Yellow River Summit opens in Shanxi

The Yellow River Summit of the 2023 Grand River Forum took place in Qikou ancient town in Lyuliang city, North China's Shanxi province, on Sept 26.

Over 300 guests from national ministries, international organizations, and provincial and city governments along the Yellow River, as well as academicians, experts, and leaders of tourism enterprises, attended the opening ceremony. 

Experts and scholars delivered keynote speeches and the Lyliang Declaration of the Yellow River Summit was announced. 

The summit, jointly organized by the Shanxi Department of Culture and Tourism, the Shanxi Department of Ecology and Environment, and the CPC Lyuliang Municipal Committee and Lyuliang government, will run until Sept 28. 

It features roundtable dialogues, an exhibition of developmental achievements, and original ethnic folk art performances, showcasing the enduring value of the Yellow River civilization in terms of international exchanges, food and wine, cultural heritage, ecological protection, intangible cultural heritage markets, and the beauty of the Yellow River. 

In recent years, Shanxi, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, has proposed becoming an important experimental zone for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, as well as an internationally renowned cultural tourism destination. 

The Grand River Civilization (Tourism) Forum, initiated by Shanxi, has been held for the past three years on an annual basis. 

The province has been striving to create intellectual property related to Yellow River cultural tourism and establish a Yellow River cultural tourism belt with international influence.

Local authorities have also been moving faster to implement the Yellow River water quality improvement project. 

So far, Shanxi has invested over 100 billion yuan ($13.69 billion) in the project, with 158 related sub-projects started and 35 completed. 

New changes have occurred in the water resources, environment, and ecology of the Yellow River including its major tributaries, and major cities in the Yellow River basin have soared to new heights in terms of their economic development.