Culture key to vitalizing rural areas

Upgraded intangible heritage system to help drive tourism, preservation

China has been working on improving its intangible cultural heritage system as it is integrated into tourism to stimulate preservation.

Since a guideline was released in August by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, efforts have been stepped up to protect, spread and popularize intangible cultural heritage, including through government funds for its preservation, reduced interest on loans and tax incentives.

"It was a substantial protective policy, and many vocational schools now offer training classes for intangible cultural heritage skills," said Tian Jing, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and an inheritor of the national intangible culture heritage of "purple pottery firing "from Jianshui county, Yunnan province.

Jianshui's purple pottery is made from the local "five-color "clay, and flourished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

At last year's two sessions－when China's top legislative and political advisory bodies meet－Tian proposed increasing the number of intangible cultural heritage teachers at medium-level vocational schools in areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups and building national intangible cultural heritage digital museums.

"Both proposals have made advancements," Tian said.

Tian, 45, established a purple pottery learning center in 2018, when a national guideline was issued to support the founding of intangible cultural heritage workshops to create jobs and teach traditional art skills to people who were overcoming poverty. The center has trained more than 100 women in rural areas in the craft, which Tian has been studying since she was 17 years old.

More than 40,000 people in Jianshui county are involved in the purple pottery industry, which had an output value of more than 4 billion yuan ($631 million) last year.

"Intangible cultural heritage can lend support to rural vitalization by having young people return home to pick up a traditional skill, thus increasing job and entrepreneurship opportunities," Tian said.

In December, the ministries of culture and tourism, human resources and social security, and the National Rural Revitalization Administration issued a notice saying they would continue advancing the development of intangible cultural heritage workshops to strengthen cultural protection and increase employment opportunities and rural incomes.

In June, a law took effect to promote a national rural vitalization strategy, and tourism operators have made inroads in rural development, both of which have increasingly helped improve villagers' lives.

The law features provisions ranging from attracting talent to boosting rural industries and preserving the natural environment.

Liang Jianzhang, co-founder of online travel agency Trip.com, said opportunities for homestay development lie in rural areas.

"Last year marked the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), and the rural vitalization strategic position is becoming increasingly prominent," Liang said. "I believe rural tourism will be a golden key to rural vitalization."

Since March, the travel agency has developed eight rural retreats: in Anhui, Henan, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces, and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The first one, in Dawan, a village in Anhui province, opened on July 3, and the rural resorts were popular among travelers during October's National Day holiday.

The rural retreats are part of Trip.com's plan to set up a 1 billion yuan fund to build model destinations in rural China.

One hundred tourism villages and a rural tourism staff of 10,000 will be developed in the next five years, according to Trip.com.

Modern agricultural exhibitions and rural food appreciation events are expected to draw many visitors, experts said.

The lively and popular activities will stimulate the passions of farmers and residents, said Ma Youxiang, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs.

Li Yingqing contributed to this story.