During the Dragon Boat Festival vacation this year, over one hundred preferential programs centered on the themes of “Dragon Boat Festival” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage” were launched in Yichang City, attracting more than 2 million tourists with a total income of CNY 1.21 billion.

　　In Zigui County, the 2019 Dragon Boat Festival in Qu Yuan’s Hometown was launched and the descendants of Qu Yuan and tourists from home and abroad attended the opening and Qu Yuan worshipping ceremony, flash mob performance with the theme of “I Love My Motherland”, cultural communication among Qu Yuan’s descendants from the mainland and Taiwan, Zongzi (rice dumplings) making match for Guinness World Record challenge, poetry club activities, dragon-boat races and food tasting programs, and experienced the genuine and charming traditions of Dragon Boat Festival Culture.

　　During the vacation, the Dragon Boat Festival Custom Hall in Qu Yuan’s Hometown was open to the public free of charge and some relevant inheritors were invited to show their crafts, and the visitors to the Dragon-boat Culture Park enjoyed themselves participating all kinds of activities, such as making Zongzi and herbal sachets, hanging Chinese mugwort, writing and pasting couplets and making and splashing realgar wine.

　　Driven by those folk activities, the countryside leisure trips featuring fruit/vegetable picking, fishing, outside barbecuing and folk culture visits are in full swing. Some rural scenic attractions, such as Shizhu Village of Jiuwanxi Town, Xiling Gorge Village in Quyuan Town, Guanmiaoshan of Zhijiang City, Oriental Time Scenic Spot and some other skirt attractions also attracted a large number of self-driving tourists and visitors for vacation, sightseeing, fruit picking and rural leisure.

　　During the vacation, the flag-relay activity of the Gac Motor & Yichang 2019 International Marathon was held in Yichang. The flag was passed through 12 scenic spots including the Three Gorges Dam, attracting the members of the relevant runners associations and tourists from all over the country. Also, the opening ceremony (initial match) of the 2019 China (Yichang) International Natural Waters Extreme Drifting F1 Grand Prix was launched in Jiuwanxi Drifting Scenic Area, Zigui County, where more than 500 rafting professionals and amateurs from overseas and domestic sports clubs and associations participated. The 2 international sports events help improve the popularity of Yichang at home and abroad.（Reported by Wang Ying, Yang Chunyan and Peng Shiqi）