On August 27, reporter learned from Yichang Three Festivals Preparatory Committee that the 9th China International Folk Art Festival, the 4th China Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival and the 3rd Yichang Yangtze River Piano Music Festival will be held together in September. Yichang Government will insist on the principle of frugality, benefiting citizens and promoting the development to provide the public with a special cultural feast.

　　China International Folk Art Festival, China Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival and China Yichang Yangtze River Piano Music Festival were originally scheduled in September, October and November respectively, now they are merged, so that two-thirds of the total cost of the previous budget can be saved by means of economical measures. Abandon big scenes, big production, the opening ceremony fireworks, water curtain, fountain, high-altitude concerts and other performances as well as a number of invited stars, the opening show only consists of folk art performances of 14 countries including China. Adhere to the principle of government-led and market operation, the Committee lets the enterprises undertake the activities which they urge to do. Through a competition, Hubei Guojingnong Culture Media Company was selected as China International Culture Exchange Concert\'s contractor with the theme “Love Yichang", taking the market-oriented operation with self-financing, while Parsons Music Group holds all activities at the Piano Festival. The stage construction and layout are taken by powerful private cultural enterprises through bidding.

　　Yichang Government persists in turning the Three Festivals into fostering public’s culture festivals. Municipal Government put the money saved from the Three Festivals into grass-roots cultural activities. Before the opening ceremony of the Three Festivals, Yichang has sent a large number of art cadres to several communities for training, providing mass organization an opportunity to show Yichang folk culture.

　　During the Three Festivals, more citizens will enjoy Chinese and foreign culture and art performance. The majority of amateur cultural groups, including the Drum Group, Waist Drum Group, and Folk Symphony Orchestra in Xiling District will attend sub-activities of the festivals. In addition, Yichang is to hold a series of square culture and art performance shown by the mass organizations, carrying out the piano competition covering all counties and organizing folk performing artists abroad to perform in scenic spots, giving plays to the communities, schools, enterprises and scenic spots. Parsons Music Group will hold five free piano concerts, and Yichang is to start “Free Week” in the key tourist attraction, present people in straitened circumstances tourist year cards. Besides, Yicahng is to take the opportunities of holding the festivals to enhance infrastructure construction like primary-level cultural venues. This year, more than 20 million RMB has been invested to improve and upgrade stadiums, theatres, libraries and the mass art gallery.

　　Yichang Government is going to take advantages of the festivals to promote the change, construction and development, comprehensively improving the speed and quality of cultural tourism, city rearrangement, new district construction, civilization establishment and the appearance of the city. Yichang Government will carry out 20 key construction projects on three aspects: cultural sports, tourism and city rearrangement, initiate the greening and beautification activities to voluntarily plant 9 million trees, and build and reconstruct six parks including Mojishan Mountain Park, Chengdong Park, Qiuyutai Park, Dongshan Park, and Xiaoxita Park. Thus, the festivals improve investment climate, the cultural taste, popularity of the city and economic construction as well. On August 19, it was reported that the second batch of 29 projects of the New District were all started with the total investment of 13.75 billion RMB. Recently, the Municipal Government has signed agreement with Sinopec to build 30 gasoline stations, and also signed with SGOCO Group Ltd. to invest 2.2 billion RMB to build 6 million production bases of touching display products. It is learnt that more than 160 travelling salesmen at home and abroad come to Yichang to have a look, negotiate and invest. Let Yichang go into the world and be remembered by the world. (Special Correspondent Yi Shixuan)