National Archaeological Site Park → a new hotspot for cultural tourism |

18 April is the International Day of Monuments and Sites. According to the "2023 National Archaeological Site Park Operation Report" released at the joint meeting of 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%, showing that the popularity of cultural tourism in national archaeological site parks is rising and has become a new hot spot for cultural tourism.

Anhui Hanshan Lingjiatan site

The joint meeting of the National Archaeological Site Park Alliance was held 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. (Xinhua News Agency)

The full text of the report is below

National Archaeological Park Operation Report (2023)

According to the 2023 statistical assessment, the operation status of the 55 national archaeological site parks is as follows:

1. Protection, management, display and utilization

Thirty-nine parks have enacted and implemented local regulations for the protection of cultural relics. In accordance with the law, 79 cultural relics protection and display projects and 80 construction projects were carried out, and the protection and display of the Tianjie ruins in Luoyang City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties improved the quality and efficiency of the project, and the core projects such as the protection and display of the main tomb of Liu He Cemetery in the Han Dynasty, the environmental renovation of the cemetery, and the construction of protective facilities were all completed.

47 parks have archaeological site museums, the new Sanxingdui Museum and the Shiyuan Museum have been completed and opened, the construction of Yinxu, the ancient city of Luoyang of the Han and Wei dynasties, Lingjiatan and Qiongyao museums has been progressing in an orderly manner (among them, the Yinxu Archaeological Site Museum has been officially opened in February this year), the Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum won the 2023 Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Protection Award, and the "Weiwei Bodu Wang Capital Model - Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty Capital Civilization Exhibition" won the 20th National Museum Top Ten Exhibition Boutique Promotion Award. 24 parks have built smart museums, 26 parks have built digital comprehensive management platforms, 31 parks have built online display platforms, and 22 parks have built offline digital exhibition halls.

2. Team building and archaeological support

There are 7,917 employees, including 2,672 staff and 1,054 archaeological and museum professionals. The volunteer team continued to expand, recruiting a total of 3,592 volunteers, an increase of 1,168 over the same period last year. 461 intern students were accepted, and 1,029 business exchanges were conducted, an increase of 523 times year-on-year. 421 business trainings were carried out, an increase of 141 times year-on-year, involving cultural relics protection, fire safety, tourist services, theme education, etc., and 13,400 people participated in the training.

Strengthen cooperation and contact with archaeological institutions, and carry out 27 active archaeological excavation projects. There were 131 archaeological research projects, 309 academic activities, and 259 scientific research achievements, an increase of 8%, 194%, and 11% year-on-year. The Qujialing site and the Zhengzhou Shangdu Shuyuan Street cemetery were awarded the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China" in 2023, Liaoshangjing, Yinxu, Liangzhu and other important progress in "Archaeological China", and the "Jinsha Site: Excavation Report of the Sacrificial Area" was rated as the "Top Ten Books of National Cultural Heritage". International cooperation and exchanges are more frequent, the "Sino-US Cooperation Archaeological Practice Base" has settled in Panlong City, the Old Summer Palace, Jinsha, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the Imperial Kiln Factory, the Great Kiln Longquan Kiln and other parks have organized 7 international academic activities, and the "6th World Celadon Congress" has carried out a series of forums, exhibitions, skill competitions and other activities with the theme of "Sword and Porcelain Quality, Song Yun Longquan", deeply excavated the cultural connotation and promoted ceramic culture.

3. Financial revenue and expenditure and operating income

The annual cumulative capital income was 4.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 36%. Among them, the central government supported 600 million yuan and the local government invested 1.5 billion yuan, of which Sanxingdui actively applied for 300 million yuan from the central government and 600 million yuan from the local government. The ticket revenue was 1.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of about 5 times, the income from cultural and creative products, research and other public cultural services was 44.45 million yuan, an increase of 31%, and the operating income was 300 million yuan, an increase of 32%. In addition, Hanshan County has absorbed 300 million yuan of investment from enterprises to build Lingjiatan Archaeological Research Town. Sanxingdui and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have a total annual income of more than 1 billion yuan. Expenditures on cultural and creative development, event organization, and archaeological research projects increased significantly, by 96%, 139%, and 97%, respectively, in line with the public's growing demand for cultural and tourism consumption services.

4. Open services and tourist reception

3,667 social activities were organized or participated, an increase of 2,701 year-on-year, with a growth rate of 280%, and the number of social activities organized in Jinsha and Lingjiatan exceeded 500 for the first time. Activities such as research, exhibitions, special lectures and forums have increased significantly, the educational function has become increasingly prominent, and the integrated activities that highlight the cultural connotation and archaeological characteristics of the site have become the mainstream. 29 5A-level and 4A-level tourist attractions have been built, and the integration of culture and tourism has been continuously strengthened.

The total number of tourists received throughout the year was 67.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 135%, and the number of free tourists accounted for 57%, of which the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Old Summer Palace received more than 10 million tourists, and 10 between 10 million and 1 million people.

In 2023, entering the post-epidemic era, the work of cultural relics protection, archaeological scientific research, operation management, social publicity and services in 55 parks will be rapidly restored and improved, the cultural relics protection projects and park construction projects will be implemented in an orderly manner, the construction of archaeological site museums, archaeological workstations and warehouses, smart management and digital display will be accelerated, the organization and participation of academic activities and social activities will reach a new high, the social influence and international exchanges will be expanding day by day. Cultural and creative development has become a hot spot, and the public has returned to the National Archaeological Site Park, which has greatly improved its contribution to economic and social development and the park's own hematopoietic capacity. 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.

The National Archaeological Site Park will continue to adhere to the "one park, one policy" in accordance with the requirements of cultural relics in the new era of "protection first, strengthening management, excavating value, effective utilization, and bringing cultural relics to life" Basic principles, strengthen archaeological support and scientific and technological innovation, guide social resources to help the creation and operation of parks, continue to carry out cultural output and content innovation, improve value interpretation and public service levels, promote the construction of archaeological site parks and services to ensure people's livelihood better combination, integrate into the construction of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, and endow the people with a better life! (Source: State Administration of Cultural Heritage Xinhua News Agency; Editor: Yang Shuo)