Annual work meeting of the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project held in Beijing

On January 24–25, 2019, the annual work meeting of the “China Culture & Tourism Construction Project” by the Art Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was held in Beijing. The two-day meeting included the “China Culture & Tourism” Expert Think Tank Seminar, symposiums with ministry-affiliated system partners, and working exchanges with related cooperative enterprises. Discussions mainly focused on the 2018 annual work summary of the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project, the 2019 work plan and proposed key projects, plans for cross-industry think tank construction, and preparations for the establishment of the Yizhuang Cultural Economy Institute.

The “China Culture & Tourism Construction Project” was approved for financial funding by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2017. Based on national strategic deployments, it aims to tap cultural resources, unlock humanistic dividends, tell China’s stories well, and empower culture and allocate resources to transform cultural assets into core industrial competitiveness. It promotes supply-side reform in culture and tourism, fosters new consumption in these sectors, spurs new ecosystems in the cultural industry, and creates better lives.

The expert think tank is tasked with sorting out the theoretical frameworks for cultural-tourism integration and cross-sector “culture+” industries under the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project, as well as researching cross-industry development topics. By integrating theory, models, and industry practices, it seeks to drive market transformation. Using methods of collaborative innovation and theoretical research as a foundation, it supports industrial integration and development. Experts invited to the meeting included: Che Shujian, Counselor of the State Council and Chairman of the Architectural Society of China; Zhang Xiaoming, Deputy Director of the Cultural Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and doctoral supervisor at the Communication University of China; Yang Tao, Assistant Director and doctoral supervisor at the Financial Research Institute; Jin Zhun, researcher at the Tourism Research Center; Zhang Hongyu, Vice President of the China Rural Research Institute at Tsinghua University and former Director of the Department of Rural Economy at the Ministry of Agriculture; Chen Shaofeng, Deputy Director of the Peking University Cultural Industry Research Institute and doctoral supervisor; Wei Pengju, Dean of the Cultural Economy Research Institute at Central University of Finance and Economics; Li Xinjian, Dean of the School of Tourism Management at Beijing International Studies University; Guo Wanchao, Director of the Beijing Cultural and Creative Industry Research Center and researcher; Song Ziqian, researcher at the China Tourism Academy; and Xiao Jianyong, Deputy Director of the Cultural Tourism Research Base. Offline, Li Fengliang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee at Southern University of Science and Technology and Dean of the Cultural Industry Research Institute at Shenzhen University, also had a special exchange with attendees on the integration of culture and technology, and digital creative industries. Each expert provided in-depth analysis and discussion from their respective fields, covering policy theory, industry status, professional experience, and approaches to cross-sector integration.

From the perspectives of industry status and professional experience, experts discussed the construction of the cross-sector think tank. Zhang Xiaoming, an expert from the Central Cultural Assets Administration Office and researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, suggested that the think tank’s work could start in four areas: first, supporting national strategy and policy research activities; second, developing projects with clear sub-sector positioning—for example, approaching cultural technology from a technical angle and collaborating with top universities in the field; third, ensuring that innovative projects under the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project fully consider local realities and integrate with local cultural and consumer characteristics; fourth, organizing seminars for the public and industry professionals to enhance internal talent development and deliver external briefings on trends and special topics. Zhang Hongyu of Tsinghua University believed that the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project should consider urban-rural integrated development, focus on synergies between cities and rural areas, explore experiences to eliminate the urban-rural dual-system institutional conflicts, build sound platforms, comprehensively analyze its own advantages, set goal plans, and lay a research foundation for industrial implementation in sightseeing agriculture and leisure tourism. Chen Shaofeng of Peking University stated that culture-tourism projects should prioritize content, requiring planning across entire processes and industry chains, as well as providing pilot opportunities for experts to be involved throughout. Each expert explored multiple pathways for the methodology and mechanisms of the think tank’s operations.

In discussions with partners from various ministries and systems, responsible officials from the Urban and Small Town Reform and Development Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Asset Management Association of China, and the China General Chamber of Commerce addressed themes such as cooperation mechanisms and key projects. They reviewed aspects including urban (rural) development, private equity funds, commerce, and consumption, and discussed specific cooperation contents and methods, offering cross-industry support for the construction of “China Culture & Tourism.”

During talks with enterprise partners, over ten companies—including Beijing Yizhuang Holding Investment Co., Ltd.—exchanged views on 2019 work plans, division of responsibilities, and cooperation mechanisms. They also discussed the annual key projects of the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project and the preparatory work for the Yizhuang Cultural Economy Institute, analyzing pathways and arranging tasks to further deepen collaboration.

Kong, Deputy Director of the Art Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and head of the China Culture & Tourism Construction Project