The Datong pavilion proved to be a highlight at the third Shanxi Cultural Industries Fair, which came to a close on Aug 28, in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province.
New projects from Datong were on display at the expo, such as the tourism highway to the ancient Great Wall and Wanlong International Ski Resort.
"I found out that the winter in Datong will also be fun," said Zhang Kexin, a visitor who had experienced VR skiing at the Datong pavilion.
Wanlong ski resort, which plans to open in late 2017, is expected to fill the gap in the winter tourism market in Datong.
Technology was also a key word at the Datong pavilion. Measuring 2.8-meters tall and 4.9-meters-long, a light aircraft made in Datong was displayed at the exhibition.
"I didn't expect the Datong exhibition to be so modern. Before the expo, I expected it to be all the traditional things such as Datong Great Wall and Yungang Grottoes," said Li Jinjian, from Taiyuan.
Another colossus at the exhibition was the largest traditional Chinese hotpot in the world, which had beat the previous record holder for its size. It was exhibited outside Datong pavilion, displaying traditional Datong handicrafts.
In recent years, Datong cultural tourism has shown strong growth momentum. Statistics reveal that the total number of tourists from home and abroad amounted to 40.48 million in 2016, among which, the total number of domestic tourists reached 40.41 million, a year-on-year increase of 26.51 percent; the total revenue from tourism for 2016 reached 36.33 billion yuan ($5.56 billion), a year-on-year increase of 29.22 percent.
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Visitors view the exhibition at Datong pavilion during the third Shanxi Cultural Industries Fair which opened on Aug 24. [Photo/xinhuanet.com] |
