Balance should be achieved between cultural preservation and
economic development, according to He Duanqi, a deputy from Yunnan
Province attending the annual session of the Ninth National
People's Congress (NPC) which concluded on March 15.
Local resources should be tapped in a long-term strategy, while
creating economic and social benefit crucial in China's campaign of
western development, he added.
He, a commissioner of Lijiang Prefecture Administration, said
tourism should serve as a window and driving force for Lijiang's
opening-up and all-round construction, since the prefecture boasts
breathtaking scenery and unique culture. The ancient town of
Lijiang was included by UNICEF in its World Cultural Heritage List
in December 1997.
According to the commissioner, Lijiang received 2.9 million
tourists and achieved 1.9 billion yuan in tourism profits last
year, contributing 22 percent to local GDP. The prosperous tourism
sector spurred other tertiary industries, including catering,
hotels, and handicraft manufacturing.
While boosting tourism, Lijiang allocates more than 30 million yuan
for the protection and renovation of historical and cultural sites
each year. Various measures have also been adopted to prevent
damage to these sites. The splendid culture, in his opinion, is a
brand name containing invaluable assets left by previous
generations, which should be inherited and further developed.
Lijiang, an ancient beauty spot in southern China, is known for the
spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge; picturesque Lugu Lake, around
which live the Mosuo people, who still maintain a matriarchal
society; and the snow-capped Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain,
which offers views of glaciers, waterfalls, verdant forests and
tranquil meadows.
The ancient town of Lijiang, with a history of 800 years, is lined
with the maze of narrow streets crisscrossed by canals.
According to He, it is home to 22 ethnic minorities, accounting for
57 percent of its total population of 1.1 million. The various
ethnic groups have formed their own exotic traditions and cultures,
which adds the unusual charm of Lijiang. The prefecture has
integrated the cultures of the Han, Tibetan, and other nearby
ethnic groups, which is reflected in its architecture, music,
murals, and religion. A trip to Lijiang is a must to savor the
splendid local culture, suggested He.
One of the branches of the Naxi ethnic group in Lijiang is the
Dongba. Some characters in the Dongba script are pictographic ones,
known and deciphered only by older residents, most of them in their
80s and 90s. As pictographic characters are still used today, it
enjoys the reputation as the only well-retained living pictograph
system in the world. So far Lijiang has completed 50 volumes of
An Annotated Collection of Naxi Dongba, which, translated
into Chinese and English, is considered as the encyclopedia of
ancient Naxi society.
On
April 10 this year Lijiang will hold a grand gala to celebrate the
40th anniversary of the establishment of the Naxi Autonomous County
in the prefecture. It will gather friends at home and abroad and
attract more developers to explore this beautiful land.
(CIIC by Guo Xiaohong, 03/19/2001)