Since last year, Gansu Province has made comprehensive efforts from three dimensions — "new spaces," "new stages," and "new integration" — to cultivate high-quality public cultural development. More than 20 programs and events have won multiple national and provincial/ministerial awards. From urban study rooms to rural "Village Gala" events, from intangible cultural heritage preservation to cultural tourism integration, the land of Longyuan (Gansu) is witnessing a cultural transformation that covers both urban and rural areas and deeply touches people's hearts. Recently, a relevant official from the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism answered journalists' questions regarding the specific practices of promoting high-quality public culture through the "three-dimensional efforts."

Q: What does "new spaces" include?

A: In 2025, Gansu Province continued to improve its public cultural service system. All of the province's 103 public libraries, 105 cultural centers, 57 art museums, and 1,354 township (subdistrict) comprehensive cultural stations were fully opened to the public free of charge. Among them, 94 libraries, 86 cultural centers, and 849 cultural stations were rated as tier?3 or above. The "main fronts" of public cultural services have been continuously strengthened.

The empowerment of digital technology has enabled cultural services to break through the constraints of time and space. A total of 83 public cultural cloud platforms at the provincial, municipal, and county (district) levels have been built and put into operation. With just a light tap on their mobile phones, residents can reserve venues, participate in activities, and enjoy performances. This service model — "cloud-based connectivity" and "accessibility at the fingertips" — has given public cultural services the "wings of wisdom." Statistics show that the average number of cultural venue services received per capita in the province jumped from 1.5 person-times at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period to 3.1 person-times, marking a significant increase in both the coverage and effectiveness of cultural benefits for the people.

Under a diverse model featuring government guidance, social participation, and mass co-creation, nearly a thousand new types of public cultural spaces have blossomed across the land of Longyuan (Gansu), becoming "cultural living rooms" right at the people's doorstep.

Urban study rooms in Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Tianshui, and other cities have been integrated into communities, scenic areas, and commercial districts. Innovative models such as "bookstore + coffee + exhibition" and "intangible cultural heritage workshop + study tour + market" have woven reading and art experiences into daily life. In Linxia and Gannan, "Hua'er" folk song small theaters, embroidery workshops, and painted pottery corners embed intangible cultural heritage displays, experiences, and apprenticeships into public spaces, bringing ancient crafts to life in modern society. In rural areas of the Hexi Corridor and the Longdong Loess Plateau, idle school buildings and abandoned factories have been transformed into comprehensive cultural courtyards that serve as venues for policy lectures, skill training bases, and stages for folk activities.

Within the Lanzhou Creative Culture Industrial Park, the cultural and creative market is bustling with crowds, where culture, technology, and tourism deeply intersect. At the cultural station in the Zhangye Danxia Scenic Area, visitors can enjoy the stunning landscapes while also participating in intangible cultural heritage experiences and purchasing cultural and creative products. These new spaces — characterized by their approachability, openness, and integration — allow farmers to express the joy of harvest, herders to share stories of the grasslands, artisans to pass down ancient crafts, and children to touch the digital future. They have injected a steady stream of vitality into the cultural life of the people in Longyuan (Gansu).

Q: What does "new stages" include?

A: In recent years, cultural and tourism departments in Gansu Province have guided qualified townships and villages to organize "Four Seasons Village Gala" and "Four Seasons Village Song" events during the agricultural off-season, allowing rural residents to write, direct, and perform their own shows and become the protagonists of the cultural stage. Last year alone, 15 villages in the province were selected as national demonstration sites for the "Four Seasons Village Gala." Through the demonstration and guidance of provincial and municipal authorities, systematic integration at the county and district levels, and the development of unique features by townships (subdistricts), the "Gansu Village Gala" has gradually formed a distinctive brand. Related topics on social media platforms have garnered hundreds of millions of views, making it a rural cultural phenomenon that has captured nationwide attention.

In Laizhou Village, Xiahe County, Gannan Prefecture, people of various ethnic groups, dressed in their festive costumes, sang and danced together, presenting a harmonious picture of ethnic unity. At the "Village Gala" in Qin'an County, Tianshui City, the melodious Qin'an folk tunes sang of the new charm of the ancient city. On the stage of Jiangjiagou Village, Kongtong District, Pingliang City, gongs and drums, dragon dances, martial arts, and suona trumpets took turns to perform, showcasing the richness of folk customs. The Huaqiu suona and Longdong folk songs in Xifeng District, Qingyang City, allowed the audience to appreciate the cultural depth of the Loess Plateau. The "Village Gala" in Zhuaxixiulong Town, Tianzhu County, Wuwei City, not only brought joy to the villagers but also attracted tourists to come and experience it, driving local tourism consumption. The "Village Gala+" model in Qifeng Township, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, integrated ethnic cultural heritage, tourism industry development, and new consumption formats, adding new momentum to the rural economy.

Behind the boom of the "Village Galas" lies the bursting vitality of Longyuan's local culture. Through this "new stage," the people sing about things around them, perform stories about those beside them, and express the beauty of their hometowns, giving rise to a new rural cultural trend characterized by "the people rehearsing, the people performing, the people watching, and the people enjoying."

Over the past year, the province has cultivated more than 600 grassroots outstanding cultural teams with over 11,500 members, and created over 300 original cultural programs showcasing the new look of Longyuan. Meanwhile, representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage at all levels have actively participated in the "Village Gala" events, allowing intangible heritage items such as Hua'er folk songs, Qin opera, Long opera, paper cutting, and Shehuo (a traditional folk pageant) to be revitalized through living transmission. Ancient farming culture and modern civilizational concepts shine together in these events, conveying strong bonds of hometown affection and dialect, and preserving the deep roots of culture.

Q: What are the features of "new integration"?

A:In June 2024, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and eight other government departments jointly issued a guiding document, charting the course for the integrated development of public cultural services and public tourism services. Seizing the momentum, Gansu Province has prioritized the integration of both facilities and functions, enhancing public engagement through cultural appeal, and promoting a two-way empowerment between cultural and tourism public services, allowing both to achieve greater visibility and excellence.

The transformation of the Zhangye Danxia Tourism Distribution Center serves as a vivid example of integrated development. No longer just a single-purpose travel service point, it has been upgraded into a one-stop comprehensive cultural tourism service platform. Visitors can not only access travel information, purchase tickets, and transfer between scenic spots but also participate in intangible cultural heritage experiences, enjoy cultural performances, and buy creative cultural products — achieving a "one-stop entry, worry-free journey" cultural tourism experience.

Branded events serve as a bond that deeply integrates culture and tourism across various regions. Pingliang's "Stars' Stage" showcases local artistic talent to visitors; Lanzhou's cultural performances along the Yellow River scenic promenade allow both residents and tourists to share the charm of Yellow River culture; Dunhuang's "Starlit Singing Festival for Ten Thousand" perfectly blends desert landscapes with musical spectacles... An increasing number of high-quality events are simultaneously enhancing the cultural taste and tourism appeal of both urban and rural areas.

Public libraries, cultural centers, museums, and art galleries at all levels have actively expanded their service spaces and undergone tourism-friendly renovations, becoming new check-in spots for visitors to Gansu. The Gansu Provincial Library has organized a "Bookish Journey: Reciting Ancient Poems" event, taking readers on a time-traveling journey to appreciate the profound history and culture of Gansu. Tianshui City has combined the "Caves as Readable" concept with youth reading activities, using diverse formats such as "walking, learning, listening, and speaking" to guide young people in exploring the city's historical context, while also allowing tourists to experience cultural charm during their travels.

"Before traveling to Gansu, I mainly focused on the natural landscapes. But now I find that every cultural venue holds surprises — I can learn about the local history and culture while also participating in interactive experiences. This kind of trip is much more meaningful," said Ms. Li, a tourist from Sichuan. The integration of culture and tourism has not only turned public cultural venues into new travel highlights but has also endowed tourist destinations with lasting cultural appeal, creating a virtuous cycle of "culture promoting tourism and tourism spreading culture."

From the blossoming of "new spaces" across the land, to the vibrant flourishing of "new stages," and then to the deep empowerment of "new integration," Gansu Province has adopted innovative measures to address challenges in public cultural services, ensuring that the fruits of cultural development benefit the people more and more equitably.

Fifteen villages in the province have been selected as national demonstration sites for the Spring Festival "Village Gala" and the "Four Seasons Village Gala." The "Chile Song" performed by the Lanzhou Starlight Children's Choir won the 20th National Qunxing Award. The works "Oriental Smile," "Coming Together," from the Gansu Provincial Cultural Center, and "A Glimpse of Blossom in the World" from the Zhenyuan County Cultural Center were selected as outstanding pieces in the "Our Songs" national collection of mass culture style songs. Twenty-three photographic works received excellence awards in the "Great Beauty of the Yellow River – Photography Exhibition of Nine Provinces (Regions) along the Yellow River." The Zhangye Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism was commended by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Each of these honors bears witness to the rich achievements of Gansu Province's public cultural services.

Today, the land of Longyuan is imbued with an increasingly rich cultural atmosphere, and the people's sense of cultural gain and happiness continues to rise. On this vibrant and dynamic land, public cultural services — in more vivid forms and with richer content — are nourishing people's spiritual world, injecting powerful cultural momentum into the province's high-quality development.