Cotton field fashion shows and communal dances among autumn trees have revived tourism in Xinjiang's Awat at a time when the county usually sees a post-holiday lull in visitors.
Awat County of Aksu is known as China's cotton capital, as well as the heartland of Dolan culture. Dolan traditions are widely recognized for Muqam, a passionate and rhythmic form of traditional music, and for the high energy communal folk dances that go along with it.
With cotton harvesting in full swing, the county hosted a fashion show set in a local long-staple cotton field. The garments featured on the runway were crafted from locally produced fabrics and incorporated distinct regional cultural elements, impressing traveling visitors who came for the show.
"These garments are stylish and attractive. There is also a wide array of creative home textile products on display, all crafted from long-staple cotton," said Zhou Yuru, a tourist from Sichuan Province in southwest China.
The poplar forest in Awat is also popular among autumn tourists due to the beauty of the leaves in the season as the trees stand over the shallow waters.
A cultural event was held in the poplar forest, drawing over 1,000 local residents from various ethnic backgrounds alongside visitors from all over the country. Dressed in traditional attire, local residents joined hands with visitors to engage in lively music and dance performances.
"The beautiful autumn scenery was refreshing and uplifting. My teammates and I couldn't help dancing along with the music," said He Mei, a visitor from Hubei Province in central China.
According to local culture and tourism departments, driven by strong demand for autumn sightseeing and cultural tours, Awat County's peak travel season is expected to extend by one month, lasting through mid-November.
Cotton harvest celebrations bring off-season tourism to Xinjiang county
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core keeps tightening the "cage of institutions" in Party building, which provides strong guarantees for advancing the cause of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress held in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core included tightening Party discipline into the integrated plan on Party building in the new era, coordinating efforts to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to be corrupt.
Full and rigorous Party self-governance has been continuously extended to the grassroots level.
In 2024, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision started a nationwide campaign on addressing misconduct and corruption directly affecting the public.
Ping'an Village in Longquanyi District of Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, recently completed constructions of new drainage outlets and ditches, and now heavy rain no longer disrupts traveling of the locals. The fund for the constructions was recovered from money that was embezzled by village officials.
"The money was recovered, and now the problem of rainwater accumulation has been solved. And the environment is getting better and better," said villager Wang Yuangang.
Since 2012, the Party has formulated or revised an unprecedented number of internal regulations, building a comprehensive framework of rules to confine power in "a cage of institutions".
"Why establishing rules? Fundamentally, it is to ensure that Party members and officials always keep in mind who they are, for whom they work, and on whom they rely," said Song Wei, researcher with the Institute for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Tsinghua University.
"We must uphold the principle that everyone is equal before rules and regulations, no one enjoys privileges in terms of compliance, and no exceptions are allowed in their enforcement, thus making sure that rules and regulations truly become live 'high-voltage lines'," said Li Li, deputy head of the School of Discipline Inspection and Supervision of China University of Political Science and Law.
Xi also launched an unprecedented anti-corruption storm that has swept every corner of public office, netting both high-ranking "tigers" and lower-level "flies". The anti-corruption campaign has continued unabated, with Xi stressing that the fight is an ongoing endeavor.
From January to September this year alone, discipline inspection and supervisory authorities filed more than 800,000 cases, including those against 73 officials at provincial and ministerial level or above, with 680,000 people receiving punishment, including 105 officials at provincial and ministerial level or above.
"The fight against corruption in the new era has been unprecedentedly forceful with clear effects. At the same time, we must recognize that the fight against corruption remains severe and complex, and the task of eradicating the breeding grounds and conditions for corruption remains arduous. Experience has taught us that anti-corruption is a major political endeavor that we cannot afford to lose and must never lose. We cannot pause for even a moment, nor can we retreat a single step. We must carry the anti-corruption fight through to the end," said Sun Songtao, deputy director of the case supervision and management office of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision.
CPC keeps tightening "cage of institutions" in Party building
