Xiangyang will make the best use of its unparalleled cultural resources to ignite its overall urban renaissance.

All these household names like Meng Haoran, Zhang Ji, Pi Rixiu, Mi Fu, Shi Daoan, Song Yu were "produced" by Xiangyang.

Xiangyang has long earned its reputation as the "Hometown of the Three Kingdoms Culture" and the "Famed City of Chinese Calligraphy". Among the 120 acts of stories narrated by The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, 32 happened in Xiangyang. Similarly, Xiangyang also appears in 18 volumes of The History of the Three Kingdoms which has 86 volumes in total. Today, there are still more than 50 historical heritages left from the Three Kingdoms Period in Xiangyang. Of The Top Three Hundred Tang Poems, 27 were related to Xiangyang. Meng Haoran alone created more than 200 pastoral poems in Xiangyang.

It would be a pitiful waste if all these precious cultural resources are buried in dusty historical books and only known to highbrow intellectuals. Xiangyang people are not only responsible to revive the economy of the city, but carry forward its brilliant historical culture and, more importantly, create new culture.

On June 18 of last year in Xiangyang Theater, the plenary session of Xiangyang Municipal Party Committee made a critical decision: to build Xiangyang into a cultural-enriched city. For the purpose, unprecedented efforts have been made in the city by setting up a RMB100 million worth of fund to sustain the development of cultural sector. It is known that more fiscal contribution will be made to the sector in years to come, so as to build Xiangyang into a cultural-enriched city with great influence within and beyond China.

As prepared by experts from Communication University of China, Conceptual Plan for Culture-Enriched Xiangyang has passed through review and appraisal last year.

According to The Three-Year Action Plan for Building a Culture-Enriched Xiangyang (2013-2015), over RMB140 billion of investment will be channeled to more than 140 cultural programs.

Construction for Tang Dynasty-themed Film and TV Shooting Base, a project covering 1,800 mu of land and backed by RMB3 billion of investment, Han Dynasty-themed City, a project spanning 1,100 mu of land and financed by RMB2.2 billion of investment, and The Three Kingdoms-themed City, a project occupying 1200 mu of land, are under way with full steam.

As to Tang Dynasty-themed Film and TV Shooting Base, the major structure engineering for eight individual architectures like Imperial Palace, Mingde Mansion, Qinglong Temple, Huyue Tower, and eight bridges has been basically completed and ready for ornament decoration. It is expected that Tang Dynasty-themed Film and TV Shooting Base will be put into operation at the end of June and construction for Tang Dynasty-flavored Street, a supporting project for the base, will be launched soon in August, according to the responsible person Gao Yimin.

As financed by Hubei Grand Han Cultural Industry Investment Company with RMB2.2 billion, the construction of Han Dynasty-themed City will be wrapped up before the end of June. The epic TV series Emperor Guangwu financed by RMB80 million of investment will be shot in Han Dynasty-themed City, artfully presenting the brilliant historical chapter of rejuvenated Han Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Guangwu.

Apart from such significant cultural programs which are financed by outside investors, Xiangyang government also earmarked RMB600 million to build museums, libraries, cultural centers, art galleries, each of which will function as upgraded large cultural infrastructure as well as landmark building.

Xiangyang also promulgates a series of policies to underpin the development of cultural sector, guaranteeing that the ratio between investment from public finance to cultural sector and total fiscal expenditure in Xiangyang will be higher than the average in Hubei Province and the whole nation; the growth rate of the investment from public finance to cultural sector will higher than the growth rate of the recurrent fiscal expenditure; major public cultural products and services, public welfare cultural activities will be fully covered by recurrent fiscal expenditure budget; cultural enterprises of large scale will fall into the scope of the government-set fund which will facilitate the government to become shareholder of or exert guidance to players in the pillar sector; the implementation of favorable policies in tax, fiscal support, and land usage, and the transaction of social insurance formalities are soundly progressed.

Xiangyang is determined to polish its cultural name card by supporting many cultural initiatives. As revealed by Head of Xiangyang Culture and Sports Bureau Li Sheng, films like Emperor Yao Tames River, Xiangyang and Monk Kukai will be financed and shot by Xiangyang this year; the shooting of TV series of The Legend of Mi Fu is under preparation; the creation for live-action performance dramas like Chu Style, Longzhong Plan is underway as scheduled; and key literature works like General Yang Hu will be published this year.

Urban greatness depends on cultural greatness.

Xiangyang's cultural renaissance will lend strength and add glamour to the rejuvenated central city, and bring excitement and nourishment to Xiangyang people's spiritual life.