GBA goes all out to make itself a cultural tourism magnet

The Greater Bay Area is going all out to make itself a cultural magnet for an evolving breed of travelers who are not satisfied with unrivaled sights, bustling nightlife or pristine beaches. As Zhou Mo reports, the goal is to make the region a unified tourism brand.

Baishi and Binri villages in Zhaoqing city, Guangdong province, were bathed in festivity on May 5 — the eighth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar — as a grand feast got underway.

The thunderous beating of gongs and drums filled the air amid dragon and lion dances in perfect sync. Surrounded by flag-bearers elegantly waving red flags, four men carried the statue of Wu Ding — a legendary figure regarded as the founding ancestor of stone carving in the Duan inkstone industry — to the heart of the celebrations.

Duan inkstone-carving masters who inherited the craftsmanship, and cultural researchers took center stage, bowing before the statue to pay their respects.

Their apprentices served them tea as a gesture of respect and commitment to their studies. The annual Wu Ding Festival — an intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong — has been passed down for generations, with Zhaoqing making every effort to promote the tradition and cultural tourism.

Combining tourism and local culture is a sign of the times, reflecting the province's relentless efforts to take the travel business to greater heights. Travelers aren't content with a superficial visit to a city to take in the sights, but are delving into deeper links, wanting to experience a place's culture and the daily lives of its people.

The Guangdong authorities introduced measures this year to improve the quality of tourism and accelerate the construction of a strong tourism venue through deeper integration of culture and travel.