Shaanxi at Work: Folk arts boost cultural tourism in northwest China

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Ansai is located on northwest China's Loess Plateau and is widely known for its unique folk art. This includes the waist drum dance and paper-cutting. In recent years, Ansai has made efforts to boost cultural tourism by integrating it with such art. CGTN has more.

In Ansai, the waist drum dance has become part of the people's daily lives. Zhou Zhisai learned how to play the waist drum from his grandfather at the age of 8. When he was 15, Zhou left Ansai and started to make a living from countrywide drum dance performances. Now, he is a professional as well as a part-time dance teacher.

ZHOU ZHISAI ANSAI WAIST DRUM DANCER "Last year, after the founding of the Ansai cultural village, I returned to my hometown with my wife. Now, we perform the waist drum dance together in the village on a regular basis. Our income has become more stable than before."

Zhou and his wife are not alone. The cultural village has created over 100 new jobs and two thousand part-time job opportunities for local villagers.

ZHANG GUANGJUN, MANAGER ANSAI CULTURAL VILLAGE "Ansai has a profound history and rich culture. We built this cultural village to explore the intersection between culture and poverty reduction. We believe this approach will help transform the lives of local people."

Other than watching the waist drum dance, tourists can also learn how to make waist drums and cut papers in the Ansai style. The village has attracted more than 600-thousand visitors during the past year. And, Zhang says they are preparing more interesting live performances to attract visitors this summer.

BAI XUE VISITOR "I like this place. I think I will come back with my friends again, to see more shows."

Alleviating poverty while preserving traditional folk art. Ansai is trying its best to do just that.