The Dashudao Cultural Tourism Festival kicked off on Dec 10 in Guangyuan, a city in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The audience watches a performance featuring Dashudao during the launch ceremony. [Photo/cbgc.scol.com.cn]

Dashudao was the only man-made ancient post road from Xi'an, the capital of 13 dynasties known as Chang'an to Sichuan. It dates back more than 3,000 years, being one of the earliest and well-preserved large-scale transportationroutes. Guangyuan is a strategic gateway north of Sichuan on the passage.

During the event, a self-driving tour alliance was launched, which will offer tourists chances to see the road for themselves. The Zengjiashan scenic area in the city was named as a provincial literary and artistic creation base by the Sichuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles. 

Guangyuan's Zengjiashan scenic area receives the title of provincial literary and artistic creation base on Dec 10. [Photo/cbgc.scol.com.cn]

The activity aims to further improve Dashudao's popularity and reputation by fostering cultural tourism brands and creating boutique artistic works that meet peoples' needs, according to Wang Yi, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and head of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration.

As the only Shudao culture festival approved by the Sichuan provincial Party committee and provincial government, the event has been held for 10 consecutive years.

Continuous efforts will be made to develop Guangyuan into an ecological tourism resort, said mayor Dong Li.