People participate in the 2023 Yangquan Niangzi Pass Female Half Marathon in Pingding county. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Pingding county in Yangquan city, North China's Shanxi province, has continued to promote major cultural tourism projects, focused on exploring cultural connotations, and promoted the integration and development of culture and tourism industries in recent years. 

The county has advanced the construction of key scenic spots, built a quality cultural tourism industry chain, and increased brand promotions. 

The local Niangzi Pass scenic area has been developing into a national 4A-rated tourist attraction, and a tourism corridor connecting Niangzi Pass and the Guguan Great Wall is being constructed.

The Taihang No 1 tourist highway passes through Pingding county. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Pingding has also attached great importance to developing wellness and health tourism by planning and implementing related projects. 

Guanshan Academy Town, for example, has built apartments, mountain houses, shared courtyards, and health-supporting facilities based on medical resources of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Pingding County, developing wellness and health tourism and agriculture industry with local characteristics.

Pingding county constructed the Taihang No 1 tourist highway to enhance tourism, connecting eight attractions and 34 traditional villages, creating tourism clusters featuring natural landscapes, historical tales, geological science, and cultural experiences.

The enchanting performance of Meet Niangzi Pass is staged in the Niangzi Pass scenic area in Pingding county. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Pingding, famous for earthenware, has also been committed to protecting intangible cultural heritage items. 

Despite a long history and rich natural resources, Pingding earthenware faced a development dilemma due to the need for related industrial professionals. Since 2017, it has taken measures to protect the development of the earthenware industry. 

Pingding Earthenware Cultural Demonstration Zone, is a successful try. The zone has guided technical promotion, marketing, and sales channel expansion for earthenware industrial insiders in the initial development stage. 

More than 100 staff members and more than 150 professional craftspeople are in the zone, making earthenware, purple pottery, and ceramic products and making the name of Pingding earthenware known at home and abroad.