37th Guan Gong Cultural Tourism Festival kicks off in Yuncheng city

The 37th Guan Gong Cultural Tourism Festival kicked off on Sept 23 at the Guandi Temple in Haizhou, Yuncheng city in North China's Shanxi province, and will run through Sept 25.

Opera performers dressed as Guan Gong take part in the opening ceremony of the 37th Guan Gong Cultural Tourism Festival, Sept 23, 2026. (Photo: China Daily)

Guan Gong, also known as Guan Yu, was a renowned general of the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born in present-day Yuncheng, Shanxi. Transcending his identity as a historical military figure, Guan Gong has been revered for his unwavering loyalty, integrity, courage, and sense of justice for more than 1,800 years. Worshiped across generations, he is honored as Emperor Guan (Guandi) and respected by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism alike. His spirit of loyalty and righteousness has spread far beyond China as Chinese communities settled overseas.

The festival unveiled five major cultural achievements at its opening ceremony, demonstrating the innovative inheritance and contemporary practice of Guan Gong culture in the new era.

The achievements cover diverse fields, including the "Meet the Hero" Guan Gong-themed digital art roving exhibition, Guan Gong IP products featuring intangible cultural heritage copper-carving techniques, Guan Gong-themed philatelic products, Guan Gong culture origin-tracing cultural relics themed tour route, and outstanding entries from the "Ode to Guan Gong" short-video competition.

The Guandi Temple in Haizhou presents the premier special exhibition on the dissemination of Guan Gong's cultural heritage. Centered on Guan Gong iconography and adopting digital interactive exhibition technologies, it systematically sorts out and vividly showcases the millennial inheritance and evolution of Guan Gong culture.

In terms of integration of culture, tourism, and sports, a series of characteristic events are organized, such as the Guan Gong-themed cultural bazaar, the promotion campaign involving 100 travel agencies in 14 cities of the Guanzhong Plain urban cluster, and the 16th "Wusheng Cup" Chinese-style wrestling king competition.

The "Zhongyi Qianqiu (Eternal Loyalty and Righteousness)" cross-Strait calligraphy, painting, and photography exhibition on Guan Gong culture continued this year, and has garnered a record-high 2,595 submissions. As a signature activity of the festival, it has become an important platform for cross-Strait cultural exchanges and the inheritance of Guan Gong culture.

In addition, the festival launched the "Loyalty and Honor Without Borders", a global online outreach campaign, organizing domestic and overseas visiting delegations to explore the Hedong area (area east of the Yellow River in Shanxi), and hosting international youth dialogues to tell stories of Guan Gong's loyalty and righteousness to the world.

To boost cultural and tourism consumption, the festival rolled out beneficial tourism initiatives for surrounding markets. The newly launched 68-yuan ($10.14) group ticket grants visitors access to six core scenic spots in Yuncheng — Guan Gong's Hometown Cultural Tourism Scenic Area, Stork Tower, Pujiu Temple, Wulao Peak, Yongle Palace, and Li Family Courtyard — greatly cutting group-tour costs.

Meanwhile, travel agencies from 14 cities in the Guanzhong Plain urban cluster are organized to visit Yuncheng to inspect high-quality tourism routes. Jointly with neighboring cities, more Yuncheng-themed tourism products will be rolled out to expand tourist sources and further enhance Yuncheng's cultural and tourism brand influence.

Having run for 36 years, the Guan Gong Cultural Tourism Festival has evolved into a highly influential cultural‑exchange brand in Shanxi province.