Shandong to stage annual cultural consumption season

Shandong province is set to host the second Cultural Consumption Season from this July to October. [Photo/chinanews.com]

The second Shandong Cultural Consumption Season is set to take place from this July to October to promote the province’s cultural industries.

With its opening ceremony on July 20, the season is scheduled to be held across the province in its 17 cities.

During the three-month season, various cultural performances will be put on stage at local theaters, including movies, television plays, traditional Chinese operas, concerts and acrobatic performances.

A series of cultural activities will also be held to improve the cultural appreciation of local residents,  such as lectures on culture and arts, fine arts exhibitions, book launches, book fairs, and poetry contests.

It is expected that renowned domestic and international design companies will be  invited to brainstorm how to further develop the cultural and creative industries. A series of activities will be held for these companies, such as cultural and creative products exhibitions and fairs, and a teenager creative design competition featuring Qingdao culture.

Ten new travel routes of cultural tourist destinations will be promoted at the opening ceremony where numerous festivals will be held, such as Leling’s golden silk jujube festival, Dezhou’s Dong-Tzu cultural festival and Huimin county’s Sun-Tzu cultural festival.

Dong-Tzu, or Dong Zhongshu, was a renowned Chinese scholar in the ancient Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) and Sun-Tzu, or Sun Bin, was a military strategist and general who served the state of Wu near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC), and is traditionally considered the author of the Chinese classic Bingfa (The Art of War).

Besides, a series of experiential activities for traditional Chinese handicrafts are arranged for visitors during the season, including pottery making, inkstone making and wicker weaving.

The on-line platform of Shandong province’s cultural consumption information (website or App), launched last year, will offer tourists about 5,000 creative products from more than 600 cultural companies at home and abroad.

Last year’s first Shandong Cultural Consumption Season organized more than 50,000 activities for 133 million visitors, reaping in 20.6 billion yuan ($3.23 billion).

The first Shandong Cultural Consumption Season organizes more than 50,000 activities for 133 million visitors, reaping in 20.6 billion yuan ($3.23 billion). [Photo/chinanews.com]

A famous Chinese surnai player performs at the opening ceremony of the first Shandong Cultural Consumption Season. [Photo/chinanews.com]