Why hold a lantern festival?
The Lantern Festival has a huge role in promoting the economy. Taking Zigong as an example, after the founding of the country, especially in the past 30 years, the Zigong Lantern Festival has continued to change, innovate and develop with the country's reform and opening up and the improvement of scientific and technological level, and has stood out in the cultural activities of the Chinese New Year Festival. It has become a well-known cultural brand at home and abroad, and has made positive contributions to the economic and social development of Zigong. Mainly reflected in the following aspects.
First, it has been affirmed by party and state leaders and foreign dignitaries, which has greatly improved the popularity of Zigong. When the Zigong Lantern Festival was exhibited in Beijing in 1988, a special session was held for the leaders of the central government. Deng Xiaoping, 113 party and state leaders, more than 200 ministers, deputy ministers and army corps-level leaders, and more than 600 outstanding teachers in the capital watched the lanterns and became the founding member of the nation. Since then, in the large-scale mass cultural activities held in Beijing, the leaders of the central government have participated more and more intensively. In 1990, General Secretary Jiang Zemin said at the Central Outreach Work Conference.
"In recent years, various localities have used the combination of culture, economy and trade to carry out external publicity, such as the International Kite Festival in Huaifang and the Dinosaur Lantern Festival in Zigong, all of which have been successful." In May 2003, General Secretary Hu Jintao pointed out when he inspected Zigong, Zigong With a long history, splendid culture and outstanding people, Zigong should do a good job in the lantern cultural industry. The President of Singapore, the President of South Korea, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Crown Princess of Thailand and other international dignitaries spoke highly of the Zigong Lantern Festival, and praised the Zigong Lantern Festival as "the world's lanterns". Nearly 200 million people around the world have watched the Zigong Lantern Festival. "Zigong is the Lantern Festival, and the Lantern Festival is Zigong", which has left a deep imprint in the memory of Chinese and foreign tourists. In the present "attention economy", Zigong Lantern Festival has become a bridge and window for Zigong's opening to the outside world, foreign exchanges and foreign cooperation.
Second, the Zigong Lantern Festival has promoted the prosperity of Zigong’s economy and trade and the development of the tertiary industry. According to incomplete statistics, the city has achieved a total economic and trade turnover of 30 billion yuan and attracted foreign investment of more than 10 billion yuan with the Lantern Festival as a platform. Due to the holding of the Lantern Festival, the city's total retail sales of social goods in the first quarter of each year ranks first in the province. The box office revenue, transportation operations, hotel occupancy rate, commerce, catering and taxation of major tourist attractions have jumped significantly. The economic indicators of the tertiary industry show rising momentum.
Third, the Zigong Lantern Festival has greatly promoted the construction and development of the city. During the preparation and holding of each Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival, especially last year, the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government strengthened urban construction and development through the use of colorful lantern culture as a carrier and the construction of Nanguo Lantern City as a means to improve the city's urban construction level. , management level and service level have been greatly improved, and the city's appearance has undergone great changes.
Fourth, the Zigong Lantern Festival gave birth to the formation of an emerging sunrise industry such as the Zigong Lantern Cultural Industry. According to the new statistics from the Zigong Industry and Commerce Bureau, there are 128 companies registered in the commercial sector that are mainly engaged in lanterns and other businesses. This has reserved technical talents and production teams for the construction of "Southland Light City", and has also led to the employment of the city's labor force. At present, the external exhibition of Zigong Lantern Festival and the sales of Zigong Lanterns account for 80% of the market share at home and abroad. Last year, Zigong lantern products exported 47 million yuan, accounting for 60% of the province's export value of cultural products. Therefore, the Zigong Lantern Festival has become a valuable cultural brand resource for Zigong's "people who have nothing, I have, and people who have me are excellent".
Due to the outstanding achievements of the Zigong Lantern Festival, it has been successively identified by the National Tourism Administration as a large-scale folk tourism project launched overseas, and has been rated as one of the two major folk activities in the country. Named as "National Cultural Industry Demonstration Base" and "National Excellent Export Cultural Service Project", Nanguo Lantern City Landscape Lighting Project was named "Green Lighting Demonstration Project" by the Ministry of Construction. Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage" Municipal Lighting Trade Commission was rated as an advanced unit of foreign cultural exchanges in Sichuan Province, an advanced collective of cultural industry work in Sichuan Province, and an advanced unit of cultural exchanges with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in the province.
