Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is harnessing its stunning natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage to accelerate tourism development.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), Xinjiang's tourist arrivals surged from 191 million in 2021 to over 300 million in 2024, while total tourism revenue climbed from 141.569 billion yuan (about 19.86 billion U.S. dollars) to more than 350 billion yuan (about 49.10 billion U.S. dollars). These figures underscore the robust vitality of the region's cultural and tourism sector.
In Bohu County of the Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, the Bosten Lake, China's largest inland freshwater lake, capitalizes its breathtaking natural scenery to develop the tourism industry. Visitors can now enjoy a range of water-based activities, including boat tours, birdwatching, and water sports such as kayaking and yacht racing.
"The natural scenery is breathtaking, offering a vast visual sight. I am very happy, really enjoying myself," said Hou Qianqian, a visitor from east China's Shandong Province.
"So far this year, we have received over 5 million tourist visits, up 27 percent year on year. Our tourism data show that our tourists not only come from surrounding areas, but also from all parts of China," said Aliremi Yilamu, deputy director of Bohu County Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Beyond its stunning natural landscapes, Xinjiang also boasts a rich cultural heritage, with its ancient towns drawing visitors from far and wide.
In Moyu County of Hotan Prefecture, an old town on the ancient Silk Road has revitalized after renovation.
Over the past five years, the local authorities renovated the residential areas and infrastructure of the Moyu ancient town, and the refreshed old town opened to the public in May.
Abulikemu Dana, a local resident, opened a painting studio in the Moyu ancient town. He has created over 7,000 works depicting great changes in his hometown.
"He has not undergone formal training and he learned to paint out of personal interest. The main subject in his painting is the poplar tree, as it symbolizes the optimism of the Hotan people in resisting sandstorms and building up their lives," said Muhaibaiti Maihemuti, daughter-in-law of Abulikemu Dana.
"During the renovation process, we follow the principle of restoring while preserving the original state, maintaining its authentic local characteristics," said Dilina Simayili, a staff member of the Moyu Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Today, Xinjiang boasts 18 national-level 5A-rated tourist sites, ranking the third nationwide, which have all become must-visit destinations for visitors from home and abroad.
Northwest China's Xinjiang leverages natural, cultural resources to develop tourism industry
For more than 1,000 years, Jingdezhen, the "porcelain capital" in east China's Jiangxi Province, has shaped how the world understands porcelain, with even discarded shards preserving a living tradition.
Weng Yanjun, president of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, reflected on the scale and challenge behind Jingdezhen's historic creations.
"When I look at this gigantic dragon jar, I couldn't help going back to 600 years ago, when the emperor had this order to create something bigger than ever before. The failure rate of the dragon jar is so high. It could be nine out of 10. Even making failure products like this takes courage, takes techniques and takes commitment," said Weng.
Those failed attempts, once discarded, now preserve the evidence of how Jingdezhen pursued perfection.
For more than 1,000 years, Jingdezhen's porcelain industry has endured through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (960-1911). What has survived is not only its porcelain, but also a living heritage of raw materials, workshops, kilns and specialized craftsmanship.
Those firings produced masterpieces as well as failures, with the discarded pieces forming another kind of archive.
At the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, Weng told archaeology students that fragmented specimens sometimes provide more information than complete artifacts.
Weng leads the development of the world's first Ancient Ceramics Gene Bank, which extracts and catalogs the defining characteristics of each ceramic shard.
"For our institute alone, we have excavated more than 20 million pieces of shards for the past over 1,200 years. Among those shards, we do sorting, we do restoration, and we do scientific tests. And then we find, wow, a small shard can tell us much more information than even a whole piece," said Weng.
Using a standardized sample library and unified data framework, the project records each piece's shape, decoration, body material, glaze, color, firing marks and inscriptions, creating a valuable resource for authentication and research around the world.
"The whole city is a wonderful lab and space range makes Jingdezhen uniquely a wonderful example of how the handicraft ancient industry with porcelain as the focus survived even to today," Weng added.
Jingdezhen once helped establish benchmarks for how porcelain was made. Now, the gene bank is turning fragments into a language that can be read beyond the city. For French artist and researcher Yann Colleu, learning to read that language has also changed the way he creates.
"Since my childhood, my parents had these teapots, tea sets, plates and cups. I was very curious about the pattern, like the meaning, what was behind it? Actually when I discovered in Jingdezhen that it was a bat, because of 'fu' and 'fu' is fortune, but also you have the 'wufu,' like the five blessings. I was like a child with stars in the eyes, discovering the world for the first time," said Colleu, PhD candidate at Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
What once seemed abstract became part of Yann's own visual language. In his work, traditional Jingdezhen motifs and production scenes are reimagined through a contemporary, cross-cultural lens.
"Jingdezhen is a timeless city. The past, the present and even the future are tied together. This is one of illustration of 72 traditional steps developing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The difference is, instead of using Chinese characters, I use foreigners. I want to use the past to talk about the present and even the future with Jingdezhen," said Colleu.
The Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Saturday. The inscription recognizes not just a single kiln or masterpiece, but an entire production system, from its archaeological remains and traditional craftsmanship to its industrial knowledge and global influence.
Porcelain shards preserve Jingdezhen’s timeless legacy
