The First Chu Culture Festival that was just closed presented the Chu culture to the world, as well as promoted the building of a demonstration zone for high-quality development in the Jianghan Plain.

The First Chu Culture Festival successfully helped the city thrive! The opening ceremony, the Chinese Film Big Data Ceremony, the International Academic Symposium on the Chu Culture, the Chu Business Fair & Signing Ceremony for Major Investment Projects, and the Inheritance and Development Forum on the Chu Culture attracted much spotlight from across the city, Hubei Province and even the country. The city’s profound history and distinctive folk culture garnered broad expectations and spotlight for the festival from the Internet to the street.

Zhang Weiping, a distinguished research fellow at the Chu Culture Research Institute, Yangtze University, said, “The festival is very important to shape the city's brand, promote investment, and flourish the city's tourism and culture.”

Holding the Chu Culture Festival is a key measure to learn and explore the Chu culture, and promote and pass down its line in Jingzhou. More importantly, it is also a great opportunity to speed up the city’s economic and social development. Experts and scholars from home and abroad came together to discuss the origin and evolution of the Chu culture as well as the plan for its development in the 5th International Academic Symposium on the Chu Culture and the Inheritance and Development Forum on the Chu Culture; the “Cultural Sphere of China” Education Center for Art and Film Town project with an investment of RMB5 billion was allocated to the Jinan Cultural Tourism Zone, with the aim to make Jingzhou a top-notch demonstration city for cultural tourism with international influence; 64 key projects with an investment of more than RMB500 million for each (RMB129.73 billion in total) were introduced to Jingzhou in the Chu Business Fair & Signing Ceremony for Major Investment Projects. Such dramatic increase reflected the rapid rise of Jingzhou.

Zhou Quanqing, Vice Chairman of the Chinese and Foreign Entrepreneurs Branch and President of the New Zealand Sub-branch, said: “I'm from Jingzhou, and I want to make its profound culture known worldwide. I want to make global entrepreneurs learn about Jingzhou, and make it their top option. I also want them to become the city's contributors and investors.”

Xu Wenwu, Executive Dean of the Chu Culture Research Institute at Yangtze University, pointed out:“One purpose of the Chu Culture Festival is to create a festival for citizens to make them learn more about Jingzhou’s culture and their hometown. It is of considerable benefit to the city’s cultural tourism and economic development.”

Jingzhou is currently in a critical period where development is sped up. Last year, both its GDP and total industrial production overreached RMB300 billion. In the first quarter of this year, a series of key projects were launched, including 223 projects with an investment of more than RMB100 million for each (RMB113 billion in total), and 750 new projects assured to be launched this year with an investment of more than RMB100 million for each. This laid a solid foundation for the construction of demonstration and pilot zones. Moreover, there was plenty of good news. Jianghan New Materials went public. Several construction projects such as Jingzhou’s New Living Room and Guanju New Area ran in full swing. Jingzhou had seven pocket parks on the list of the most beautiful parks of Hubei, topping other prefectures/cities in Hubei... Now it is time to leverage opportunities created by the festival. The development of Jingzhou is closely related to every citizen. Based on the Chu Cultural Festival, there should be efforts to bolster economic development through cultural promotion, establish partnerships with other cities, and deliver benefits to citizens.

Li Zhengyu, Deputy Dean and Professor of the School of Humanities and New Media, Yangtze University, said, “Holding the First Chu Culture Festival is an important campaign to enhance their awareness of and confidence in the Chu Culture in Jingzhou, and pass down and disseminate it; it is a crucial measure to construct the demonstration zone for the protection and development of the Chu culture in Jingzhou and boost brand awareness for it; and it is also a key platform to advertise the city and boost the opening up of its economy and cooperation with other cities. The festival will better empower Jingzhou to establish a demonstration zone for high-quality development in the Jianghan Plain, as well as a national pilot zone for a new development pattern.”