On Nov 11, the 13th Sichuan Rural Cultural Tourism Festival (Autumn) opened in Tangjiahe tourist area, Qingchuan county, Guangyuan city, with the Dashudao Cultural Tourism Festival also launching on the same day.

Takins run across the grassland in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

The two four-day festivals comprised a series of activities, including an exhibition on Guangyuan's cultural and tourism products, Tangjiahe-themed immersive performances, well-designed tourism routes in Qingchuan, an ecological investment promotion conference, a forum on homestay businesses, a national calligraphy contest of clerical script, and the award ceremony of the Jianmen Pass Literature Prize.

Red leaves blanket the hills in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

In addition, people were encouraged to conduct a virtual visit of wild animals and scenic areas in Qingchuan through a mobile-based app.

Beautiful mountain vistas in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

With a history of over 3,000 years, Qingchuan boasts unique strengths in its ecological environment and natural resources. It is located along a tourism line of Jiuzhaigou Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tangjiahe Scenic Area has a huge variety of wild animals and plants and is a national core protective area of giant pandas.

The earthquake memorial park in Qingchuan county, Guangyuan, Sichuan province [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

Over the past few years, Qingchuan has improved its infrastructural facilities of catering, accommodation, travel, tourism, shopping and entertainment, and has attached great importance to the building of a cultural tourism brand reputed as the hometown of giant pandas and a picturesque location.

Qingxi ancient town in Qingchuan county, Guangyuan, Sichuan province [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

The newly opened Guangyuan-Pingwu Expressway passes through Tangjiahe, Bailonghu and other scenic areas in Qingchuan.

Bailong Lake in Qingchuan county, Guangyuan, Sichuan province [Photo/epaper.scdaily.cn]

Tangjiahe Scenic Area has rolled out a high-quality tourism route toward the exploration of giant pandas and introduced a sightseeing program integrated with natural education.

To further enrich its tourism programs and meet the diverse demand of visitors, Qingchuan has intensified efforts to develop drifting, mountain climbing, tea picking, snow and ice sports, and nighttime tourism.

Qingchuan has raked in a total tourism revenue of over 27 billion yuan ($ 3.8 billion) over the past three years. Its tourism industry accounted for 13.6 percent and 26 percent of local GDP and the overall employment respectively over the same period.