Finding Roots in Charming Suizhou

2018 World Chinese Finding "Roots" Festival kicked off on June 9, the 26th day of the fourth lunar month,

 which is said to witness the birth of Emperor Yan, in Suizhou, Hubei

Lieshan Mountain sits green and towering over Suizhou while the Jiangshui River rolls and tumbles ahead on this vast land.

In 2009, Emperor Yan-Shennong Festival in Lieshan of Hubei, China was renamed the World Chinese Finding "Roots”"Festival in the hometown of Emperor Yan.

Since then, Suizhou has begun to attract the attention of ethnic Chinese people worldwide.

This festival has been held annually over the past decade, attracting millions of ethnic Chinese at home and abroad to the foothills of the Lieshan Mountain in Suizhou to light incense sticks and pay respects to their ancestor, Emperor Yan. Suizhou is truly a common spiritual home for all these visitors.

The festival has increased the flow of people, bringing new capital, tourism, and products, which all together have driven the economic growth of Suizhou toward a more international direction and promoted local cultural tourism.

Through this festival, Suizhou has gradually realized that cultural characteristics give the city its special logo, foregrounding it among the rest cities. The small city of Suizhou has a truly big beauty, for which it has earned the name of “Charming Suizhou.”

Thanks to the festival, the hometown of Emperor Yan has seen its fame spread far and wide.

When We talk about Emperor Yan, We Think of Suizhou

“When we talk about Emperor Yan, we think of Suizhou,” said Yu Dan, a famous cultural scholar who voiced the opinion of many people.

The long history of Chinese civilization originated from the foot of Lieshan Mountain. The annual festival allows ethnic Chinese people worldwide to come to Suizhou and learn more about it.

Jiang Xiaoyan, honorary Vice-Chairman of Kuomintang, said that root searching and ancestor worshipping were the cultural cord of cross-Taiwan-Strait exchanges, which was long lasting and inseverable.

"This trip of ancestor worshiping has fulfilled my wish and deepened my understanding of the spirit of Emperor Yan. After returning to the United States, I will introduce Emperor Yan, as well as the city of Suizhou to my students and friends.” Cheng Yiqiang, tenured professor at the University of North Texas, said on June 10, after attending the Finding Roots Festival this year.

Professor Zhang Yiwu from Peking University said that the festival connected Emperor Yan with Suizhou, and gave a full display of the city to the world.

"Since the beginning of 2014, this scenic spot has been receiving more than 600,000 visitors every year," said Feng Xiaorong, head of the Shennong Scenic Spot. "Over the past decade, the festival has solidified the position of Suizhou as the hometown of Emperor Yan."

Over the past ten years, the hometown of Emperor Yan has been successively awarded the titles of "Base for Cross-Strait Exchange" and "International Cultural Exchange Base for Overseas Chinese," and has become the often-visited “hometown” for all Chinese people.

A Place Where You Want to Linger Around

On December 15 of last year, in the 1st season awards ceremony of CCTV’s program, Charming Cities in China, the city of Suizhou ranked among the "Top Ten Charming Cities."

Jiang Xinghua, standing deputy mayor and member of the municipal party committee, said in his acceptance speech that "As the hometown of Emperor Yan, Suizhou is looking forward to your visit. Here you will unveil a great root-seeking journey..."

Over the past decade, the festival has greatly promoted Suizhou’s confidence in its culture. Emperor Yan and Bianzhong (an ancient Chinese chime consisting of a set of bronze bells) have become the two cultural icons of Suizhou.

Every year, at the Economic and Trade Fair portion of the festival, many contracts for tourism projects get signed. As for this year, the contracts signed include a 3.3 billion yuan investment made by Zhejiang Greentown & Nice Home Construction Engineering Management Co., Ltd. to build a small town named Memory in Spring Breeze, and the 1.5 billion yuan investment made by China Agricultural Union Holdings Co., Ltd to build an Expo City for international agricultural and cultural tourism in northern Hubei (Sui County), and so on.

"These drastic changes in Dahong Mountain were all brought about by the festival,” said Huang Jing, director of the Management Committee in Dahong Mountain Scenic Area.

During the festival in 2009, the Eco-cultural Tourism Investment Company (ECOTIC) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dahong Mountain Scenic Area, which heralded ten consecutive years of construction around the Dahong Mountain Scenic Spot. At present, ECOTIC had invested more than 1.5 billion yuan into Dahong Mountain, aiming to build the site into a “famous Buddhist mountain and a paradise for health care.”

This year, ECOTIC had been planning to invest a further 1.5 billion yuan to build a small town at the foot of Dahong Mountain, setting off a new upsurge of entrepreneurship in the area.

Planning from a high starting point, large-scale construction, standardized management, and iconic cultural tourism projects have boosted cultural tourism in Suizhou.

The golden scenery in the Ginkgo Valley over thousands of years, the cultural attraction of the Theme Park based on the novel Journey to the West... So many fascinating places of interests are just part of Suizhou’s six 4A-level scenic areas, which are equipped with 21 star hotels.

The unique resources for cultural tourism in Suizhou also attracted Jing Yidan, the famous CCTV host. She said that Suizhou was a place where people would want to linger around and enjoy.

In 2009, more than 4.9 million tourists came to Suizhou and brought in tourism revenue of 2.6 billion yuan. In 2017, the city received 22.5 million tourists with tourism revenue of 14.09 billion yuan, which was a big leap forward.

A Small Town yet Big Player in the Global Market

The Economic and Trade Fair is a “reserved program” for the Finding “Roots” Festival every year.

During the festival in 2009, more than 200 domestic and foreign entrepreneurs signed up for 55 investment projects with a total investment of 4.6 billion yuan; in 2010, there were 53 signed projects with a total investment of over 9 billion yuan. By 2018, the total investment has reached 16.32 billion yuan.

“New energy automobiles will be the focus of the transformation and upgrading of Chu Feng’s vehicles. It is also an important strategic direction.” Zhang Jie, Chairman and Party Secretary of the China Hi-Tech Group Corporation (CHTC), said that in 2017, the sales of Chu Feng’s new energy vehicles had reached 13,000, ranking second nationwide.

China Hi-Tech Group Corporation carried on strategic reconstruction of the former Hubei Special Purpose Vehicle Manufacturing Plant and formed CHTC Hubei Chu Feng Auto Limited (Chu Feng for short) in 2010, which is now leading the transformation of a green industry of special vehicles in Suizhou.

A large number of state-owned enterprises, provincial enterprises, and large-scale private enterprises also joined the group in order to take advantage of the festive occasion, among which were Tsingtao Brewery, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, China Space Sanjiang Group, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group, Sinotruk, Hubei Tri-Ring Group, and Xiamen XGMA Group, and so on.

These established companies brought with them advanced technology, management experience, and capital input. They merged and integrated with local private enterprises in Suizhou, on the foundation of which 39 mixed-ownership companies were founded.

While bringing in new investments, Suizhou has also been exploring to exhibit itself to the outside world.

“Suizhou shiitake mushrooms are mainly exported to Southeast Asian markets and other Chinese markets. During the festival, many Chinese people from overseas came to Suizhou and fell in love with the mushrooms here after they had a taste of it.” said Yu Yuguo, vice president of China Edible Fungi Association and chairman of Yuguo Mushroom Company. Exports of shiitake mushrooms in Suizhou have been leading the industry nationwide for ten years, while agricultural product exports have also ranked first in the province for many years.

The festival has widened the vision of local entrepreneurs in Suizhou, where export-oriented economic activities continue to grow. Shu Dazhong, an entrepreneur who had been in the shiitake mushroom export industry for many years, has now also driven the whole tea industry forward with his own strength, from tea planting and processing, to tea sales, tea tourism, and tea-related foods. Under his motivation, tea exports in Suizhou now rank first in the province.

A City with Tales

In May of this year, before this festival was held, the first phase of the Huaxi River Urban Wetland Park in the north of the city was completed. Now, there are large parks in the south, east, north, west, as well as downtown area in Suizhou.

Relying on the festival over the past ten years, Suizhou has promoted the construction of key projects, launched comprehensive environmental management, improved the speed and quality of city construction, and established a good city image for the world.

Suizhou, which became a city not long ago, is a small one with weak foundation. Therefore, the municipal party committee and the municipal government proposed to highlight its cultural characteristics and scenic beauty, shape its own personality, say goodbye to the old, average image, and create a “Charming Suizhou.”

Suizhou’s charm lies in its rich culture and beautiful landscapes—its culture can be felt in the towering buildings and criss-crossed streets. Cultural factors including Emperor Yan, ancient Chinese chimes, Luhe (an ancient bronze crane with deer horns), Yang Jian (541-604, founder and first emperor of the Sui Dynasty), and Ji Liang (a famous thinker and politician in history) are embedded in the city and have shaped the city. On the other hand, the city has actively promoted and spread the culture. Together, they have had success and made tremendous progress.

Xiong Zhonghai, director of the Housing and Construction Commission of Suizhou, said: “The integration of cultural development and urban construction will create classics and stories for the city to tell.”

The festival boosted the development of Suizhou city. Under its influence, two new cities have emerged in the south and east of the city and a large number of key projects featuring urban function have been completed. New landmarks emerged one after another, including Suizhou Cultural Park, Lakeside Sports Field, and Government Affairs Service Center; and modern commerce giants like Wanda, Redstar, and Country Garden have become new centers of the city.

Honors awarded to the city have come in one after another, such as the National Garden City, National Forest City, Provincial Environmental Protection Model City, and so on. In the “Report on City Competitiveness in China” published in 2013 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Suizhou ranked the fourth in the country in terms of urban ecological competitiveness.

Charming Suizhou, a small city with beautiful sceneries, is showing the world its appeal as a liveable city with a gorgeous landscape and favorable ecosystem. Divided into two by a river of clear water, Suizhou City is greeting a better future brought about by quality development and driven by transformation and upgrading. (Translation: Lu Qiongyao)