The 13th Ningde World Geopark Cultural Tourism Festival Invites You to Enjoy the Wonders of Mountains and Seas

The 13th Ningde World Geopark Cultural Tourism Festival Invites You to Enjoy the Wonders of Mountains and Seas

From August 23 to 26, the 13th Ningde World Geopark Cultural Tourism Festival will be held in Zhouning County, Ningde City, Fujian Province. The festival aims to create momentum, gather people, and promote tourism, further stimulating the high-quality development of the cultural and tourism economy.

Lei Wen, Deputy Director of the Ningde Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, stated that after 12 years of development, the brand awareness and influence of the Ningde World Geopark Cultural Tourism Festival have continuously improved. It has become a major IP for showcasing Ningde’s cultural and tourism brand image, a significant engine for promoting cultural and tourism consumption, and a major platform for expanding foreign exchanges.

The main activities of this year’s cultural tourism festival include four major sections: the immersive “Night Tour of Liyu Creek” experience and opening ceremony, a cultural and tourism investment promotion conference, the “Natural Air Conditioning City · Cool Zhouning” lifestyle experience, and the volcano geopark exchange meeting. Through a series of diverse activities such as live tourism performances, street parades, investment promotion, cultural performances, academic exchanges, and specialty product exhibitions, the festival will offer a feast of cultural and tourism experiences for tourists, creating new experiences in leisure, entertainment, and shopping, and providing new opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit.

The event highlights four major aspects. First, it gathers experts, deeply connecting with expert organizations such as the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council and the National Geopark Network Office, as well as key industry organizations such as the International Tourism Studies Association, China Tourism Association, China Photographers Association, China Artists Association, China Chamber of Tourism, Australia Fujian Entrepreneurs Association Inc., and New Zealand Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. Leading domestic cultural and tourism enterprises and OTA platforms such as China Tourism Group, Ctrip Group, and ByteDance Group, as well as well-known cultural tourism bloggers and representatives of key source market travel agencies will gather in Zhouning, bringing together wisdom, experience, and resource advantages from all parties. Second, new products will be launched. From the Cultural Tourism Festival to the National Day Golden Week, over 130 special themed activities will be organized to attract tourists to experience the diverse beauty of Ningde. Third, it showcases achievements. 16 key projects will participate in the signing ceremony, with a total investment of 1.288 billion yuan, covering areas such as scenic area operations, cultural tourism complexes, study tours, health tourism, and water sports. Fourth, it facilitates precise matchmaking, taking this festival as an opportunity to engage in in-depth exchanges and interactions with leading enterprises, important investors, and key travel agencies, striving for new breakthroughs in talent recruitment, investment attraction, and market expansion.

Zhouning County, the host of this year’s cultural tourism festival, is known as the “City in the Clouds.” The county has an average altitude of 800 meters, a forest coverage rate of 72.96%, and air quality that consistently meets the national first-class standard. The average daily temperature in midsummer is only 24°C. It has been rated as a national ecological civilization construction demonstration area, a Chinese natural oxygen bar, and a national summer tourism destination.

Within its borders, Zhouning has the Jiulong Waterfall · Liyu Stream, which is a national-level scenic spot, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, and the core area of Ningde World Geopark. It also boasts four national AAA-level tourist attractions: Chenqiao, Sujiashan, Yunmen, and Shimenshan · Louping. Additionally, there are 56 rural tourism spots, including the provincial-level forest park Xianfengshan, “East China’s Highest Mountain Lake” Qinshan Lake, “Fujian’s Premier Scenic Spot” Dishuiyan, the “Thousand-Year-Old Temple” Lingfeng Temple, and the “Sacred Place for Wish-Making” Fangguang Temple.   

Lin Yiji, Deputy County Governor of Zhouning, stated that this cultural tourism festival will be a new starting point to accelerate the creation of a nationally renowned summer health tourism destination and strive to be a pioneer in the development of mountainous counties.

Located in northeastern Fujian, Ningde City boasts the Ningde World Geopark, the largest She ethnic group settlement in the country, the hometown of the world’s wooden arch bridges, the birthplace of white tea, and the capital of Chinese black tea. It is a coastal vacation and ecological tourism destination in southeastern China.

Ningde’s mountains and rivers are renowned for their beauty. The city currently has one world geopark, two 5A-level scenic spots, four 4A-level scenic spots, and 38 3A-level scenic spots. These include the shallow water plaza of “Baishuiyang” for wading and playing, the “Hundred Mile Gallery” of Huotong Creek with its ancient town charm amidst green mountains and clear waters, the magnificent “Jiulongji” waterfall, and the lush “Yuanyang Grassland.”

Ningde’s cultural heritage is rich and distinctive. The city has four world-class intangible cultural heritage projects, 23 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, 84 provincial-level projects, and 224 municipal-level projects. These include the traditional construction techniques of Chinese wooden arch bridges, showcasing the elegance of the Northern Song Dynasty, the water-tight compartment construction techniques of Fuzhou ships, demonstrating the maritime wisdom of the ancients, and the artistic charm of Zherong paper-cutting.

Ningde’s cuisine is delicious and diverse. The city is known as the “Hometown of Large Yellow Croaker,” “Capital of Edible Fungi,” “Hometown of Chinese Laver,” “Hometown of Chinese Kelp,” and “Southern China’s Grape Hometown.” The endless array of delicious delicacies makes every trip to Ningde a journey of tasting the best of mountains and seas, with the fragrance of fruits and vegetables.

Lei Wen said that all efforts will be made to prepare and organize the event to ensure it is distinctive and effective. They also welcome people from all walks of life to visit Ningde for tourism and investment, to share a better life and win a future of development together. (By Lin Rongsheng)

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