Recently, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province unveiled a list of the first batch of provincial pilot units for “Culture-driven Rural Revitalization”. Among the 18 selected units, Chashan Town stood out as the only one from Dongguan.
In recent years, Chashan Town has made significant strides in leveraging cultural industries to promote rural revitalization. Various plans and policies have been introduced, including the Three-Year Action Plan (2019-2021) for Building a Model Site for Traditional Culture in the Greater Bay Area and Promoting the Development of a Livable, Quality and Vibrant Chashan, the Chashan Town Tourism Industry Development Special Fund Management Measures, the Implementation Plan of Chashan Town for Promoting the Development of Traditional Culture in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (2023-2026), and the High-quality Development Management Measures of Chashan Town for Cultural and Tourism Projects. These initiatives provide targeted support for cultural and tourism enterprises, brand creation, infrastructure enhancement, and the development of unique cultural brands.
Simultaneously, Chashan Town has solidified its foundation for cultural industries through a variety of cultural activities, integrating cultural events with the cultural industry. Over the past two years, the large-scale traditional cultural event “Chashan Grand Parade” has hosted over 100 national intangible cultural heritage exhibitions and performances, along with nearly 200 sub-activities such as food culture festivals, cultural and tourism integration events, and rural sports meets. These events have attracted over 3 million visitors and generated over 150 million yuan in economic consumption revenue, offering residents and tourists a cultural and tourism feast.
By attracting investments, Chashan has introduced projects like the “Greater Bay Area Traditional Culture Living Experience Zone”, “Tea Display & Tea Tribe”, and “Zuiqiannian Slow Life Community”, enriching and improving the town’s rural cultural and tourism facilities. By effectively integrating cultural and tourism resources, Chashan is advancing the contiguous development of the Nanshe-Niuguolang cultural and tourism project, creating premium tourism routes and achieving innovative breakthroughs in rural tourism. By leveraging its reputation as a National Famous Food Town, Chashan has substantially enhanced its rural public cultural service facilities, effectively supporting rural revitalization and high-quality development.
In 2023, making the best of its selection as one of the first typical towns and Nanshe Village as one of the first typical villages under the High-quality Development Project for Guangdong Counties, Towns and Villages, Chashan Town has prioritized the development of rural culture and tourism industries as a key component of its rural revitalization strategy. The recently released Implementation Program for the Provincial Pilot Plan of Chashan Town for Culture-driven Rural Revitalization (“the Implementation Program”) aims to transform the town into a leading example of excellent traditional cultural practice in the Greater Bay Area by 2026.
The Implementation Program outlines efforts to develop tourism resources and infuse new vitality into rural economic development. This includes perfecting local premium tourism routes such as historical, industrial, ecological, and study tours, launching “Chashan Town Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Experience Routes” and “Chashan Town Industrial Study Tourism Routes”, and actively seeking recognition for these routes as part of “Dongguan’s Top 10 Premium Tourism Routes”. Chashan is also advancing the construction of key scenic areas and projects, such as the Nanshe Ming and Qing Ancient Village and the Zuiqiannian Slow Life Community, and striving for recognition of the Hanxishui Village Red Tourism Scenic Area as a “National AAA Tourist Attraction”. Through continuous promotion of the national-level intangible heritage event “Chashan Grand Parade”, deep integration of “intangible cultural heritage + tourism” and “culture + tourism”, and enhancement of tourism promotion, the town aims to establish the event as a platform for cultural exchange and dissemination in the Greater Bay Area, thereby boosting the brand influence and reach of the “Chashan Grand Parade” and promoting the sustainable development of rural industries.
Additionally, Chashan Town will cultivate a series of unique rural cultural brands, enriching activities such as the “Chashan Grand Parade” the “Zhang Mu Cup” Dongguan Youth Painting and Calligraphy Competition, the Chashan Spring Festival Gala, and grassroots cultural performances. The town will also strengthen the development of rural cultural teams, projects, and unique venues, and further enhance the charm of brands such as Nanshe Village’s loyalty culture, Hanxishui Village’s red culture, Chaolang Village’s rice cake culture, and Xialang Village’s Chinese studies culture, effectively stimulating local cultural vitality and improving the rural image.
