Foreign-Affairs Gifts Solicitation Kicks off in Chongqing

From March 16 to 19, the 4th "Chongqing Gifts" Tourism Commodities (Cultural and Creative Products) Competition and Foreign-Affairs Gifts Solicitation took place in Xiabu Town, Rongchang District. This event has been held in Rongchang District for three consecutive years. This Competition and relevant trade fair gathered products from all parts of Chongqing and some parts of Sichuan.

This Competition received a total of 608 entries in 19 categories. Among them, ten entries, including the dip-dye gradient grass cloth scarf from Rongchang District, the Pearl Sesame Slice gift box from Jiangjin District, and the Montenegrin Red Black Tea from Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone, won the gold award of this Competition. The Ceramic Language and Flower Fragrance Series (four sets of teapots) from Rongchang District, the hand-painted panorama of Baoding Mountain Rock Carvings from the Dazu District, and the Lanyuxuan braided jute bag from Nanchuan District were selected into the list of 70 foreign-affairs gifts.

In his speech, Liu Qi, Director of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, said that in recent years, Chongqing has striven for a Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor internationally, with Chinese characteristics and a Bashu-style and innovatively implemented the creative promotion plan for tourism commodities. Tourism commodities play a vital role in boosting consumption. According to preliminary estimates, the added value of Chongqing's tourism retail industry exceeded 30 billion yuan in 2022, revealing the increasingly prominent comprehensive driving role of tourism commodities.

Feng Zimin, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, said that since the launch of the "Chongqing Gifts" Foreign-Affairs Gifts Solicitation in 2020, it had been widely concerned and actively participated by people from all walks of life. Over the past years, it has collected 160 foreign-affairs gifts. More than 600 foreign-affairs gifts, such as Rongchang ceramics, Chengkou Shanshen lacquerware, and Ciqikou irregular embroidery, have been sent to more than 30 countries and regions. Foreign affairs gift has become a bridge and witness to international contacts. It reveals Chongqing's unique cultural charm, symbolizes the Chongqing people's friendship, and tells the story of Chongqing and China to the world.

Gao Hongbo, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Rongchang District Committee, said that Rongchang has 164 intangible cultural heritage items, including national-level intangible cultural heritage ceramics, grass cloth, and folding fans the animal husbandry culture is also booming in Rongchang. Based on its cultural heritage, Rongchang has vigorously developed the cultural industry in recent years, expediting the innovative development of animal husbandry, ceramics, grass cloth, and folding fans. It has created a 50 billion-yuan-level consumer goods industry dominated by food, ceramics, and clothing. In the days ahead, Rongchang will accelerate the integration of Bashu cultures to facilitate the implementation of CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee's "Project No. 1". It will strive to hold more Sichuan-Chongqing large-scale events of culture, tourism, and sports, build the distribution center of Bashu intangible cultural heritage products, create the consumption destination of Sichuan-Chongqing featured commodities, and strive to become a vital node city of Bashu Cultural Corridor, where all kinds of Sichuan and Chongqing specialties are available for tourists.