Finding Roots in Charming Suizhou

By Zhang Zhenzhen, Zhang Jie & Xu Xianghong Photos by Liu Shusong

Emperor Yan, formally Yandi or Shennong,is one of the two legendary ancestors of Chinese people, another is Emperor Huang in Shaanxi Province.

Lieshan Mountain sits green and towering over Suizhou while the Jiangshui River rolls and tumbles ahead on this vast land.

In 2009, Emperor Yan-Shennong Festival in Lieshan of Hubei, China was renamed the World Chinese Finding “Roots”Festival in the hometown of Emperor Yan.

Since then, Suizhou has begun to attract the attention of ethnic Chinese people worldwide.

This festival has been held annually over the past decade,attracting millions of ethnic Chinese at home and abroad to the foothills of the Lieshan Mountain in Suizhou to light incense sticks and pay respects to their ancestor, Emperor Yan.Suizhou is truly a common spiritual home for all these visitors.

The festival has increased the flow of people, bringing new capital, tourism, and products,which all together have driven the economic growth of Suizhou toward a more international direction and promoted local cultural tourism.

Through this festival, Suizhou has gradually realized that cultural characteristics give the city its special logo, foregrounding it among the rest cities. The small city of Suizhou has a truly big beauty, for which it has earned the name of “Charming Suizhou.”

Thanks to the festival, the hometown of Emperor Yan has seen its fame spread far and wide.

When We talk about Emperor Yan, We Think of Suizhou

“When we talk about Emperor Yan, we think of Suizhou,” said Yu Dan, a famous cultural scholar who voiced the opinion of many people.

The long history of Chinese civilization originated from the foot of Lieshan Mountain. The annual festival allows ethnic Chinese people worldwide to come to Suizhou and learn more about it.

Jiang Xiaoyan, honorary Vice-Chairman of Kuomintang, said that root searching and ancestor worshipping were the cultural cord of cross-Taiwan-Strait exchanges, which was long lasting and inseverable.

“This trip of ancestor worshiping has fulfilled my wish and deepened my understanding of the spirit of Emperor Yan. After returning to the United States,I will introduce Emperor Yan,as well as the city of Suizhou to my students and friends.” Cheng Yiqiang, tenured professor at the University of North Texas, said on June 10, after attending the Finding Roots Festival this year.

2018戊戌年世界华人炎帝故里寻根节暨拜谒炎帝神农大典现场。 2018 World Chinese Finding “Roots” Festival kicked off on June 9,the 26th day of the fourth lunar month, which is said to witness the birth of Emperor Yan, in Suizhou, Hubei

烈山苍苍，姜水汤汤。

2009年，“中国湖北烈山炎帝神农节”升格为“世界华人炎帝故里寻根节”。炎帝故里随州，开始汇聚全球华人目光。

十年寻根节，数百万海内外华人华侨追寻随州烈山脚下，心香一炷，敬奉始祖，回归精神家园，心手相牵。

十年寻根节，人流带活资金流、旅游流、产品流，带动随州经济外向度持续提升，文化旅游产业方兴未艾。

十年寻根节，更让随州认识到，城市发展有了文化特质才不会“千城一面”，“小城大美” “神韵随州”呼之欲出。

十年寻根节，“炎帝故里”名片越擦越亮，随州力量激情澎湃。

提起炎帝，我们就想到随州

“提起炎帝，我们就想到了随州。”文化学者于丹，道出很多炎黄子孙的心声。

华夏悠悠文明史，烈山脚下是源头。一年一度的寻根节，让随州与天下炎黄子孙的心紧紧贴在一起。

中国国民党荣誉副主席蒋孝严说，寻根谒祖是两岸交流的文化脐带，这根脐带是永久性的、割舍不断的。

“此次回家拜祖之旅，圆了我一个心愿，也让我对炎帝精神有了更深地了解。返回美国后，我会更加主动地向我的学生和朋友们介绍炎帝神农和随州。”6月10日，参加完今年寻根节后，美国北德克萨斯大学终身正教授程义强说。

今年是编钟出土40周年，一曲美妙的《编钟乐舞》表演拉开寻根节开幕式序幕。Performance before the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Chinese Finding “Roots” Festival

Professor Zhang Yiwu from Peking University said that the festival connected Emperor Yan with Suizhou, and gave a full display of the city to the world.

“Since the beginning of 2014,this scenic spot has been receiving more than 600,000 visitors every year,” said Feng Xiaorong, head of the Shennong Scenic Spot. “Over the past decade, the festival has solidified the position of Suizhou as the hometown of Emperor Yan.”

Over the past ten years, the hometown of Emperor Yan has been successively awarded the titles of “Base for Cross-Strait Exchange” and “International Cultural Exchange Base for Overseas Chinese,” and has become the often-visited“hometown” for all Chinese people.

A Place Where You Want to Linger Around

On December 15 of last year, in the 1st season awards ceremony of CCTV’s program, Charming Cities in China, the city of Suizhou ranked among the “Top Ten Charming Cities.”

Jiang Xinghua, standing deputy mayor and member of the municipal party committee, said in his acceptance speech that “As the hometown of Emperor Yan,Suizhou is looking forward to your visit. Here you will unveil a great root-seeking journey...”

Over the past decade, the festival has greatly promoted Suizhou’s confidence in its culture. Emperor Yan and Bianzhong (an ancient Chinese chime consisting of a set of bronze bells) have become the two cultural icons of Suizhou.

Every year, at the Economic and Trade Fair portion of the festival, many contracts for tourism projects get signed.As for this year, the contracts signed include a 3.3 billion yuan investment made by Zhejiang Greentown & Nice Home Construction Engineering Management Co., Ltd. to build a small town named Memory in Spring Breeze, and the 1.5 billion yuan investment made by China Agricultural Union Holdings Co., Ltd to build an Expo City for international agricultural and cultural tourism in northern Hubei (Sui County), and so on.

北京大学教授张颐武表示，寻根节将炎帝神农和随州有机结合在一起，使随州在全球华人面前得到了充分展示。

“2014年开始，景区每年游客接待量都在60万人以上。”炎帝故里景区党工委书记冯晓蓉介绍说，“十年寻根节，固化了随州作为炎帝故里的记忆。”

十年来，炎帝故里相继被授予“海峡两岸交流基地”“中国华侨国际文化交流基地”，成为炎黄子孙常来常往的“华人老家”。

一个可以让人停下的地方

去年12月15日，央视《魅力中国城》第一季颁奖盛典中，随州荣膺全国“十佳魅力城市”。

该市市委常委、常务副市长蒋星华在获奖感言中首先就说，“随州是炎帝故里，我们期待您来随州开启寻根之旅……”

十年寻根节，极大地提升了随州的文化自信。炎帝神农与编钟古乐，已成为随州两张世界级文化名片。

每年寻根节经贸洽谈会上，都会有旅游项目签约。今年寻根节经贸洽谈会上，浙江绿城佳园建设工程管理有限公司投资33亿元建设桃李春风时光记忆小镇，中农联控股有限公司投资15亿元建设中国供销·鄂北（随县）国际农业文旅博览城，等等。

“没有寻根节，就没有大洪山如今翻天覆地的变化。”大洪山风景名胜区管委会主任黄荆说。

2009年寻根节期间，鄂旅投与大洪山签订战略合作协议，从此拉开大洪山景区连续十年的大建设。目前，鄂旅投投入大洪山的资金超过15亿元，正在将大洪山打造成“佛教名山、养生天堂”。

今年，鄂旅投计划再投15亿元，在大洪山脚下建慈恩小镇，掀起鄂旅投在大洪山二次创业的新高潮。

汉、藏、维、蒙、回、壮等五十六个民族代表恭读《颂炎帝文》。Representatives from China’s 56 ethnic groups reading Ode to Emperor Yan

高起点规划、大手笔建设、规范化管理，标志性的文化旅游项目，激活随州文化旅游产业“一池春水”。

千年银杏谷，那片金黄令人神往；西游记公园，西游文化让人流连……随州4A级景区已达6家，星级酒店21家。

随州独特的文化旅游资源，吸引了知名主持人敬一丹。她说，随州是一个可以让人停下来的地方。

2009年，随州旅游人数490余万人次，旅游收入26亿元。2017年，全市接待游客2250万人次，实现旅游收入140.9亿元，实现跨越式增长。

小城“玩转”全球市场

经贸洽谈会，是每年寻根节系列活动中的“保留节目”。

2009年寻根节，200多名海内外企业家前来签约55个投资项目，投资总额46亿元；2010年签约项目53个，投资总额逾90亿元……到2018年，投资总额已达163.2亿元。

“新能源汽车，将是恒天新楚风转型升级的重点，也是战略发展的重要方向。”中国恒天集团董事长、党委书记张杰说，2017年恒天新楚风新能源车销量达1.3万辆，位居全国第二。

恒天新楚风，是2010年由中国恒天集团对原湖北省专用汽车制造厂战略重组而来，如今已引领随州专汽绿色化转型。

乘着寻根节的东风，青岛啤酒、东风公司、中航工业、三江航天、广西玉柴、中国重汽、湖北三环、厦工集团等一大批央企、省属企业和大型民营企业，纷纷抢滩随州。

“These drastic changes in Dahong Mountain were all brought about by the festival,”said Huang Jing, director of the Management Committee in Dahong Mountain Scenic Area.

During the festival in 2009, the Eco-cultural Tourism Investment Company (ECOTIC) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dahong Mountain Scenic Area, which heralded ten consecutive years of construction around the Dahong Mountain Scenic Spot. At present, ECOTIC had invested more than 1.5 billion yuan into Dahong Mountain,aiming to build the site into a“famous Buddhist mountain and a paradise for health care.”

This year, ECOTIC had been planning to invest a further 1.5 billion yuan to build a small town at the foot of Dahong Mountain,setting off a new upsurge of entrepreneurship in the area.

Planning from a high starting point, large-scale construction,standardized management, and iconic cultural tourism projects have boosted cultural tourism in Suizhou.

The golden scenery in the Ginkgo Valley over thousands of years, the cultural attraction of the Theme Park based on the novel Journey to the West...So many fascinating places of interests are just part of Suizhou’s six 4A-level scenic areas, which are equipped with 21 star hotels.

The unique resources for cultural tourism in Suizhou also attracted Jing Yidan, the famous CCTV host. She said that Suizhou was a place where people would want to linger around and enjoy.

In 2009, more than 4.9 million tourists came to Suizhou and brought in tourism revenue of 2.6 billion yuan. In 2017, the city received 22.5 million tourists with tourism revenue of 14.09 billion yuan, which was a big leap forward.

A Small Town yet Big Player in the Global Market

The Economic and Trade Fair is a “reserved program” for the Finding “Roots” Festival every year.

随州新貌New look of Suizhou City

这些重量级企业携带着先进的技术、管理经验和资本，与随州本土民营企业“混合”，诞生出39家混合所有制企业。

引进来，也走出去。

“随州香菇主要出口东南亚等华人市场。寻根节期间，广大华人华侨来随州品尝香菇、爱上香菇味道。”中国食用菌协会副会长、裕国菇业公司董事长雷于国说，随州香菇出口十年来保持在全国同行业前列，农产品出口连续多年保持全省第一。

寻根节，让随州企业家的眼界更为开阔，经济外向活跃度持续攀升。多年从事香菇出口的企业家舒大忠，以“一叶之轻”舞起了种茶、制茶、卖茶、茶旅游、茶食品等一条龙的大产业，在他的带动下，随州茶叶出口多年位居全省第一。

让城市有故事可说

今年5月，寻根节前夕，位于城北的花溪河城市湿地公园一期建成。至此，随州中心城区东南西北中，均有了大型公园。

十年来，随州以寻根节为节点，倒逼重点项目建设、环境综合整治，推动城市建设提速、提质，对外树立良好城市形象。

小城随州，建市晚，基础薄。该市市委、市政府提出，彰显文化、山水个性，塑造自身特质，告别“千城一面”，打造“神韵随州”。

“神”，在铸文化之魂；“韵”，在绘山水之美。

在高楼林立中，在道路纵横间，随州处处透出文化气息，以文塑城，以城弘文。炎帝、编钟、鹿鹤、杨坚、季梁等文化因子，嵌入其中，相得益彰。

该市住建委主任熊忠海说：“文化弘扬与城市建设相融合，打造经典传世之作，让城市有故事可说。”

寻根节，助推随州城市大发展，城南、城东两座新城快速崛起，一大批城市功能重点项目建成。随州文化公园、滨湖体育运动场、政务服务中心等城市新地标，相继落成；万达、红星、碧桂园等一批现代商贸巨头，成为城市的新中心。

国家园林城市、国家森林城市、省级环保模范城市等荣誉，接踵而至。2013年，中国社科院发布的《中国城市竞争力报告》，随州城市生态竞争力高居全国第四。

小城大美，神韵随州，正焕发出山水生态宜居城市的迷人风采；一河碧水，两岸新城，正涌动着转型升级高质量发展的澎湃动力。

2018 湖北·随州炎帝故里经贸洽谈会现场2018 Hubei Suizhou Yandi’s Hometown Economic and Trade Fair

During the festival in 2009,more than 200 domestic and foreign entrepreneurs signed up for 55 investment projects with a total investment of 4.6 billion yuan; in 2010, there were 53 signed projects with a total investment of over 9 billion yuan.By 2018, the total investment has reached 16.32 billion yuan.

“New energy automobiles will be the focus of the transformation and upgrading of Chu Feng’s vehicles. It is also an important strategic direction.” Zhang Jie,Chairman and Party Secretary of the China Hi-Tech Group Corporation (CHTC), said that in 2017, the sales of Chu Feng’s new energy vehicles had reached 13,000, ranking second nationwide.

C h i n a H i-T e c h G r o u p Corporation carried on strategic reconstruction of the former Hubei Special Purpose Vehicle Manufacturing Plant and formed CHTC Hubei Chu Feng Auto Limited (Chu Feng for short)in 2010, which is now leading the transformation of a green industry of special vehicles in Suizhou.

A large number of stateowned enterprises, provincial enterprises, and large-scale private enterprises also joined the group in order to take advantage of the festive occasion, among which were Tsingtao Brewery,Dongfeng Motor Corporation,Aviation Industry Corporation of China, China Space Sanjiang Group, Guang xi Yu chai Machinery Group, Sinotruk,Hubei Tri-Ring Group, and Xiamen XGMA Group, and so on.

These established companies brought with them advanced technology, management experience, and capital input.They merged and integrated with local private enterprises in Suizhou, on the foundation of which 39 mixed-ownership companies were founded.

While bringing in new investments, Suizhou has also been exploring to exhibit itself to the outside world.

“Suizhou shiitake mushrooms are mainly exported to Southeast Asian markets and other Chinese markets. During the festival,many Chinese people from overseas came to Suizhou and fell in love with the mushrooms here after they had a taste of it.” said Yu Yuguo, vice president of China Edible Fungi Association and chairman of Yuguo Mushroom Company. Exports of shiitake mushrooms in Suizhou have been leading the industry nationwide for ten years, while agricultural product exports have also ranked first in the province for many years.

The festival has widened the vision of local entrepreneurs in Suizhou, where export-oriented economic activities continue to grow. Shu Dazhong, an entrepreneur who had been in the shiitake mushroom export industry for many years, has now also driven the whole tea industry forward with his own strength,from tea planting and processing,to tea sales, tea tourism, and tea-related foods. Under his motivation, tea exports in Suizhou now rank first in the province.

A City with Tales

In May of this year, before this festival was held, the first phase of the Huaxi River Urban Wetland Park in the north of the city was completed. Now, there are large parks in the south, east, north,west, as well as downtown area in Suizhou.

Relying on the festival over the past ten years, Suizhou has promoted the construction of key projects, launched comprehensive environmental management,improved the speed and quality of city construction, and established a good city image for the world.

Suizhou, which became a city not long ago, is a small one with weak foundation. Therefore,the municipal party committee and the municipal government proposed to highlight its cultural characteristics and scenic beauty,shape its own personality, say goodbye to the old, average image,and create a “Charming Suizhou.”

Suizhou’s charm lies in its rich culture and beautiful landscapes—its culture can be felt in the towering buildings and criss-crossed streets. Cultural factors including Emperor Yan,ancient Chinese chimes, Luhe(an ancient bronze crane with deer horns), Yang Jian (541-604,founder and first emperor of the Sui Dynasty), and Ji Liang (a famous thinker and politician in history) are embedded in the city and have shaped the city. On the other hand, the city has actively promoted and spread the culture.Together, they have had success and made tremendous progress.

Xiong Zhonghai, director of the Housing and Construction Commission of Suizhou, said:“The integration of cultural development and urban construction will create classics and stories for the city to tell.”

The festival boosted the development of Suizhou city.Under its influence, two new cities have emerged in the south and east of the city and a large number of key projects featuring urban function have been completed.New landmarks emerged one after another, including Suizhou Cultural Park, Lakeside Sports Field, and Government Affairs Service Center; and modern commerce giants like Wanda,Redstar, and Country Garden have become new centers of the city.

Honors awarded to the city have come in one after another,such as the National Garden City,National Forest City, Provincial Environmental Protection Model City, and so on. In the “Report on City Competitiveness in China”published in 2013 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,Suizhou ranked the fourth in the country in terms of urban ecological competitiveness.

Charming Suizhou, a small city with beautiful sceneries, is showing the world its appeal as a liveable city with a gorgeous l and scape and favor able ecosystem. Divided into two by a river of clear water, Suizhou City is greeting a better future brought about by quality development and driven by transformation and upgrading. (Translation: Lu Qiongyao)

恒天新楚风新能源车生产现场CHTC workers fising a new energy car