Hunan Huaihua 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad' Action Plan: Creating a 'Culture + Technology + Tourism' Platform

Huaihua, Hunan, China, possesses 740 national, provincial, city, and county-level intangible cultural heritage projects, with 1,040 representatives of various levels of intangible cultural heritage inheritances. Riding the wave of regional cooperation under the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), this city of culture is promoting its intangible cultural heritage to 'go global', using culture as a bridge and industry as wings, stepping into a new phase of internationalization of intangible cultural heritage development.

Deputy Mayor of Huaihua People's Government, Xiang Rulian, pointed out that Huaihua is taking the opportunity presented by the second Hunan (Huaihua) RCEP Trade Expo, conducting the 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad with Economic and Trade Actions', to write a contemporary narrative of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Lighting Up Huaihua, Innovation Changing Life'. In the future, Huaihua will take Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Garden as a starting point, further promoting technology to empower intangible cultural heritage, creatively activating cultural tourism, and driving inheritance through industry.

She made these remarks when attending the launch of the 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad with Economic and Trade Actions' and the opening ceremony of the Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Garden on Friday afternoon.

Director of Huaihua City Cultural and Tourism Sports Bureau, Jin Jianping, released the 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad with Economic and Trade Actions' Huaihua Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad Action Plan at the ceremony.

The plan proposes that Huaihua will implement four major actions: 'Digital International Communication and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage, International Festivals and Cultural Exchange Cooperation, Cross-border and International Cooperation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Industry, International Academic and Talent Cultivation of Intangible Cultural Heritage'. Through specific measures such as developing the 'Virtual Dong Village' interactive project, promoting the issuance of digital intangible cultural heritage collections, advancing the 'Dong Listening to the World' Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Art Tour, and producing multi-language intangible cultural heritage promotional videos, setting up Huaihua intangible cultural heritage pop-up stores in overseas malls, to promote Huaihua's intangible cultural heritage projects towards the world.

Chairman of Huaihua City Cultural Tourism Sports Group, Liu Chunlin, stated that the Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Park covers 26,000 square meters, creating a 'multidimensional intangible cultural heritage ecosystem', which includes 'one court, one hall, one space', encompassing three major sections: outdoor intangible cultural heritage plaza, indoor digital experience space, and research and learning workshop. The digital space uses VR, AR, and other technologies to create 42 immersive intangible cultural heritage projects, while the research and learning workshop builds an 'art transmission - cultural and creative development' industry chain, attracting tourists to engage deeply. The park connects with over 5,000 merchants citywide, creating a unique consumption ecosystem of 'playing intangible cultural heritage, earning points, and enjoying Huaihua'.

On the day of the ceremony, Huaihua Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Member, Head of the Organization Department, and Head of the United Front Work Department, Peng Xiandan, announced the commencement of the event.

This 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Going Abroad with Economic and Trade Actions' aims to build a multi-dimensional dialogue platform for 'government-industry-academia-research', systematically exploring the creative transformation and innovative development path of intangible cultural heritage, creating new scenarios for intangible cultural heritage experience, new business formats, and new consumption models in cultural tourism.