Retracing G318 to Build a National Highway
The 2017 China Auto Culture Official Roadshow Arrives in Chengdu
On March 27, the fleet of the 2017 China Auto Culture Official Roadshow arrived in Chengdu, marking a new phase in the promotional investigation aimed at establishing National Highway 318 as the country’s first self-driving tourism industry economic belt.
National Highway 318, running parallel to the 30th parallel north, starts from People’s Square in Shanghai, passes through Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan, begins its most scenic section — the Sichuan-Tibet Highway — via Chengdu, and ends at the Zhangmu Port in Tibet. Stretching 5,476 kilometers, it is currently the longest highway in China. It is a grand landscape painting painted by nature for the Chinese people, a cultural and historical avenue bestowed upon us by our ancestors, and its Sichuan-Tibet section has long been a dream and challenging route that self-driving enthusiasts are eager to explore.
The natural and cultural resources along National Highway 318 far surpass those of the globally renowned U.S. Route 66. However, in terms of self-driving infrastructure services and cultural IP development, there is still a significant gap. In 2016, coinciding with the 66th anniversary of the construction of National Highway 318, the 90th anniversary of the opening of U.S. Route 66, and the 10th anniversary of China National Geography magazine defining National Highway 318 as the “Scenic Highway of the Chinese People,” more than one-third of the 180 annual routes selected in the five China Self-Driving Route Selection events from 2012 to 2016 were related to National Highway 318. The timing has quietly matured to design and build a 318 National Highway suitable for the upgraded consumption needs of Chinese people for leisure self-driving.
During this year’s Two Sessions, Duo Yangnami, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Chengdu Municipal Tourism Bureau, proposed the suggestion to “build National Highway 318 into the country’s first self-driving tourism industry economic belt.” This is the first time that this major issue, which has been of long-term concern and promotion by the Chinese self-driving tourism industry and local governments and tourism management departments along the 318 Highway, has entered the Two Sessions proposals and caught the attention of the central government. It is also the fruitful result of the past year’s implementation of the China Self-Driving Route Selection in Sichuan, echoing the discussions at the 2017 Self-Driving Travel Conference held in Shanghai on March 6 on “Building the G318 National Highway.” The industry has paid widespread attention and responded enthusiastically.
In response to the Two Sessions proposal and to promote the implementation of the self-driving tourism industry economic belt along National Highway 318, Aijia Media planned and organized the 2017 China Auto Culture Official Roadshow with the theme “Retracing G318 to Build a National Highway.” On March 18, the roadshow set off from the zero-kilometer point of National Highway 318 at People’s Square in Shanghai. With four vehicles, 18 stops, and 36 days, it conducted interviews and investigations along the way on the self-driving facilities, products, services, and cultural IP resources along National Highway 318, aiming to produce a video documentary on the 318 theme, a 318 National Highway Travel Handbook (map), and a research report on the self-driving tourism industry economic belt along National Highway 318.
Since March 18, when the official roadshow fleet set off from the zero-kilometer point of National Highway 318 at People’s Square in Shanghai, it has conducted investigations and interviews along the way in Suzhou Wujiang by Taihu Lake, Ningguo in Anhui guarding the entrance to Huizhou, Wuhan — the hub connecting nine provinces, Jingzhou at the core of the Three Kingdoms culture, Wushan condensing the charm of the Three Gorges, the majestic and vast Enshi Grand Canyon, and the culturally profound mountain city of Chongqing at the junction of two rivers. The 318 Dream Bus made stops at six stations: Taihu Station, Huizhou Station, Wuhan Station, Jingzhou Station, Three Gorges Station, and Chongqing Station, receiving warm welcomes from local leaders and residents. Retracing 318 is becoming a large-scale scenario marketing event that engages self-driving users, the tourism industry, and the automotive industry nationwide. It is linking China’s developed eastern market with the rich resources of the west through cooperation between the private market and local governments, and it is an innovative move to drive the construction of the self-driving tourism industry economic belt along National Highway 318 through self-driving demand.
The Chengdu stop of the roadshow from the evening of March 27 to March 29 holds particularly prominent significance among the 18 stops along the way. Chengdu is not only the midpoint of National Highway 318 but, more importantly, a western self-driving hub and a city where China’s two major tourism routes intersect: the most scenic Sichuan-Tibet section of National Highway 318 and the world-famous Sky Ladder Road both start from Chengdu. Chengdu holds a pivotal position in the construction of the self-driving tourism industry economic belt along National Highway 318, which is conducive to its development as an international tourism destination, leveraging its role as a western radiation center, connecting with eastern and central markets, and driving the development of Sichuan, the southwest, and the western regions.
On the evening of March 27, the roadshow fleet gathered with teachers and students from Sichuan University at Wangjiang Park in Chengdu on the 318 Dream Bus, cheering together for the dream of retracing G318 and building a national highway.
Organizations
[Planner & Organizer] Aijia Media
[Vehicle Support] Camping World | Butong Auto Town | Airstream RV | Yongda Auto Pickup Base
[Modification Management] 599 Four-Wheel Drive Club | Westfalia RV Magnet Team
[Appearance and Protective Equipment Support & Guidance] China Top Motor Club
[Modification Platform] CAS Tuning Car Show | Meilun Meihuan | ENDLESS | Guangzhou Shenghui | Black Mamba
[Tire Support] Cooper American Goodyear Tires
[Telematics Equipment Support] Zebra Auto | Vision Kailun | Yujing Auto | Kuaiyixing
[Full Journey Insurance Support] Ping An Insurance
[Full Journey Rescue Support] Yuanmeng Kangjian
[Accommodation Support] Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. | Motel 168
[Dream Support] Yaowang Wealth Management
[Tea Exploration Partner] Mubai Craft Garden
[Clothing Support] LEONARD WONG
[Charity Support] China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation | Junai Public Welfare Development Service Center | Camel Paint
[Homestay Research] Taik Homestay
[Report Support] SMART Resort Industry Committee
[Official Online Media] Aijia Net | China Tibet Online
[Official Online Audio Platform] Archimedes
[Official Print Media] City Reading Magazine
[Branch Support] Sichuan Provincial Tourism Development Commission | Huangpu District Tourism Bureau of Shanghai | Home Inns Town | Ningguo Municipal Cultural Tourism Development Commission | Hubei Western Ecological and Cultural Tourism Circle Investment Co., Ltd. | Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences | Wushan Tourism Bureau | Enshi Grand Canyon Tourism Development Co., Ltd. | People’s Government of Baishazhen, Jiangjin District, Chongqing | Chongqing Jukui Middle School | Baisha Baihelou Hotel, Jiangjin, Chongqing | Sun Hotel, Baisha, Jiangjin, Chongqing | Chengdu Tourism Bureau | Wenjiang District Tourism Bureau of Chengdu | People’s Government of Pidu District, Chengdu | Pidu District Culture, Tourism, Sports and Broadcasting Bureau, Chengdu | Chengdu RV Camping and Self-driving Travel Association | Pujiang District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau | Xiangxiang Culture | Mingyue Village | Shixianghu Tourist Area | Chengjia Tea Village | Ganzi Prefecture Tourism Development Commission | Daocheng County People’s Government | Daocheng Yading Scenic Area Administration | Kangding Muya Sacred Land Scenic Area | Litang County Tourism Investment Development Co., Ltd. | Daojia Sacred Land Yading Hotel | Yading Zhibai Snow Mountain Art Hotel | Sangjinglin | Sichuan Express 318 Motel Investment Management Co., Ltd. | Markam Lüye Grand Hotel | Tibet Hongji Group | Tibet Tibetan Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
[Supporting Partners] eHi Car Services | China Telecom 114 | China Post Group Corporation Huangpu Branch, Shanghai | Waiwai Shanshui·ArtGarden | Xiaokang Magazine | Car Intelligence | AC Automotive | Honghong Auto | Huibao Technology | Flying Horse Travel | Hubei Pathfinder Car Enthusiasts Club | Hubei Autonomous Region Tourism Association Self-driving and RV Camping Branch | Chengdu Dianxing Self-driving Club | Sichuan Chuanshanjia Travel Co., Ltd. | Yi Zuo Yi You Cultural Media | Shanghai Institute of Technology, Digital Arts College | Yisheng Studio | Yi Zuo Yi You Cultural Media | Kangba First Tibetan Manor | Chengdu Wenjiang Crowne Plaza Hotel | Chengdu Fairfield by Marriott Hotel