18 April is the International Day of Monuments and Sites. According to the "2023 National Archaeological Site Park Operation Report" released by the National Archaeological Site Park Alliance, the total number of tourists received by 55 parks across the country in 2023 exceeded 67 million, a year-on-year increase of 135%, and the national archaeological site park has become a new hot spot for cultural tourism.
The joint meeting of the National Archaeological Site Park Alliance was held today in Lingjiatan National Archaeological Site Park, Hanshan County, Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province. Commissioned by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage released the latest operating data of 55 national archaeological site parks across the country at the meeting. The annual cumulative capital income of the 55 parks was 4.475 billion yuan, an increase of 1.176 billion yuan year-on-year, of which the ticket revenue increased by about 5 times year-on-year.
According to the report, in 2023, the work of 55 parks in the protection of cultural relics, archaeological research, operation and management, social publicity and services will be rapidly restored and improved, and the cultural relics protection projects and park construction projects will be implemented in an orderly manner. The exemplary role of the National Archaeological Site Park in the research, interpretation, protection and utilization of archaeological sites and cultural inheritance is becoming more and more significant.
According to the Measures for the Administration of National Archaeological Site Parks, a national archaeological site park refers to a specific public cultural space with important archaeological sites and their environment as the main body, with functions such as scientific research, education, and recreation, and with national demonstration significance in the research and interpretation, protection and utilization of archaeological sites, and cultural inheritance.
In layman's terms, in the National Archaeological Site Park, the public can observe the archaeological site, appreciate the unearthed cultural relics, consume cultural and creative products, experience archaeological excavation and cultural relics restoration, receive archaeological edification, historical education, deeply understand the culture and history carried by the site, understand the development process of the country and the nation, and explore the past and future of human society. The Old Summer Palace, Sanxingdui Ruins, and the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang have all been built into national archaeological site parks.
The National Archaeological Site Park is an important symbol of Chinese civilization and has increasingly become an important carrier for the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage with important influence. At present, there are 29 5A and 4A scenic spots in 55 national archaeological site parks, and archaeological research is booming.
Luoyang City, Daming Palace, Yinxu, and Zhengzhou Mall in the Sui and Tang Dynasties have become historical and cultural spaces that light up the tourist city, and Anji Ancient City, Qujialing, Tongwancheng and other remote villages have become cultural check-in places.
The new Sanxingdui Museum, Shiyuan Museum and Yinxu Museum were completed and opened, and there were 47 national archaeological site parks with archaeological site museums.
In the Han Dynasty, the core projects such as the protection and display of the main tomb of Liu He Cemetery, the environmental renovation of the cemetery, and the construction of protective facilities were all completed. The integration activities that highlight the cultural connotation and archaeological characteristics of the site have become the mainstream.
In 2023, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Old Summer Palace will receive more than 10 million visitors. Sanxingdui and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have a total annual income of more than 1 billion yuan. In the second half of this year, the construction of the fifth batch of national archaeological site parks will also be launched.
The meeting awarded promotion certificates to the 2023 Outstanding Contributors, Annual Popular Promotion Units, Social Activity Organization Promotion Units, and Archaeology and Research Promotion Units of the National Archaeological Site Park Alliance.
At the meeting, the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui "Seeking Cultural Context by High-speed Rail" research route, "Why Civilization" Lingjiatan Digital Art Exhibition, etc., were released.