around the globe. By focusing on Chinese cultural symbols such as opera, tea art, poetry, food, online literature, games, and traditional lifestyles, we have organized "Tea for Harmony" Yaji Cultural Salons in many locations worldwide, promoting the introduction of Chinese cultural products to the global market.

For example, we have made significant efforts to improve facilitation and accelerate the development of inbound tourism. This year, we have seen a rapid recovery and expansion in inbound tourism. From January to July, there were 17.254 million inbound trips made by foreigners, representing a year-on-year increase of 129.9%. The MCT has conducted a comprehensive study of the challenges faced by 31 provinces and equivalent administrative units, particularly in 76 key tourism cities, in developing inbound tourism. We have developed boutique inbound tourist routes, using major port cities as hubs and connecting them to node cities, fostering regional coordination among provinces and administrative units. By combining cities, tourist routes, and regions, we have gradually addressed obstacles and bottlenecks in the development of inbound tourism. In collaboration with relevant ministries and commissions, we have continued to optimize visa and customs clearance policies, accelerated the recovery of international flights, improved payment facilitation, and enhanced the quality of comprehensive services for inbound tourism. As a result, traveling to China is becoming increasingly popular around the world.

In the next step, led by the GCI, we will continue to strengthen the construction of intergovernmental cultural and tourism cooperation mechanisms, create high-quality signature events, enhance international industrial cooperation, accelerate the development of inbound tourism, and expand international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thanks to Mr. Zhang and all the speakers. I also appreciate the participation of our friends from the media. Today's briefing is hereby concluded. See you next time, and I wish you a happy National Day holiday.

Zhang Zheng:

Happy National Day holiday. Thank you.

Translated and edited by Xu Kailin, Huang Shan, Fan Junmei, Zhang Junmian, Ma Yujia, Wang Yanfang, Li Huiru, Jay Birbeck, David Ball and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.