Da'an District in Zigong city, along with 10 other districts, counties and county-level cities in Sichuan province, was named a Renowned Tourism County in Sichuan during the Sichuan Cultural and Tourism Development Conference held in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, Sept. 28.
Over the past few years, Da'an District has worked to advance its tourism industry with impressive results. In 2020, the district received 8.92 million tourists while tourism revenue totaled 10.03 billion yuan, representing an average growth rate of 13 percent and 17 percent, respectively, year-on-year over the past three years.
Covering a total area of 400 square kilometers, the district boasts a long and rich history, including the former residence of Jiang Zhuyun – also known as Sister Jiang, an underground member of the Communist Party of China and a revolutionary martyr – which now serves as a popular memorial site and patriotic base.
Meanwhile, the district's Shenhai Well is regarded as a "living fossil" of well salt culture, as it's the first manmade well with a depth of more than 1,000 meters, as well as the world's only existing salt production facility to still follow ancient manual techniques.
Da'an has also been dubbed the "hometown of the dinosaur" thanks to its dinosaur museum, one of the three largest such facilities in the world. The region is also home to a vast quantity of unearthed dinosaur fossils, many of which date back to the Jurassic period – about 135 million to 210 million years ago – providing the international community with a rare collection containing valuable insights into dinosaur evolution.
Lastly, Zigong's lantern-making traditions date back to the Tang and Song dynasties, which ruled China more than a millennium ago. As such, the city's lantern show is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council. With an investment of 30 billion yuan, the newly built China Lantern World in Da'an District received more than 600 million visitors both online and offline this year. To date, Zigong has presented lantern shows in more than 500 cities across China and more than 80 countries and regions abroad.
