2月29日
CHINA DAILY（中国日报）刊发
《Jingzhou turns history
into modern attraction》文章
聚焦荆州将历史融入现代魅力
以下为英文版全文
Jingzhou turns history
into modern attraction
（Actors clad in traditional costume greet visitors as Spring Festival sees culture take to the streets, Deng Zhangyu reports.）
On Lunar New Year's Eve, usually a time of family reunions around the dining table, a city wall built more than 2,000 years ago in Jingzhou, Hubei province, was drawing enthusiastic crowds.
Binyang Tower on the east of the Jingzhou city wall is the entrance gate favored by visitors who climb onto the wall and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city in Central China's Hubei province. CHINA DAILY
Visitors took boats on the moat around the walls to the entrance gate, which was decorated with Spring Festival couplets and red lanterns. After passing through the brick wall, a fortification in ancient times, they were able to climb up onto it and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city.
Visitors take in the sights on a street themed on the Three Kingdoms (220-280) during the Spring Festival in Jingzhou. They were entertained by performers wearing Chu-style costumes. CHINA DAILY
Actors clad in costumes from the 2,500-year-old Chu culture greeted visitors with good-wish envelopes, while costumed dancers playing the roles of heroes from the city's history invited onlookers to join them, and get into the festive spirit.
Wang Yan, an operating manager of the Jingzhou city wall attraction, says that the Lunar New Year's Eve activities lasted until 9:30 pm. She remembers that, years ago, workers were usually on break during the festival because most Chinese organized celebration dinners with their family and then watched TV together at home. Few people used to venture out at night, unless it was to see firework displays.
"It's been an obvious trend that in recent years people are going out, especially to cultural sites, to celebrate Spring Festival," Wang says.
During the festival this year, the 11-kilometer-long wall welcomed tens of thousands of visitors every day from across the nation, and closing time was extended from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
The wall, which dates back 2,600 years, was originally made of mud and was used primarily as a military defense. It was rebuilt several times under different dynasties and the current brick wall was rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It is one of the best preserved city walls in China, and has seen the passage of numerous household heroes and historical events, especially during the late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and the Three Kingdoms (220-280).
Jingzhou is widely known because of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the four classic novels of Chinese literature. The epic saga is a compilation of legends and history and features prominent rulers, military officers and generals. Liu Bei and his two generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, all well-known heroes of the late Eastern Han Dynasty and in literature, once ruled and guarded Jingzhou.
Wang, who was born in the city, says that the wall is a key part of its life, and that the names of its gates are also the names of bus stops and markets.
"In recent years, more and more residents have started to explore the stories behind the city wall. It's like a cultural awakening. Its DNA is ingrained in local blood," Wang says.
Ma Xinwei and his wife drove to Jingzhou on the first day of the Lunar New Year from Chongqing in the southwest. After lunch, they visited the wall with their two nephews, who are primary school students.
Ma was born in Jingzhou and works in another city about an eight-hour drive away. He and his wife planned to explore more of the city's cultural stories this year.
"Compared to staying at home, enjoying delicious homemade food and watching TV or playing mahjong and cards with my family, I prefer to spend my holiday in more interesting places," says the 35-year-old Ma, adding that many of his friends also chose to visit cultural sites during the holiday.
The couple planned to spend the following day at Jingzhou Museum, which was organizing a special activity for visitors to explore the dragon-related elements in its collection.
The garden-like complex houses 130,000 artifacts and artworks, most of which are related to Chu culture. Twenty kings ruled the Chu state over the course of 800 years, and many of the items at the museum were unearthed in tombs discovered around the city.
Yang Kaiyong, deputy director of Jingzhou Museum, says that visiting museums during Spring Festival has become more popular in recent years. Last year's daily numbers peaked at 20,000.
Jingzhou Museum had shows planned to attract visitors during the holiday, and, to improve service, it closed for three days before the Lunar New Year to prepare for the expected influx.
Jingzhou Museum invites visitors to explore dragon-related elements in its collections on display during this year's Spring Festival. Some items in this category include a celadon pot with a dragon-shaped handle. DENG ZHANGYU/CHINA DAILY
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, visitors were invited to look for dragon-related elements engraved on the jade, lacquer and bronze ware in the collection. The items, either in the shape of dragons or featuring dragon patterns, were used as containers for food, cups for alcohol, decorative pieces for nobility, musical instruments and ritual vessels.
Jingzhou Museum invites visitors to explore dragon-related elements in its collections on display during this year's Spring Festival. Some items in this category include a set of chime bells engraved with dragon patterns. DENG ZHANGYU/CHINA DAILY
"To cater to increasing demand, our museum remained open during the eight-day holiday and many of our visitors during this period were local residents," Yang says.
Jingzhou Museum invites visitors to explore dragon-related elements in its collections on display during this year's Spring Festival. Some items in this category include a jade pendant. DENG ZHANGYU/CHINA DAILY
Jingzhou Museum invites visitors to explore dragon-related elements in its collections on display during this year's Spring Festival. Some items in this category include a porcelain plate with cloud and dragon patterns. DENG ZHANGYU/CHINA DAILY
Young people often visited just to have a cup of coffee or a piece of cake decorated with patterns from the museum's collections, despite the long queue.
Yang says, now that people are better off, they are becoming more focused on enjoyment, and interest in the Chu culture has rapidly increased in Jingzhou.
According to the Jingzhou Cultural and Tourism Bureau, the city put on around 30 cultural activities during the holiday, and attracted some 4 million visitors.
Its key tourist attractions are all related to culture, among them the Chu King's Mausoleum with its large chariot horse pits, the ancient city wall, and residences formerly inhabited by well-known historical figures. Even Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage, a franchise theme park, makes use of Chu culture for the keywords describing its attractions.
One of the park's most popular projects is a recounting of the life of Warring States Period (475-221 BC) poet Qu Yuan, whose verses are an icon of Chu culture.
Yang Fan, director of Jingzhou Cultural and Tourism Bureau, says that a decade ago she could never have imagined that people in such a comparatively small city would spend hours lining up for museums and cultural programs.
She says that Jingzhou held a Chu culture festival last year, which attracted many visitors and which will be held once every two years from now on. It is also building a new archaeological heritage park on the site of the former Chu state capital. In addition, there are lots of workshops named after craftsmen who are inheritors of traditional skills from ancient times, and performers, visitors and locals wearing Chu-style costumes are a common sight on the street.
"As we sit on a rich mine of culture, we're making an effort to present more high-quality projects to satisfy growing cultural demands," Yang Fan says.
中文版全文
（翻译版）
荆州将历史融入现代魅力
农历除夕夜，通常是一家人围坐在餐桌前团聚的日子，但在湖北荆州，一座建于2000多年前的城墙却吸引了众多热情的游客。
荆州城墙东侧的宾阳楼是最受欢迎的入口门，游客们可以登上城墙，欣赏湖北省中部城市荆州市的景观。
游客们乘船绕着城墙外的护城河来到城门口，城门上挂满了春联和红灯笼。穿过这个古代的防御工事——砖砌城墙后，游客们可以登上城墙鸟瞰全城。
春节期间，游客们在荆州的三国（220-280年）主题街上游览。身着楚式服装的表演者为游客们带来了精彩的表演。
身着2500年前楚文化服饰的演员们向游客派发祝福红包，一旁身着盛装的舞蹈演员们扮演着荆州历史上的英雄角色，邀请围观者加入他们，一起感受节日的气氛。
荆州城墙景点运营经理王艳说，除夕夜的活动一直持续到晚上9点半。她记得多年前员工通常在这个日子休息，因为大多数中国人都在这天与家人一起共进晚宴，然后在家里一起看电视。很少有人在晚上出门，除非是去看烟花表演。
“近年来，人们外出庆祝春节，特别是去文化场所，已经成为明显的趋势。”王艳说。
今年春节期间，这座长达11公里的城墙每天都要接待来自全国各地的数万名游客，闭馆时间也从下午5:30延长到晚上9:30。
城墙的历史可追溯到2600年前，最初由泥土筑成，主要用于军事防御。在不同朝代曾多次重建，现在的砖墙是在明清时期（1368-1911年）重建的。它是中国保存最完好的城墙之一，见证了无数家喻户晓的英雄人物和历史事件，尤其是在东汉末年（25-220 年）和三国时期（220-280 年）。
荆州因中国四大古典小说之一的《三国演义》而广为人知。这部史诗般的传奇故事汇编了传说和历史，以杰出的统治者、军官和将军为主角。刘备和他的两位大将关羽、张飞都是东汉末年和文学史上著名的英雄人物，曾经统治和镇守荆州。
王艳是本地人，她说，城墙是城市的关键部分，城门名称也是公交车站和市场的名称。
“近年来，越来越多的居民开始探索城墙背后的故事。这就像是一次文化觉醒。城墙的基因已经根植于当地人的血液中，”王说。
大年初一，马先生和妻子从西南部的重庆驱车来到荆州。午饭后，他们和两个正在上小学的侄子一起参观了城墙。
马先生出生在荆州，目前在距离荆州约八小时车程的另一个城市工作。他和妻子计划今年更多地探索这座城市的文化故事。
“相比呆在家里，享受美味的家常菜、看电视或者和家人打麻将、玩牌，我更喜欢在更有趣的地方度假，” 35岁的马先生说，他还补充道，许多朋友和他一样也在假期选择参观文化景点。
这对夫妇计划第二天去荆州博物馆，博物馆正在组织一项特别活动，让游客探索馆藏中与龙有关的元素。
这座园林式建筑群收藏了13万件文物和艺术品，其中大部分与楚文化有关。在800年的历史长河中，有二十位国王统治过楚国，博物馆中的许多藏品都是在荆州周围发现的古墓中出土的。
荆州博物馆副馆长杨开勇表示，近年来，春节期间参观博物馆的人越来越多。去年最高峰时日参观人数达2万人次。
为了吸引游客，荆州博物馆在春节期间安排了一些节目，并在春节前闭馆三天，为迎接游客做好准备。
荆州博物馆邀请游客探索今年春节期间展出的藏品中与龙有关的元素。这类藏品包括一只龙形把手的青瓷壶。
为庆祝龙年，博物馆邀请游客寻找刻在馆藏玉器、漆器和青铜器上与龙有关的元素。这些器物或为龙形，或以龙纹为特色，可用作盛食物的容器、盛酒的杯子、贵族的装饰品、乐器和礼器。
荆州博物馆邀请游客探索今年春节期间展出的藏品中与龙有关的元素。其中包括一套刻有龙纹的编钟。
"为了满足日益增长的需求，我们的博物馆在八天长假期间一直保持开放，在此期间我们的许多参观者都是当地居民，"杨说。
荆州博物馆邀请游客探索今年春节期间展出的藏品中与龙有关的元素。其中包括一件玉佩。
荆州博物馆邀请游客探索今年春节期间展出的藏品中与龙有关的元素。其中包括云龙纹瓷盘。
尽管参观者排起了长队，但年轻人常常只为喝一杯咖啡或吃一块用博物馆藏品图案装饰的蛋糕。
杨说，现在人们生活好了，越来越注重享受，荆州人对楚文化的兴趣也迅速增加。
据荆州市文化和旅游局统计，春节期间该市共举办了约30场文化活动，吸引了约400万游客。
该市的主要旅游景点都与文化有关，其中包括拥有大型战马坑的楚王陵、古城墙和历史名人故居。就连荆州方特东方神画--一个特许经营的主题公园，也将楚文化作为描述其景点的关键词。
荆州方特东方神画最受欢迎的项目之一是“屈原”，讲述了战国时期（公元前475-221年）诗人屈原的生平，他的诗歌是楚文化的象征。
荆州市文化和旅游局局长杨帆表示，十年前，她无法想象在这样一个相对较小的城市，人们会花几个小时排队去参观博物馆和体验文化项目。
她说，荆州去年举办了楚文化节，吸引了很多游客，今后将每两年举办一次。荆州还正在原楚国都城遗址上建设一个新的考古遗址公园。此外，这里还有许多以古代传统技艺传承人的名字命名的手工作坊，街上经常可以看到身着楚式服饰的表演者、游客和当地人。
“作为拥有丰富文化资源的城市，我们正在努力推出更多高质量的项目，以满足不断增长的文化需求，”杨帆说。