CHONGQING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- In Diaoyu City, an ancient fortress in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a special tour was conducted recently with a focus on dilapidated walls, old stones and ordinary-looking locations, rather than the photogenic spots normally favored by tourists.
In English, Diaoyu means fishing, and the site was named after the hill on which it was built in the latter part of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). During the war between the Song imperial army and Mongolian troops in the 13th Century, Diaoyu City, as an important part of the defense system of the present-day Sichuan Province and Chongqing, withstood outside aggression for 36 years, a miraculous feat.
Ten people from four families were invited to the new archaeology-themed study tour, which was organized by Chongqing's institute of cultural relics and archaeology. According to Yuan Dongshan, deputy head of the institute, the tour was designed to "make the cultural relics generate more vitality and cultivate the interest of participants in studying history and archaeology."
Yuan also served as a guide on the special tour, explaining the ruins of the Fanjiayan Song Dynasty government office to tourists. In 2018, the ruins within Diaoyu City were listed among China's top 10 archaeological discoveries.
Official data shows that Chongqing has about 26,000 immovable cultural relics and over 1.48 million movable ones. By the end of 2021, there were 108 million pieces (sets) of state-owned movable cultural relics, and about 767,000 immovable ones. The total number of world heritage sites in China has reached 56, ranking second in the world.
Other than the study tour, Chongqing has made other efforts to promote the charm of history and culture, such as opening an archaeology-themed cafe and launching an immersive and theatrical experience in a historic structure.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
