Shanxi Tourism "DOU Out of Shanxi" — Mount Wutai Becomes the Hottest Attraction in Shanxi

On September 20, the "DOU Out of Shanxi" Shanxi Tourism Data Release Conference was grandly held in Taiyuan. Li Gui, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Tang Xueshu, General Manager of the Regional Channel at ByteDance’s marketing service brand Juliang Engine (Julang Engine), and other relevant officials attended the conference.Together, they released Shanxi tourism data and signed a strategic cooperation agreement for brand promotion. The conference was jointly organized by the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Juliang Engine (a marketing service brand under ByteDance), and hosted by Taiyuan Jinhonghua Advertising Co., Ltd.

Based on the two major platforms under ByteDance — "Today's Headlines" and "Douyin Short Video" — the event conducted an in-depth analysis of Shanxi’s cultural and tourism market from aspects such as overall tourism popularity, rankings of tourist destinations, and rankings of food and specialties.

Tang Xueshu, General Manager of the Regional Channel at Juliang Engine, delivered the opening speech.He stated that whether on Today's Headlines or Douyin Short Video, Shanxi has always been a highly popular and distinctive province. On Today's Headlines, the super topic launched by the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, titled "Ancient Chinese Civilization, Beautiful Scenery of Shanxi," surpassed one million reads within just one week of its launch, attracting numerous participants. As of August this year, the hashtag #Shanxi on Douyin Short Video has reached 2.85 billion views, covering various types such as local cuisine, scenic spots, and city images. The entertaining and fragmented nature of short videos, along with users' mobile usage habits, has given city image promotion a whole new approach. Douyin Short Video will bring more ideas on "how to showcase the beautiful scenery of Shanxi."

Li Gui, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said at the conference that in recent years, new media, with its powerful internet connectivity, approachable tone, and easy-to-understand language, has gained widespread popularity. Shanxi, with its long history and splendid culture, is a province rich in cultural and tourism resources. But "even good wine fears a deep alley." We will make full use of new media platforms such as Today's Headlines and Douyin Short Video to promote Shanxi’s cultural tourism resources, routes, products, and cultural tourism festival events, showcasing the new image of Shanxi’s integrated development of culture and tourism.

Currently, China has entered the era of mass tourism, and tourists’ demands for the quality of tourism products and services are also increasing. Li Gui emphasized that "golden plaques and silver plaques are not as good as the praise of the people."

A-level tourist attractions, star-rated hotels, and travel agencies, as key players in the tourism market, should focus on improving quality as their core mission. Following the six-character principle of "Safety, Smoothness, Sincerity, Uniqueness, Needs, and Delight," they should benchmark against top international and domestic standards, comprehensively enhance service quality and standards, provide tourists visiting Shanxi with a comfortable and enjoyable environment, win the favor of both domestic and international tourists with a good reputation, and contribute to building a distinctive and charming strong province for cultural tourism.

In recent years, Shanxi Province has been fully committed to building cultural tourism as a strategic pillar industry, forging three major tourism sectors — the Yellow River, the Great Wall, and the Taihang Mountains — comprehensively upgrading the quality of tourist attractions, promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism, and leveraging world cultural heritage resources such as Mount Wutai, the Ancient City of Pingyao, and the Yungang Grottoes to strive to create internationally renowned and domestically first-class tourist destinations.

Officials from Juliang Engine shared that Shanxi is rich in historical and cultural tourism resources."The soul of the Yellow River lies in Shanxi, the grand view of the Great Wall is in Shanxi, and the magnificent beauty of the Taihang Mountains is in Shanxi." The long-standing and unique culture has enabled Shanxi’s tourism industry to shine brilliantly in the context of integrated culture and tourism.

Leveraging the large user base of Today's Headlines and Douyin Short Video, the "DOU Out of Shanxi" Shanxi Tourism Data Release Conference interpreted Shanxi tourism from multiple dimensions such as culture, tourism, food, and entertainment, providing a comprehensive depiction and outline of Shanxi tourism. It showcased both the major highlights and the smaller stories of Shanxi tourism, offering insights into the development trends of Shanxi tourism. At the same time, the conference also focused on Shanxi’s new marketing methods in the mobile internet era, exploring how personalized and precise positioning can accelerate the development of all-for-one tourism in Shanxi. The main aspects include:

The Most Popular Shanxi Tourist Attractions Among National Users

Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, known as the "Cradle of Chinese Civilization" and often referred to as the "Museum of Ancient Chinese Culture." So, in this vibrant province rich in historical and humanistic heritage, which attraction is most popular among netizens nationwide? In the national Top 10 ranking of the "hottest" Shanxi attractions, traditional and well-known sites related to history and culture remain the focus of attention. Mount Wutai ranks first, followed by the Qiao Family Courtyard and Yanmen Pass in second and third place, respectively. Other attractions in the list include the Guan Yu Temple, Hukou Waterfall, the Ancient City of Pingyao, the Yungang Grottoes, the Jin Temple, the Wang Family Courtyard, and Mianshan.

The Most Loved Shanxi Dishes Among National Users

Food always goes hand in hand with scenery. On the Today's Headlines platform, it was found that among the Shanxi noodles most focused on by netizens nationwide, Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles, Shanxi Pull Noodles, and Shanxi Braised Noodles rank in the top three. Among Shanxi dishes favored more by locals, Shanxi Tou Nao (a traditional breakfast dish), Knife-Cut Noodles, and Pull Noodles are the most popular. Shanxi, as the hometown of Chinese noodles, truly lives up to its reputation. Meanwhile, among the Shanxi specialties that national users are most eager to buy, Shanxi Fenjiu Liquor, Shanxi Mature Vinegar, and Pingyao Beef are leading the way.

The Most Noted Shanxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Skills Among National Users

Shanxi’s intangible cultural heritage is well-known nationwide. The integration of tourism and "intangible cultural heritage" has made the preservation of these traditions more dynamic and has infused tourism with greater vitality. Among the Shanxi intangible cultural heritage skills most noted by national users, Shanxi Opera (Jin Opera) ranks first, followed by Pu Opera and Shangdang Bangzi. Other widely noted traditions include Folk Community Fire Performances, Shangdang Bayin Music, Jiangzhou Drum Music, Hequ Folk Songs, Zhongyang Paper-cutting, Xinghua Village Fenjiu Brewing Techniques, and Yicheng Flower Drum. Shanxi’s intangible cultural heritage is gradually gaining recognition across the country.

The Most Favorite Local Trips for Shanxi Users

Moreover, according to data from Today's Headlines, Shanxi users enjoy local trips, with the most focused-on provinces being Beijing, Henan, and Hebei. So, which areas in Shanxi have users who pay more attention to travel-related information? The answer is Taiyuan, Yuncheng, and Changzhi. Users can learn more about fresh travel information from across the country through Today's Headlines and Douyin Short Video, laying a solid foundation for their future travel plans.

To help national users better understand and visit Shanxi, and to promote the high-quality development of Shanxi’s culture and tourism industry, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Through their platforms — Today's Headlines and Douyin Short Video — they aim to further introduce Shanxi to the people of the nation, allowing everyone to fully appreciate the "Ancient Chinese Civilization   Beautiful Scenery of Shanxi."