Campaign launched in Beijing to promote Xinjiang's Aksu

For most people, they may have not visited the Aksu prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region yet, but they probably have enjoyed the famous "crystal sugar heart" Aksu apples with a highly sugary translucent core.

The days of Aksu's fame resting solely on its sweet apples will be numbered because a melange of short videos will hit various platforms to showcase its charm and resonate with a wide audience.

A short video creation and communication campaign themed on "Xinjiang Tour·Enter Aksu" kicked off on Wednesday in Beijing, intending to invite young short video creators from home and abroad to visit Aksu and share, through their lenses, their own experiences and perspectives on the prefecture.

Video content will be created to display Aksu's culture, history, food, scenery, industry development, and afforestation efforts, according to the organizers.

Located in the southwest portion of Xinjiang, Aksu sits at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, boasting diverse amazing landscapes including deserts, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and grasslands. The Mystic Grand Canyon of the Tianshan Mountains with reddish-brown cliffs and the glaciers covering the Tumur Peak are highlights.

Aksu is also home to a medley of cultural sites about the lost Qiuci Ancient Kingdom, which was an important kingdom on the ancient Silk Road and the junction of Chinese and Western cultures. Qiuci people mostly were faithful Buddhists and good at music and dancing. Today, visitors can find exquisite Buddha statues and murals in the Thousand Buddha Caves of Kizil and Thousand Buddha Caves of Kumtura.

A university youth creation camp featuring eight top universities in Beijing and Macao, and an all-media communication alliance comprised of TV stations, news agencies, and video streaming platforms, were launched during the event, to support Aksu-themed short video making and promotion.

"In April and May, we will invite scholars and experts to discuss and research short video stories and topics. In June and July, three batches of creators will be invited to Aksu to shoot videos, which will be published through their own social media channels," Zhang Yanli, deputy executive director of Beijing New Viewpoint Center for Radio and Television Program Production and Information, one of the campaign's organizers, told China Daily website.

"In September and October, we will evaluate and award standout content, which will be further promoted on different platforms through the all-media communication alliance," he added.

The campaign is organized within the framework of "Understanding China: New Youth Looking At China", initiated by the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy.