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Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, has been selected as a City of Vitality in 2025, according to an index report recently released by China Newsweek, marking the fifth consecutive year that the city has earned the honor.
This year, Yangzhou has rolled out 22 measures to promote high-quality development of its cultural tourism industry, outlining specific tasks such as launching new activities, creating new formats, and developing new scenarios, significantly boosting the city's appeal and reputation.
The Zaolinwan Music Festival is packed with people. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
Throughout the year, the city, in partnership with counties under its jurisdiction, held more than 1,000 cultural tourism events, including rural tourism festivals, consumption carnivals, and food bazaars. It also hosted 21 large-scale music events such as the Zaolinwan Music Festival.
Large swathes of sunflower fields stretch alongside Gaoyou Lake. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
The city has launched new cruise and water sightseeing routes, such as a journey sailing through seas of sunflowers along Gaoyou Lake and a night tour of Baozhang Lake. During important events like the Jiangsu Football City League, drone light shows were staged over local classical scenic spots, including Mingyue Lake and the Slender West Lake.
A VR theater inspired by Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2: To the West, a popular iQIYI production. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
The city has created immersive venues that combine technology and cultural tourism, such as an immersive virtual reality (VR) theater inspired by the hit series Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2: To the West produced by iQIYI, a major online streaming site in China.
In the future, Yangzhou will continue to experiment with new business models in the cultural tourism sector. This will elevate the city's tourism capabilities, expand its cultural tourism consumption market, and further build itself as an international cultural tourism destination.
