According to the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Hunan International Cultural Tourism Festival, along with related promotional activities, will kick off on November 6 in Furong Town, Yongshun County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Aligned with Hunan's goal of building a world-class tourist destination, the event represents a key initiative to implement the province's culture and tourism development plan and enhance the international influence of Hunan's culture and tourism sector.

The festival is hosted by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the CPC Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Committee and the People's Government of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, with the themes of "Welcome to Charming Hunan" and "Mysterious Xiangxi, Play Your Way." The event will bring together over 300 domestic and international guests, including representatives from international tourism organizations, overseas travel agents from various countries, cultural and tourism operators, OTA platforms, and cultural and tourism influencers. During the event, promotional materials for the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area and specially-tailored inbound tourist routes will be unveiled. The festival will also feature a centralized signing ceremony for cultural and tourism projects and the launch of an industry development alliance. Attendees will also take part in on-site tours to explore cultural and tourism resources in Xiangxi and its surrounding areas.

Furong Town.

With a history spanning more than 2,300 years, Furong Town is one of the four great ancient towns in Xiangxi. The scenic area boasts a 60-meter natural waterfall flowing through the town and stilted buildings clinging to cliff faces, earning it the name "a thousand-year-old town hanging on a waterfall" for its unique charm. The town preserves the thousand-year-old cultural heritage of the Xizhou Bronze Pillar, and numerous intangible cultural heritage traditions—such as the Baishou Dance, Maogusi, and the Youshui work songs—are actively passed down here. Together with the influence of a classic film, the town has developed a unique character where natural scenery, cultural heritage, and the vibrancy of daily life coexist harmoniously.

Furong Town. 

In recent years, Furong Town has continued to gain popularity overseas, hailed by foreign media as the "real-life Spirited Away," with related topics on overseas social platforms exceeding one billion views. In 2025, the ancient town received 6.53 million tourist trips, including 338,000 made by overseas tourists from more than 70 countries and regions, making it a flagship calling card for Hunan's cultural tourism going global.

Furong Town.

In the development of its cultural and tourism sector, Furong Town has adhered to the principle of "no relocation of indigenous residents," preserving the authentic way of life of more than 2,000 local households and rejecting excessive commercialization and redevelopment, thereby ensuring genuine, vibrant atmosphere in this ancient town. Over the years, the local authority has continuously improved its international infrastructure, introducing multilingual services and cross-border payment options to meet the travel needs of international visitors. With its simple folk customs, the town has earned a strong reputation for its tourism services—with thousands of instances of lost tourist belongings being recovered—and has fostered a safe, trustworthy, livable, and travel-friendly environment.

As a key milestone in Hunan's efforts to build the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area, the festival will effectively build a bridge for cooperation between Hunan and overseas tourism markets—including Southeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, and Russia—and establish a comprehensive chain encompassing inbound tourism promotion, business matchmaking, and industrial collaboration. Moving forward, Hunan will use this festival as an opportunity to deepen the coordinated development of the Greater Zhangjiajie International Tourism Area, refine its inbound tourism product portfolio, strengthen cross-regional cultural and tourism cooperation, continue to enhance the "Welcome to Charming Hunan" cultural and tourism brand, and make every effort to advance the development of a world-renowned tourist destination.

Photos were provided by the scenic area.

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

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan