During a recent visit to Jingzhou, Ying Yong, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, stressed that Jingzhou should strengthen ancient city protection, preserve its historical and cultural relics, and extend its cultural tourism chain, so as to attract more tourists to travel in Jingzhou Ancient City and experience the charm of Jingchu. With focus on promoting the high-quality development of cultural tourism, Jingzhou will accelerate the construction of major tourism projects, relieve the nonessential functions of the ancient city and improve the development level of all-for-one tourism, so as to enhance the appeal of Jingzhou.

Jingzhou, the root of Jingchu culture, boasts a long history, brilliant culture and profound heritage. Jingzhou started as one of the nine ancient prefectures during the reign of King Yu. 20 Chu kings took Jingzhou as the capital of Chu State for up to 411 years. Chu State was ranked among the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period" and the "Seven Powers in the Warring State Period", creating Chu culture comparable to Athenian culture in ancient Greece!

Retaining the root of culture, keeping the soul of the nation. Jingzhou is shouldering the heavy mission of preserving and inheriting, promoting and renovating, exploring and demonstrating Chu culture. In Ji'nan Eco-Culture & Tourism Area, the main front for the development of Jingzhou's cultural tourism, a number of projects like Palace of King of Chu and Jingchu Grand View Garden have broken ground. Jingzhou has attracted flocks of tourists from inside and outside Hubei by major cultural tourism projects. Now key cultural tourism projects such as Huaqiang "Road to Revival" Patriotic Education Base are being advanced in an accelerated manner. 

Ying called for efforts to strengthen ancient city protection to preserve its historical and cultural relics. Well preserving ancient city resources and inheriting Jingchu culture is the obligatory responsibility of Jingzhou. Jingzhou has released documents such as Jingzhou's Plan for Protecting the Historical and Cultural City, Jingzhou's Overall Plan for Preserving City Wall Relics, Jingzhou's Plan for Ancient City Protection and Use, and Jingzhou's Plan for Population Dispersion in the Ancient City. Meanwhile, Jingzhou has released Jingzhou's Regulations on Ancient City Protection, Hubei's first local regulation on ancient city protection. Besides, Jingzhou has made great efforts to relieve the nonessential functions of the ancient city to shore up the foundation for its protective development.

Thanks to protection efforts, Jingzhou Ancient City has become increasingly appealing. During this year's May Day holiday, Jingzhou Ancient City Historical & Cultural Tourism Area received 72,700 tourists, generating revenues of 46.41 million yuan, achieving a record reception volume and record comprehensive revenues.

In recent years, Jingzhou has taken "cultural inheritance and tourism development" as the sustained basis for the strategy of "four-wheel drive and two-flank support", fully leveraged the advantage of unique resources such as Chu culture, Three Kingdoms culture, Yangtze culture and red culture, and vigorously promoted the high-quality development of cultural tourism, so as to persistently boost the tourism market. Ying called for efforts to extend its cultural tourism chain, to promote the high-quality development of cultural tourism. Jingzhou will accelerate the formation of a new tourism development pattern centered on the Chu culture demonstration zone of Ji'nan Eco-Culture & Tourism Area and the historical & cultural tourism area of Jingzhou Ancient City, supported by eco-tours of Honghu and Songzi, featuring tours of revolutionary sites in Qujiawan and Zhoulaozui, and connected by Long Rural Gallery in Jingzhou District, Taohua Mountain in Shishou and other rural attractions, so as to improve the quality and benefit of culture & tourism consumption, maintain the momentum of Jingzhou's tourism and promote the high-quality development of Jingzhou's cultural tourism.