Chongqing - As the 2025 Chongqing Two Sessions near, Bai Jiujiang, a member of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Deputy Director of the Three Gorges Museum decided to advance research on cultural relic preservation and creative tourism to drive the growth of Chongqing’s cultural sector.

Cultural relic rebirth is a way of preserving cultural heritage by bringing ancient objects back to life. It involves presenting these relics in new forms, allowing them to re-enter people's lives and reconnect with modern society.

Last year, Bai submitted a proposal calling for deeper reforms in cultural relic rebirth. He suggested expanding the role of cultural heritage beyond creative product development to a more systematic and comprehensive revitalization stage.

Bai Jiujiang, a member of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC and Deputy Director of the Three Gorges Museum (Photo/Liu Li)

"In recent years, China's utilization of cultural relic rebirth has made significant progress," Bai said. "For example, the Palace Museum in Beijing generates over one billion yuan (USD136.4 million) annually from cultural and creative products, while in 2021, the Shanghai Museum's revenue from such products reached nearly 120 million yuan. In 2023, the Sanxingdui Museum’s creative products earned 150 million yuan."

Despite these achievements, Bai noted several areas for improvement in Chongqing and nationwide, including a lack of incentives for cultural product development, weak intellectual property protection, and unclear boundaries between cultural relic preservation and asset leasing.

Bai highlighted the wealth of cultural resources in Chongqing, with over 444 heritage sites at the municipal level, 2,553 at the district level, and 26,205 immovable cultural relics. "With such rich cultural heritage resources, we must implement precise policies to ensure they are used effectively," Bai said.

He proposed expanding pilot programs for cultural and creative product development in heritage institutions, including museums, galleries, and libraries, with approval from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Cultural Heritage Administration. He also suggested adding state-owned archaeological and heritage institutions to promote broader cultural relic utilization and extend creative incentives to more organizations.

Bai Jiujiang's daily work routine. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Bai highlighted challenges with intellectual property (IP) in cultural relic utilization, noting that the IP rights of state-owned cultural heritage assets are a key issue. He pointed to gaps in laws around cultural product development, including trademark protection, copyright, and IP distribution between heritage institutions and donors. He called for a stronger legal framework, including clear IP protection regulations for cultural heritage.

With cultural heritage becoming increasingly digitalized, Bai also called for greater investment in the digital twin construction of heritage sites. By integrating cultural resources into a unified digital platform, we can build a comprehensive digital library of heritage materials and establish a digital platform for IP transactions," he added.

Bai pointed out that one of the most encouraging developments is Chongqing's accelerated reforms for cultural relic utilization. A series of major projects to revitalize heritage resources is underway, supported by new policies that encourage public participation in protecting and using cultural heritage.

For example, the upcoming release of the Implementation Plan for Encouraging and Supporting Social Participation in Heritage Protection and Utilization is expected to provide significant momentum for enhancing Chongqing’s utilization of cultural relic rebirth efforts.

"Every civilization carries the spiritual bloodline of a nation, needing both preservation and innovation," Bai concluded. "If the abundant cultural resources in Chongqing are fully revitalized, they will undoubtedly shine brighter, enriching the cultural legacy of the Bayu region."