Located in the downtown area of Shenyang city, Shenhe district will accelerate its construction as a regional cultural and creative center in the years to come and develop into a highland of culture-related industries, local officials said.
"Based on the historical and cultural resources of Shenyang, we will make greater efforts to build more national 5A locations, China's highest level of cultural tourist attractions, and develop Shenhe into a Chinese cultural landmark and an international cultural tourism destination," Lin Yuhang, Party secretary of Shenhe, said at a news conference held in November.
Zhang Jun, general manager of a Shenyang-based cultural tourism company, said Shenhe's goal of becoming a cultural landmark and an international cultural tourism destination is put forward on the basis of fully exploring the historical and cultural advantages of the district. It will play an important role in promoting the high-quality development of Shenyang.
With a history of more than 2,300 years, Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province in Northeast China, is the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and Shenhe is home to more than 65 percent of the city's historical and cultural sites.
By taking the opportunity of building Shenyang into a national central city, Shenhe has planned a series of measures related to the cultural industry, as part of its efforts to seek new regional development forces.
The district will build four or five cultural export industrial parks, cultivate a number of cultural enterprises with strong international competitiveness, and form a group of culture trading platforms with influence on the global stage.
"We want to introduce more excellent cultural products with Chinese characteristics and Liaoning elements to the world," Lin said.
Shenhe also strives to promote the integrated development of culture with finance, tourism, commerce and technology. "We will pour more resources into developing the first store economy, night economy and cross-border e-commerce, and constantly promote consumption upgrading," Lin said.
For example, the district launched a night economy event in June 2021, and has upgraded two night markets into cultural venues. Its thriving night economy has helped demonstrate the city's charm, spur the local economy and stimulate residents' consumption needs in recent years.
Moreover, Shenhe will establish a digital cultural and creative industrial zone and a modern business center in Northeast China, in a bid to provide strong support for Shenyang to grow into an international consumption center city, he added.
In 2025, the total operating revenue of the cultural industry in Shenhe is expected to account for more than 7 percent of the district's GDP.
Models showcase traditional Chinese dresses at a fashion show during the Shenyang Cheongsam Culture Festival in the city's Shenhe district in August. CHINA DAILY
