The Great Wall is a magnificent architectural miracle and an unparalleled historical and cultural landscape in human history, carrying the value of the national spirit of the Chinese people's resilience and self-reliance, the historical and cultural value of firming up the cultural self-confidence of the Chinese nation. What's more, it embodies the architectural heritage value of displaying the ancient military defense system, as well as the value of the cultural landscape of the fusion of human beings and the interaction with nature.

The 2023 Beijing Great Wall Cultural Festival was launched on September 23rd, taking the Great Wall culture as a link, with the annual activity theme of "An appointment witnessed by the moon of the Great Wall". It allows people to experience the unique charm of the cultural heritage of the Great Wall by organizing a series of participatory and communicative cultural activities.

On the evening of September 23, the 2023 Beijing Great Wall Culture Festival Juyongguan Main Venue Activity, also the "Moon of Juyongguan Pass" Mid-Autumn Poetry Gala, was held at the foot of the Juyongguan Great Wall. It is hosted by the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee and co-sponsored by the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and the Party Committee and District Government of Changping District.

The culture festival this year with the theme of "An appointment witnessed by the moon of the Great Wall", takes the Great Wall as the medium and culture as the link, and displays to the world the magnificent architectural wonders and incomparable historical and cultural landscapes in human history, using the audio-visual language of the times.

The festival is characterized by three features. Firstly, a series of latest achievements in Great Wall protection research were released. In recent years, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have attached great importance to the protection of the Great Wall, and continuously explored the long-term mechanism for the protection work. The protection research work has made gratifying achievements.

Secondly, focusing on fixed activities, it will co-ordinate cultural activities featuring regional characteristics in the six districts along the Great Wall in Beijing. With the creation of regional characteristic cultural brands as the center of gravity, the six districts along the Great Wall have launched "one district, one characteristic" cultural and tourism integration projects. In particular, some regional characteristic cultural brands have begun to make a great difference.

The third is to enhance the radiation scope of the Great Wall culture, and build the festival into an influential cultural brand of the Great Wall in China. In the main event on the launch of the "Great Wall: nine passes join as one for action" activities, and the official release of the "nine passes" postcard coupons. The "Nine Passes" in the Great Wall of China that can be opened to tourists, includes Shanhaiguan, Huangyaguan, Juyongguan, Yanmenguan, Niangziguan, Pingxingguan, Jiayuguan, Dajingmen and Zhenbeitai. Taking this as an opportunity, the "nine passes" will create the Great Wall Pass Cultural Relics Protection Union, do a good job in the protection of Great Wall cultural relics, historical research, cultural excavation, spiritual inheritance, etc., and deeply strengthen exchanges and collaboration with the regions along the Great Wall. In addition, with the form of cultural salon, the festival organizer takes "the openness, utilization, publicity of the Great Wall passes" as the theme and invites representatives on the Great Wall passes to carry out talks and seminars around the display of the region's Great Wall pass culture.

Since 2020, Beijing has held the Great Wall Culture Festival for four consecutive years, insisting on shaping tourism with culture and manifesting culture with tourism, promoting the deep integration and development of culture and tourism, boosting cultural consumption, promoting industrial income. These efforts will also enable the Great Wall civilization to go global.

Translator: CHEN Nuoqi

Reviewer: LI Xiaochun