The 70th anniversary of the founding of Linxia, Gansu: taking advantage of the channel to activate the first cultural tourism industry

China News Service, Lanzhou, November 11 (Reporter Wang Muyu) 2026 is the 70th anniversary of the founding of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province. The Lanzhou-Henan Railway will be completed and opened to traffic in 2027. Linxia, ​​which has long been at the end of the transportation network, is about to enter the era of high-speed rail. The local government has seized this major opportunity to convert high-speed rail traffic into an increase in the cultural tourism industry, accelerating the cultural tourism industry from "starting" to "establishing momentum".

Aerial photography shows the Liujiaxia Bridge in Dongxiang County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province. (File photo) Photo provided by Gansu Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau

On the 11th, the Information Office of the Gansu Provincial Government held a press conference in Lanzhou on "70 Years of Gratitude and Endeavor, Flowers Show New Looks in Linxia - 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture". Wan Keke, deputy secretary of the Linxia Prefectural Party Committee, said that Linxia will use corridors to drive logistics, logistics to drive commerce, commerce to drive industry, and industry to drive development. Linxia will scientifically examine Linxia's channel node position in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and release new momentum for the channel economy.

In the past few years, Linxia has laid the foundation for the development of cultural tourism. It has many "national brand" business cards such as Linxia Global Geopark, Liujiaxia National Tourism Resort, and Bafang Thirteen Lanes National Tourism and Leisure Street. In the ten years from 2015 to 2025, the state's tourism expenditure increased by 610.8%, and the cultural tourism industry has become an important force in stimulating the local economy.

The picture shows tourists visiting the Bingling Temple Grottoes, a world cultural heritage located in Yongjing County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. (Data map) Photo by Gao Zhan

He Yongfang, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Linxia Prefectural Party Committee and director of the State Cultural Tourism Bureau, said that the "15th Five-Year Plan" is an important stage for Linxia's cultural tourism industry to move from "starting" to "establishing momentum". It is necessary to fully implement the "high-speed rail + tourism" article, plan and build tourism distribution, scenic spot connections, self-driving rental and other supporting facilities in advance, scientifically lay out railway stations to key scenic spots, tourist lines, scenic spots through trains, and promote the transformation of cultural tourism diversion from "pulse type" to "long-term flow".

As the construction of the Lanzhou-Henan Railway advances, Linxia has arranged tourism facilities in advance and built a tourism network covering the whole region. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Linxia will aim at positioning itself as a well-known Yellow River-themed tourist destination. On the one hand, it will continue to polish the three world-class business cards of Bingling Temple Grottoes, Hua'er, and Linxia Global Geopark, and fully promote the Hezheng Paleontological Fossil Cultural Tourism Zone to become a 5A scenic spot; on the other hand, it will dig into the folk culture of the Yellow River, develop night consumption and immersive experience projects, promote the deep integration of cultural tourism with food, sports, and agriculture, establish a tourism alliance to open up channels for mutual transportation of tourists, and work together to strengthen the first cultural tourism industry.

The picture shows tourists visiting the Linxia Prefecture Hezheng Ancient Animal Fossil Museum. (Data map) Photo by Ai Qinglong

Changes in transportation patterns bring more than just tourism dividends. When talking about future development, Zhang Dawei, deputy director of the Linxia Prefecture Development and Reform Commission, said that after the Lanzhou-Henan Railway is completed and opened to traffic in 2027, Linxia will enter the high-speed rail era, accelerate its integration into the Lanzhou One-Hour Economic Circle and the Lanxi City Group, and release new momentum.

Standing at the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state and the new starting point of the "15th Five-Year Plan", Linxia anchors the construction goal of "Five New Linxia". On November 19 this year, a celebration meeting for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state will be held. During the state celebration, a main performance, hundreds of cultural tourism activities across the region, and a special exhibition on intangible cultural heritage will be launched to showcase the development and changes in the past 70 years, and invite tourists from home and abroad to come and experience the customs of the Yellow River and the charm of Hezhou folk customs. (over)