In 2022, Jiangsu adopted multiple measures to bolster the recovery of the cultural tourism market, including the “16 Policy Measures for Jiangsu’s Cultural Tourism Development”. High-quality development of the cultural endeavors, cultural industries and tourism broke new ground.

The province saw 533 million domestic tourist trips in 2022 and achieved a revenue of RMB 920.143 billion from domestic travel. Cultural tourism consumption totaled RMB 383.079 billion, 10.3% of the national total, and the ratio came in first in China. A legion of innovative and exemplary projects and deliverables saw the light of day. The Wuxi opera Illumination of the Candlelight scooped the 17th National Wenhua Award, earning for Jiangsu four winning streaks of this big state-level award. The New Three-Year Plan for China Operas Kunshan Gala was implemented and ranked among the top 10 exemplary cases for reform and innovation in China’s culture and tourism field. The fine arts and calligraphy brand system centered upon the grace and charm of Master Fu Baoshi, Xu Beihong and Lin Sanzhi engaged people across the nation. The province explored new ways before launching the implementation methods and standards for evaluating and grading the state-owned cultural and art theaters and performance groups. The experience of developing small theaters was shared and promoted nationwide. The Fourth Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo was successfully held, and the Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum became a phenomenal cultural hallmark. The project of tracing the origin of Jiangsu regional culture was launched, and the “Chinese traditional tea making techniques and customs” jointly declared by related Jiangsu authorities have been officially inscribed into the new UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind. By focusing on the development of “two corridors, two belts and two areas” (world-class canal cultural heritage tourism corridor, world-class coastal eco-tourism corridor, world-class Yangtze River urban leisure tourism belt, world-class Silk Road tourism belt in eastern land bridge between Asia and Europe, and world-class eco-cultural tourism areas around Taihu Lake and Hongze Lake) Jiangsu provincial culture and tourism development paradigm, new projects have been proposed and implemented, such as the world-class canal cultural heritage tourism corridor, the coastal eco-tourism corridor and the Yangtze River urban leisure tourism belt. Jiangsu’s culture and tourism sector continues to be a national pacesetter, with new records such as registering eight national tourist resorts and 60 key national tourism villages and towns. The global communication center of “Charm of Jiangsu” has been built, and the popularity of “Charm of Jiangsu” culture and tourism brand has been significantly improved.