On the afternoon of July 11, more than 70 government officials, experts, and scholars from the cultural, sports, and tourism sectors across 11 countries conducted a field visit to the Baofeng Lake Scenic Area during their on-site training session in Zhangjiajie. The delegates immersed themselves in the unique charm of the lake's picturesque scenery and the Tujia ethnic culture, gaining a deeper appreciation for Zhangjiajie's efforts in integrating culture, sports, and tourism. The visitors were also trainees in a seminar on Protection and Development of Ethnic and Traditional Sports for Developing Countries, as well as a seminar on Integrated Development of Cultural Sports and Tourism for Developing Countries. 

The delegation took a boat tour through the canyon, where the quartz sandstone peaks reflected on the water, creating a breathtaking scene of "boats sailing smoothly through the water and people seated within a painting."

The Baofeng Lake field study served as a key component of the seminar's on-site training in Zhangjiajie. As the "shimmering pearl of waterscapes" within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area—a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Baofeng Lake has adopted a development model combining "landscape tourism + ethnic cultural experiences + ecological conservation," achieving over one million visits annually. The lake stands as an epitome of Zhangjiajie's efforts in promoting integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism. 

The delegates remarked that Baofeng Lake demonstrates the potential of synergistic development between natural and cultural resources, offering valuable insights for developing countries exploring sustainable growth in cultural and tourism industries.

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Commerce, the two seminars brought together over 70 government officials, experts, and scholars from the cultural, sports, tourism, and education sectors across 11 developing countries including Uzbekistan and Nigeria. Designed to share China's experience in integrated development of cultural, sports, and tourism sectors through field studies, the program strengthens people-to-people exchanges among Belt and Road countries. The Baofeng Lake visit enabled participants to deeply appreciate Zhangjiajie's development philosophy of "using landscapes as the theme and culture as the soul," fostering a new consensus on multilateral cultural-tourism cooperation.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday