The opening ceremony of the Yellow River Tourism Overseas Promotion Season 2023 was held in Yuncheng city, Shanxi province, on Tuesday.

The English and French versions of the tourism guidance which contains selected routes along the Yellow River Cultural and Tourism Belt were released at the event to help international tourists explore the birthplace of Chinese civilization.

To contribute to the construction of the Yellow River area as a renowned tourist destination, nine premium routes, covering nine provinces which the river runs through, have been selected to show the history, culture of the areas and the picturesque scenery. Additionally, five more rural tourism routes with a Yellow River theme have been chosen to showcase lifestyles.

At the opening ceremony, Li Gui, deputy director of the cultural and tourism department of Shanxi province, said: "The organization of this event will help to tell the stories of China and spread the voice of China. Shanxi province will undoubtedly take this event as an opportunity to further advance cultural development."

Zhang Ruirui, deputy director-general from the department of resource development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said that the guidance is released to comprehensively showcase the authentic, multidimensional, and developing Yellow River area to the international community.

"Hopefully more overseas tourists will come to know and fall in love with the Yellow River," she said.

During the conference in the afternoon, four experts and professionals from the tourism industry also exchanged ideas about promoting the development of tourism along the Yellow River.

Erwin F. Balane, the tourism counselor from the embassy of the Philippines in China, who has been in China for four years, said tourism authorities and local people should take advantage of internet to reach out and attract visitors.

"Everyone can become a cultural spokesperson for their hometown," he said.

He Donghai, executive deputy general manager of the Dahuaishu Seeking Roots Ancestral Memorial Park, a renowned scenic area in Hongtong county, Shanxi province, said the Yellow River's long history also embodies a significant part of Chinese civilization and culture.

"The Yellow River has been a source of inspiration for poets throughout history, and there are indeed more than 100 poems dedicated to it. These poems serve as important carriers of cultural and tourism resources, capturing the beauty and significance of the Yellow River in literary form."

Liu Gaifang, a professor in the tourism department of the College of History and Culture at Shanxi University, said the Shanxi Yellow River Highway has been completed, and many sections of the road offer breathtaking scenery comparable to the State Route 1 in the United States. Furthermore, it is important for everyone to use new media platforms to promote the Yellow River Basin, allowing more people to notice the beauty of the motherland's landscapes.