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Ancient hot spring town opens new chapter
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2012-01-06

The hot spring town is striving to create an international buzz with medical tourism projects that promote the hot spring culture of Ruzhou.

The total investment for the international hot spring resort currently under construction is 2.6 billion yuan ($400 million). The preliminary work for the 3.86 billion yuan medical tourism theme park has been completed. The town prepares to invest more than 240,000 yuan to build a culture center, eight cultural villages and 14 new libraries to enable over 47,000 people from the town to enjoy the history of the hot springs.

In recent years, the hot spring town has been built into a famous place with the culture of China's central plains region and an accumulative investment valued at more than 10 million yuan. The widening and reconstruction of Tangwang Road has been completed and several new roads were constructed, including Zetian Avenue, Luanjia Road, Hailing Road and Jianhu Road.

The construction of supporting facilities such as building a network, reconstructing and upgrading the electricity supply have been implemented. Pipelines for centralized water supply were also developed in the town.

In 2009 and 2011, the hot spring town employed experts from the architectural design institute of Henan province and China Tourism Academy to develop plans on the establishment of the hot springs resort. The creation of the project will start in the near future and will bring invaluable prospects.

Over 50 art performance groups are spread throughout the villages of the hot spring town. It promotes the art groups by holding a performance every year and awarding the winners.

A large number of people in the Zhuzhai village can sing Quju Opera, Henan Opera and Shaoxing Opera. In 1970, Zhu Yunsheng, former party secretary of the village, and Chinese opera addict, founded the village’s Quju Group. Later, the group was divided into five Suona groups and the performances became more flexible and spontaneous. In addition to performing in the villages of Ruzhou city, some Suona groups went to Luoyang city, one of the ancient capitals of China, to display their capabilities. Suona groups have more than 100 performances every year.

In 1985, Nanwang village founded a lion dance team. When the Spring Festival comes, the team will go to many villages to perform. During last year's Lantern Festival, Nanwang village's lion dance team won the first place in the art joint performance of the hot spring town.

In 2007, Guo Dexing and Li Xinsheng, two retired officials, established a senior's calligraphy association called Xiyanghong Calligraphy Association. Twice a month, every member has to hand in a piece of calligraphy or painting to exhibit in the town's government site. After four years of development, members of the association have grown from 10 to 30. This year, the association won the first place in the calligraphy competition organized by the municipal discipline inspection department, and Guo Dexing alone won 48 awards in all kinds of national calligraphy competitions. At the national calligraphy and painting competition called "Pay Tribute to the Great Man with Ink" (in memory of the 35th anniversary of the death of late Chairman Mao Zedong), both Guo Dexing and Li Xinsheng won gold medals and another eight members won silver medals.

Edited by Fu Bo and Rakhee

 
 
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