‍Two selected deputies from the National People's Congress (NPC) highlighted the importance of exploring local resources as part of the cultural development in their hometowns on Sunday.

A total of seven NPC deputies took questions from gathered reporters in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People this afternoon as they attended the so-called "Deputies' Corridor," which is basically a mini Q&A session. Among them is the celebrated Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke.

Last October, with the support from the local government, Jia launched an international film exhibition project in his hometown of Pingyao County in north China's Shanxi Province.

The project was a successful cultural event that contributed to Pingyao’s already-sizable tourism industry. "During the eight-day exhibition, 52 films from 20 countries had attracted over 180,000 people to the county," Jia told reporters at the corridor. "Now I'm pleased to see more young people talking about films and the film industry.”

The director also gave his suggestion regarding how to support policies to develop talent in the country. "Such a film exhibition, like what we did [in Pingyao] needs to draw more domestic and foreign talents. So promoting film education, and increasing investment in funding young directors is what I would like to propose," he added.

Situated in the heart of China’s coal mining base, Pingyao once relied heavily on the industry as a main source of income. Nowadays, thanks to Jia’s works, the area now owns more cultural resources, primarily from hosting various film events.

Liu Lei, another NPC deputy who answered reporter’s questions at the corridor, was also very proud to see the tourism industry in her hometown had vigorously grown.

Coming from China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province, Liu belongs to Hezhe ethnic group, one of China's smallest ethnic groups, which mostly lives in Heilongjiang and has a population of only 5,000.

Because the ethic group only has a spoken language without a writing system, it is difficult for some traditional folk arts and crafts to be passed down to the younger generations. Thus, the local people tried to save their cultural heritage by promoting tourism in their less-developed villages, and the result was fruitful, as the increase in visitors has stimulated the preservation of their local traditional cultures. 

The "Deputies' Corridors" are open to journalists covering the Two Sessions. Sunday was the third such session in the corridor, with the first and the second taking place on March 5 and 8, respectively.