Chongqing - Dazu District has outlined a five-year development agenda to upgrade its industries, expand tourism, and promote integrated urban-rural development. The district aims to strengthen its role in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and become a cultural tourism destination with broader international appeal.
Zhong Tao, Party secretary of Dazu District, said at a recent press conference that the district would focus on three priorities during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030): developing competitive industries, expanding cultural tourism, and improving urban and rural living environments.
The agenda aligns with China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). During the previous five-year period, Dazu's GDP grew by an average of 6.6% annually, while industrial value added increased by an average of 8%, providing a foundation for the next stage of development.
Upgrading Dazu's Key Industries
Manufacturing remains a major pillar of Dazu's economy. The district has developed industrial clusters in new-energy vehicles, motorcycles and components, resource recycling and new materials, modern hardware, and electronic information and optoelectronics. Motorcycle production has exceeded 1.5 million units a year, while the district's camera-module industry holds a leading position in the global market. Its modern hardware cluster has also received national recognition as a specialized industrial cluster for small and medium-sized enterprises and as an innovation-oriented industrial cluster.
Motorcycles move along an assembly line at a manufacturing facility. (Photo: Dazu District)
The district plans to make its industries more technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable, and interconnected. It aims to raise total industrial output above 100 billion yuan by 2030, while developing both established industries and emerging sectors.
Modern hardware is one of Dazu's best-known traditional industries. Over the next five years, the district plans to upgrade the sector through better design, improved production techniques, and expanded overseas markets. It aims to develop at least five municipal-level industrial design centers and bring traditional forging techniques, including those passed down as intangible cultural heritage, into modern product development. New products will include cultural and creative hardware, high-end household hardware, and specialized precision hardware.
The district also plans to bring industrial internet platforms, artificial intelligence and big data into the hardware sector. Digital tools will help connect suppliers and buyers, improve procurement, and support the modernization of production lines. Dazu also plans to promote the implementation of the group standard for forged kitchen knives, help local companies strengthen their brands and expand overseas sales through cross-border e-commerce and the market-procurement trade pilot program. It aims to increase hardware exports to 1 billion yuan by 2030.
Developing an International Cultural Tourism Destination
Dazu's best-known cultural attraction is the Dazu Rock Carvings, which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. Dating mainly from the 9th to the 13th centuries, the carvings reflect Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian traditions, as well as scenes from everyday life in China during that period.
The district also offers attractions such as Longshui Lake, Mount Bayue, Longping Colorful Fields, and Changzhou Ancient Town. Dazu recorded 43.608 million tourist visits in 2025, up 12.6% from the previous year. The Dazu Rock Carvings recorded 1.63 million ticketed visits in 2025, up 15.7% from 2024. The district received 902,000 overnight tourist visits in 2024.
International visitors tour the Dazu Rock Carvings scenic area. (Photo: Dazu District)
Building on its existing tourism base, Dazu wants to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore more of the district, rather than making short trips focused mainly on the rock carvings. By 2030, the district aims to attract more than 4 million ticketed visits to the Dazu Rock Carvings scenic area each year and receive more than 1.5 million overnight tourist visits across the district.
Improved transport links are expected to support this growth. The Chengdu-Chongqing Central Line High-Speed Railway, scheduled to open in 2027, will include a station serving the Dazu Rock Carvings. Once operational, the journey from Dazu to central Chongqing is expected to take about 15 minutes, while travel to Chengdu will take just over 30 minutes.
Dazu also plans to expand its tourism portfolio known as Riyue Fanxing, literally meaning "Sun, Moon and Stars." The Dazu Rock Carvings form the centerpiece of the portfolio, represented by the "sun," while Longshui Lake serves as the "moon." Other local attractions make up the surrounding "stars," creating a wider network of places for visitors to explore.
To give visitors more reasons to stay, the district plans to improve connections between major attractions and develop more themed travel routes. Around Longshui Lake, seasonal activities will include flower viewing in spring, water activities in summer, camping in autumn and hot-spring visits in winter. The plan also includes more live performances, interactive activities, and immersive experiences.
The plan also includes tourism services. Dazu intends to develop food districts, add high-quality hotels and themed guesthouses, improve scenic roads and cycling routes, and expand multilingual information, guided-tour and visitor-assistance services to make travel easier for international visitors.
Conservation, Research and New Ways to Experience the Dazu Rock Carvings
Alongside expanding tourism, Dazu plans to strengthen the conservation and study of its rock carvings. Over the next five years, the district will carry out restoration projects at key heritage sites, improve monitoring systems and develop digital research platforms to support the long-term preservation of the carvings.
A reclining Buddha at the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Photo: Dazu District)
Digital technology will also play a greater role in presenting the heritage site. Dazu plans to upgrade its digital museum and online "Cloud Tour of the Dazu Rock Carvings" project, while exploring augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and holographic displays to help visitors better understand the carvings' history and artistic value.
Dazu also plans to deepen cooperation with research institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Chongqing University, and develop platforms for cave-temple archaeology and digital heritage research.
International academic exchange is already part of these efforts. An international symposium on Dazu studies held in 2024 brought together more than 120 scholars from 11 countries and regions to discuss cave-temple research, heritage conservation and ways to make better use of cultural heritage. The district plans to build on these exchanges and continue promoting international academic cooperation.
Rural Revitalization and Urban-Rural Integration
Rural revitalization is another priority in Dazu's five-year agenda. The district plans to strengthen grain production, expand specialty agriculture, improve rural communities, and create more opportunities for farmers to increase their incomes.
For grain production, Dazu aims to maintain a sown area of more than 62,600 hectares and an annual grain production capacity of at least 430,000 tonnes. It also plans to expand its integrated "rice-plus" farming bases, combining rice cultivation with activities such as aquaculture to make better use of farmland and increase agricultural output.
A view of Dongyue Village in Baoding Town. (Photo: Dazu District)
The district also plans to expand specialty industries such as Dazu black goats, winter vegetables, and Chinese medicinal herbs. Food and agricultural processing parks will be developed to encourage more local processing and strengthen links between farming, manufacturing and sales.
For rural development, Dazu plans to develop 30 integrated rural complexes, building on existing demonstration villages and other local initiatives. The district aims to complete its broader rural improvement program by 2028, while upgrading roads, water and gas supplies, electricity networks and logistics services.
By 2030, the district aims for village development companies in its towns and subdistricts to generate average annual revenue of more than 4 million yuan each. The district also aims to increase rural residents' per capita disposable income by about 5.5% annually, linking local industry development more closely to higher household incomes.
By linking industrial upgrading with cultural tourism and rural development, Dazu aims to strengthen its regional competitiveness and play a greater role in developing the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.