The first Emperor Yao Culture Tourism Festival concluded on April 24, in Linfen, Shanxi province.
The tourism festival is one of Shanxi's seven cultural festivals designated by the province this year, and a measure to build Linfen's Yao culture brand.
Thirteen activities were organized during the festival, including academic symposium trade meetings, tourism promotion, performances, contests and exhibitions. The event has made records in term of scale, participation and achievement.
The festival's investment promotion meeting has attracted projects of 10.77 billion yuan ($1.74 billion). A trade fair of local specialties reached agreements valued at 1.3 billion yuan.
The city's tourism is a major beneficiary of the festival. The city has reached agreements with more than 180 travel agencies from other provinces. Income from tourism hit a record to 1 billion yuan during the festival, when the city’s main scenic spots received tourists of 1.6 million.
A symposium on Yao culture was held during the festival. Scholars and experts from universities and academic institutes such as Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were present and agreed that Linfen, or Pingyang in ancient times, was a capital of Yao and one of origins of China.
