The two-month Qingpu Culture and Tourism Festival attracted 1.83 million visitors and generated 1.117billion yuan(US$156.88 million)in tourism revenue, officials announced at the festival's closing ceremony on November 10.

The closing ceremony featured an immersive music theater performance, "From 'Tianshan Folk Songs' to 'EarthMelody,'" presented by Zhang Jun, Qingpu's city ambassador and a Kunqu opera artist, together with inheritors of the Qingpu Tianshan folk songs and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. This innovative performance skillfully blended the rustic melodies of Qingpu folk songs with the grandeur ofGastavMahler's symphonic vocal cycle, "Das Lied von der Erde," creating a dialogue between Jiangnan culture and world art through the "intangible cultural heritage + symphony" format.

The tourism festival achieved remarkable results in cultural inheritance and innovation, cultural and tourism integration and industrial synergy, and consumption promotion and economic growth. Over 100 events were held during the festival, and initiatives like distributing integrated consumption vouchers for the "six industries" effectively drove the in-depth integrated development of agriculture, culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions.

Simultaneously, the festival emphasized the integration of tradition and modernity, creating several new cultural and tourism scenarios. The Songze Ruins utilized digital technology to showcase its 6,000-year civilization history, Tianshan folk song intangible heritage performances were combined with modernbazaars, and the ancient town of Zhujiajiao engaged in international exchanges in connection with the8thChina International Import Expo.

In the future,Qingpu District will focus on its development goals of becoming the "first stop for inbound tourism to China's ancient towns" and the "preferred destination for micro-vacations among urban residents." It will continue to develop its "Most Jiangnan" cultural brand and advance the construction of the Yangtze River Delta Innovation Hub and a world-class lake district.