China to Host Intl. Tourism Festival in Xi'anA tourism festival on the ancient Silk Road will be held from October 1-23 in this capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.The event is aimed to boost local tourism industry and help Chinese and overseas tourists learn more about culture, art and folk custom along the ancient Silk Road, according to Li Xuemei, director of the city's tourism bureau, sponsor of the carnival. During the festival, visitors can enjoy performances of local opera and dance drama, feast carnival, masked ball, calligraphy and painting exhibition, as well as Chinese martial art. Seminars on Silk Road tourism, new tour programs, investment and trade fair, and exposition of tourism commodities will also be held during the festival. The 7,000-km Silk Road commenced in Chang'an (now Xi'an), the capital of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), proceeded along the Gansu Corridor and through the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, and traversed Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq before finally reaching Mediterranean seaports, Syria and Lebanon. |
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