|

Visitors watch performances at the Yellow Rice Wine Small Town in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing. [Photo/tianmunews.com]

Yuecheng district in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province has been exploring ways to make the most of its historical and cultural resources to boost tourism.

With a history of 2,500 years, Yuecheng is home to many notable historic figures, such as Wang Yangming, a philosopher during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and Lu Xun, a writer and social activist. Seventy-three historic sites and former residences of eminent figures are scattered across this 9-square-kilometer "museum without walls".

Yuecheng has also established new cultural facilities like libraries and art museums near the old residences for visitors to commemorate history and pay respect to these great names.

The Xu Wei Art Museum in Yuecheng district, Shaoxing. [Photo/tianmunews.com]

Various activities have also been held in the venues to attract more tourists. For example, exhibitions of calligraphy works and paintings by Xu Wei and Chen Hongshou, two famous artists during the Ming Dynasty, have been staged in the Xu Wei Art Museum.

Due to such efforts, Yuecheng has seen a surge in the number of tourists during holidays. More than 1.16 million people visited the district during this year's May Day holiday, generating 1.23 billion yuan ($172.57 million) in revenue.