Source: Global Times
On the hillside full of Gesang flowers, dozens of silver planet-like tents are scattered, and the Tianshan Mountains loom in the distance. It is said that at night, the lights in the tents will be lit, and the entire hillside will become the "Milky Way". No wonder there's a romantic name here: The Star Inn. In Tacun, Wensu County, about 70 kilometers from the city of Aksu in Xinjiang, the Star Inn, which was completed and opened in 2019, has become a new tourist punch card. The Global Times reporter and his party recently interviewed in Xinjiang and found that in recent years, Xinjiang's tourism industry has continued to develop and upgrade, not only the supporting facilities of natural attractions are becoming more and more perfect, but also many cultural scenic spots and tourist souvenirs have also been given more cultural connotations and design senses. Affected by the new crown epidemic, the number of mainland tourists traveling to Xinjiang in the past two years has decreased significantly, and relevant tourism institutions and practitioners have encountered challenges, but most practitioners are very confident in the prospects, believing that the impact of the epidemic is only temporary, and there is still huge room for development of Xinjiang's tourism industry in the future. As Tacun's impressive slogan goes: "Xinjiang, not in southern Xinjiang, not in northern Xinjiang, on the road." ”
Scenery of the ancient city of Kashgar. Photo by He Zhuoqian
Develop skiing to fill the gap in winter tourism
On the day that the Global Times reporter came to the Star Inn, there were not many tourists, most of whom were natives of Xinjiang. Of course, tourists don't come here just to experience staying in the inns on the mountain. In October 2019, the ski resort in Tacun Scenic Area was officially completed, and due to the impact of the epidemic, it began to operate last year. "From January this year to now, the number of tourists here is nearly 500,000, and now it is basically 500 or 600 people a day, and the occupancy rate will be higher in winter." Chen Ruibo, general manager of Wensu County Guiyuan Tianju Tacun Scenic Area, told the Global Times reporter that Tacun has an intermediate ski run and a primary ski run, natural snow accounts for 60%, and a large ice sculpture exhibition will be held in winter. Last winter, the number of visitors to the ski resort was about 2,000 per day, and about 5,000 people per day during the Spring Festival.
"In the past, winter was the off-season for tourism in Xinjiang. Winter tourism in Tacun has just started, but last year it has entered the top three winter tourism in Xinjiang, filling the gap in winter tourism in Xinjiang. Chen Ruibo said that at present, 85% of the tourists in Tacun are local tourists in Aksu, 10% are tourists from other regions in Xinjiang, and 5% are tourists from other provinces in the mainland.
Li Jiaming and Al Guli, young tourists from different parts of Xinjiang, have previously seen videos of tourists traveling to Tacun on social media such as Douyin. Al gulli said that the rooms at the Star Inn had large beds, heating, hot water, barbecue grills and were very comfortable. The price is not expensive, and the price of the two-storey chalet with a better location is 600 yuan per night. Lee Ka Ming came here last year to skate over the intermediate track. The biggest change this time is that the entertainment facilities have increased a lot. "The tourist attractions in Xinjiang are mainly primitive ecology, and there are not many places where you can live with beautiful scenery." We usually travel by car to the desert and lake to camp, but wild camping needs to consider safety, warmth and other issues, but also to bring their own food, more troublesome. A scenic spot with more complete accommodation facilities like Ta Village is a good choice, and I will stay with my family for a few more days."
Skiing tired of soaking in a hot spring, is a good treat. In the town of Tirek in Baicheng County, about a 3-hour drive from the Tacun Ski Resort, there is a Baicheng Hot Spring. When the reporter arrived here, the hot spring pool was very lively, and many parents came with their children. The hot spring scenic spot has a striking advertising slogan: the first spring in southern Xinjiang. According to Wang Renzhong, director of the marketing department of Baicheng Hot Springs, this is the only hot spring in southern Xinjiang, and the water source is on the mountain 7 kilometers away from here. "There used to be an old hot spring on the hill, a simple big pool similar to a mass bathing center, and the road was not easy. In order to develop tourism and facilitate tourists, in 2019, the relevant departments invested in the hot spring water source on the mountain to be directly connected to the hot spring homestay after natural cooling. "In winter, it was very pleasant to enjoy the hot springs while admiring the snow on the trees and the house. It's also a great place to escape in the summer."
Big bread, big industry
"In Xinjiang, as long as you see a naan with a diameter of more than 60 centimeters, it must be a Kuqa bun," the Global Times reporter often hears such a proud introduction in Kuqa City in the Aksu region of Xinjiang. As one of the specialties of Xinjiang, Kuqa Bun was listed as an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage in 2010, and the size, weight, and production process of the bun have relevant standards. It is said that Kucha made the bread the size of a wheel, which is a continuation of the tradition of the past when gifts are larger and more face-saving.
In order to protect and inherit the production process and culture of Kucha Da Naan, the local government invested more than 30 million yuan in 2013 to build the "Kucha Da Naan City" and upgraded it in 2021. According to the local staff, Kuqa Dafengcheng covers an area of 30,000 square meters, mainly including the Naan Culture Exhibition Hall, experience hall, production workshop, Naan Culture Tea House and exhibition and sales hall, etc., and is a 3A-level tourist attraction integrating employment technology training and sightseeing tourism. The production workshop here is constructed of all-transparent glass, and the Global Times reporter can see the main process of professional breadmakers making bread outside the workshop.
In the evening, the Tea House of Da Nan Cheng is lively, the upper and lower floors are full of guests, and the beer, kebabs, edamame beans and big buns on the table have a strong sense of night market. After 9:00 a.m., the cabaret show officially begins, and many tourists come to the stage to dance with the actors with beautiful melodies.
Intangible cultural heritage products are quite popular
Food has become a sightseeing spot, and shopping spots have been upgraded to cultural attractions. The Urumqi Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street, which opened in 2018, has upgraded the original site of the Grand Bazaar. According to Fei Lidong, a cadre of the Tourism Service Management Section of the Urumqi Grand Bazaar Area, the previous Grand Bazaar was a big market, with a lot of people and vehicles, which often caused congestion on nearby roads. After the completion of the Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street, vehicles cannot enter, and visitors can enjoy shopping in a safe and orderly manner.
At present, the Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street is divided into three blocks of ABC, and Area A is mainly a stage display area, with regular song and dance performances every day. Area B includes cultural and creative goods stores, handicraft stores, food specialty stores, etc., and Area C is a food street and a night market. In a cultural and creative shop in the Grand Bazaar, many souvenirs are quite designed. According to gulina Elken, a salesman at the store, many of the items in the store were designed by well-known designers. For example, the best-selling grape seed hand pillow is a work designed by Sun Xiuqin, one of the top ten designers in China, which contains 95% of grape seeds and has a blood massage function, which can alleviate the wrist discomfort caused by playing mobile phones and computers. "After many tourists returned to the mainland, they also asked me to give them express hand pillows. There are also these Headdresses, rings, necklaces, silk scarves, twelve wooden kam bookmarks, etc. with Xinjiang characteristics, which are also designed by professional designers and are more popular."
Not only in the Grand Bazaar, but also in the ancient city scenic spot of Kashgar in Xinjiang, the reporter also saw tourist souvenirs with rich cultural connotations. In 2015, the scenic spot was awarded the national 5A level scenic spot, which is the first national 5A level historical and cultural scenic spot in Xinjiang. Many of the merchants here are non-hereditary heirs. A wood shop attracts many tourists with its dazzling array of goods, including tambourines, guitars, teapots, wood carving crafts, and more. The owner of the shop told the Global Times reporter that his family has been engaged in the production of national intangible cultural heritage crafts for generations, and he is the fourth generation of the family. He worked in the store for more than 30 years, expanding it 5 years ago and opening a store for his eldest son across the street. In addition to traditional wooden utensils, souvenirs that personalize woodcuts for tourists also sell well. "This is the idea of my youngest son, who applied for a free quota in the country to study art at a university in Shanghai a few years ago, and then opened a shop in Sanya with Han friends and also ran an online store. He often runs outside and knows what tourists like."
"When the epidemic improves, business will definitely explode"
Xinjiang's tourism industry has developed and upgraded, and the farmers who have benefited the most have benefited the most. About 70 kilometers from the city of Aksu in Xinjiang, Wensu County's Ta Village has various high-quality natural resources such as glaciers, snow-capped mountains, forests, grasslands, etc., but it has not been exploited before, and its weak economic foundation has made Ta Village a poor village. Since 2019, Aksu Cultural Tourism Development Group has focused on the strategy of "rural revitalization + tourism poverty alleviation", created a rural tourism brand of "Guiyuan Tianju Tacun", promoted poverty alleviation through tourism, and created more than 100 Internet celebrity attractions.
At present, through enterprise self-financing, government support and investment attraction, the cumulative investment is 250 million yuan. From January to August this year alone, Tacun's tourism income reached more than 31 million yuan, and it was rated as a national key tourist village last year. According to Chen Ruibo, general manager of Wensu County's Guiyuan Tianju Tacun Scenic Area, more than 200 employees of the scenic spot are all from Tacun, responsible for tourist reception, environmental maintenance, equipment maintenance, shop operations and other work. A 28-year-old employee of the scenic supermarket is a villager in Tacun, who began to work in the scenic spot in January this year, turned regular in June, and now receives a fixed salary of 5200 yuan per month, as well as five social insurance and one gold. "Before I herded sheep for less than 2,000 yuan a month. Now I buy a car and give my parents about 2,000 yuan a month. I don't have a high level of education, and I can't find such a good job when I go out to work. My home is only 800 meters away from the scenic spot, and I can go home every night to see my parents. I have more Han colleagues, I often communicate with them, and my Chinese language is much better. The owner of the contracted horse farm in the Tacun grassland told reporters that he began contracting the horse farm in July last year, and the cost of buying a horse was about 17,000. If there are many tourists, you can return the money in more than a month. Now his monthly income is about 10,000 yuan, compared with less than 20,000 yuan per year.
Kader Mamuti, a young man who works in the tapestry business in the ancient city of Kashgar, opened a 16-square-meter shop 4 years ago, and has now developed into 4 stores with an annual income of about 500,000 yuan. "After kashgar ancient city becomes a 5A-level scenic spot, there will be more and more tourists, and I am very confident." Now I can't be busy alone, I have hired 4 people to work together, and everyone has money to earn together."
Affected by the epidemic, the number of mainland tourists in Xinjiang has decreased significantly in the past two years. According to Fei Lidong, a cadre of the Tourism Service Management Section of the Urumqi Grand Bazaar Area, before the epidemic in 2019, the number of tourists on the Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Street reached 200,000 a day, and now the number of tourists per day is about 18,000. Wang Fei, the manager of the Grand Bazaar Experience Hall, told the Global Times that the store opened in August 2018, and before the epidemic, mainland tourists accounted for about 80% of the store, and now less than half. In order to maintain normal operations, the store hopes to attract more local tourists by adjusting the product type and price, plus some buy-and-give activities such as buy 5 get 1 free, small profits and quick sales. The Turgun family, a dried fruit merchant, has been in business at the Grand Bazaar for 14 years. Before the best business, the daily income reached 10,000 yuan, and now the daily income is about three or four thousand yuan, compared with the annual store rent of 350,000 yuan, which is slightly difficult. Fortunately, the local government will reduce the rent and property fees for 4 months this year, plus the sales of online stores, and can maintain operations.
Gu Li, the owner of another specialty store in the Grand Bazaar, said that before the epidemic, the dried fruits, silk scarves, wool shawls and so on in the store sold very well, with sales of about three or four thousand a day, but now it is only five or six hundred yuan. However, because she and many tourists have added WeChat in the past, her WeChat business is now better than in the store. "When walnuts or other fresh specialties come down, I will send a WeChat circle of friends." This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, I sent a circle of friends to say that I hope everyone will take care of it. As a result, tourists in Hainan bought more than 2,000 yuan of goods on the same day, and old customers in Harbin also took care of more than 1,000 yuan. "Gu Li said that in the past few years, she has made a lot of money, her two children are going to college in other places, and the annual tuition and living expenses are quite a lot, and it is not particularly difficult for the family to provide for two children." Although the business has not been good in the past two years, I have no intention of leaving, I may have a relationship with the Grand Bazaar, and I don't seem to feel comfortable coming here for a day. I should have stuck with it. I believe that in two years, when the epidemic situation improves, our business will definitely explode."