Lijiang City's ethnic culture, mild climate draw tourists escaping summer heatwaves

Lijiang City in southwest China's Yunnan Province has become one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists escaping summer heatwaves with its mild climate and unique ethnic culture.

In Lijiang ancient town, one of the city's landmark tourist attractions, an ongoing "ethnic culture season" offers visitors immersive new experiences. People from different ethnic groups dressed in traditional attire parade through the ancient streets with bamboo baskets filled with flowers, while flash mob dances and other activities enable tourists to appreciate both the stunning landscapes and the beauty of ethnic culture.

"It's incredibly novel and fascinating. Everyone is so welcoming. The activities make us feel truly involved -- plus I received flowers as gifts, which was so rewarding and joyful," said Yang Huan, a tourist.

"You can experience all kinds of ethnic customs here. It's absolutely fantastic," another tourist He Qiong added.

To highlight its unique cultural elements and natural scenery, the Lijiang municipal government has enriched its tourism offerings, rolling out new products like study tours, wellness retreats, extended-stay travel, and photography-themed tours.

"There's food, entertainment, and even makeup and styling services for photography-themed tours. The experiences of this tour are exceptional -- you get to wear local outfits and try something completely new," said Dai Fangyi, a tourist from south China's Guangdong Province.

Beyond the scenery, tasting local flavors ranks top at tourists' to-do lists. Restaurants in the ancient town have also updated their menus with creative fusion dishes, such as "wild mushroom with cured ribs" and "flower-infused cured ribs" to cater to tourists from different regions.

"Many netizens recommended this. We happened to find it today and decided to have a try. Wild mushrooms are a Yunnan specialty -- the soup is delicious," said Chen Rilan, a tourist.

The city's commerce bureau, in cooperation with cultural tourism departments and local businesses, have launched multiple voucher campaigns spanning dining, lodging, tourist attractions, and retail to fuel its summer tourism.

Since July, Lijiang ancient town has welcomed over 6.8 million visitors in total, according the data from the Lijiang ancient town protection and management authorities.

During the summer travel peak, local authorities have stepped up supervision of the tourism market, aiming to safeguard consumers' rights, and ensure an orderly market environment for consumers.

"Moving forward, we'll diversify our offerings to meet all travelers' needs, continuously elevating their experience and satisfaction. We will invite more visitors to discover 20 degree-Celsius Lijiang and its 100 percent enthusiasm," said Yin Liangqin, deputy director of the Lijiang Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Lijiang City's ethnic culture, mild climate draw tourists escaping summer heatwaves

China will roll out a series of targeted measures to stabilize investment and unlock greater space for private capital, an official said on Thursday.

Chen Changsheng, deputy director of the State Council Research Office who participated in the drafting of this year's Government Work Report, made the statement at a press briefing held in Beijing.

He noted that China will leverage the guiding role of government funding and the driving effect of major projects to shore up investment.

Total government investment this year is set to exceed five trillion yuan (about 725 billion U.S. dollars), which will come from central budget investment and local government special bonds for major national strategies and security capacity building projects and equipment upgrades. Meanwhile, 109 major projects have been planned in the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

China will also stimulate investment by opening up more application scenarios for businesses.

On the traditional front, a long-term mechanism will be improved to encourage private enterprises to participate in major national projects. For emerging sectors, China will further open scenarios in biomedicine, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy.

"Low-altitude economy has developed rapidly in recent years, with sound applications seen in fields such as agriculture, forestry plant protection, as well as surveying and inspection. Going forward, we will accelerate the opening of airspace resources and streamline approval procedures for low-altitude flights. This will unlock new scenarios including low-altitude logistics and urban management. Similar new opportunities can also be found in service robots and other sectors, all of which will create new space for private investment," Chen said.

By deepening reforms to further unlock investment potential, China will ease market access in the service sector, speed up revisions to the Bidding Law and the Government Procurement Law, and advance price reforms to broaden investment access for more enterprises.

"We will see a new round of investment potential unleashed. Major projects including the national water network, a new round of power grid upgrades, new generation communication networks, and computing power networks will drive massive investment, including demand from urban development. In addition, the campaign this year to expand and upgrade the service sector and the development of emerging industries will further expand space for private investment," Chen noted.

China to take measures to boost investment, expand space for private investment in 2026: official