On March 18, 2026, students who enrolled in Innovation in Culture and Tourism course conducted a culture and tourism investigation field trip in Yung Mark, Sanxiang, Zhongshan, which led by Culture, Creativity and Management (CCM) ’s lecturer Ms. WAN Wanqi and assistant instructor Ms. XIAO Yao. The activity aimed to integrate the theory of cultural-tourism integration with rural culture and tourism practices, and to deepen students' understanding of innovation in the culture and tourism industry.

Group Photo in Yung Mark

As a Lingnan ancient village with a history of nearly a thousand years, Yung Mark in Sanxiang, Zhongshan has been honored as a traditional Chinese village, a key national rural tourism village, and a demonstration village under the "Hundred-Thousand-Million Project". The village is home to distinctive culture and tourism sites, such as the Konghou Exhibition Hall and the Former Residence of ZHENG Guanying. It serves as a model of rural cultural tourism that combines profound local cultural heritage with modern leisure formats, making it an excellent case for practical research on the integration of culture and tourism.

Students carried out on-site research and investigations in Yung Mark

Following the research plan, instructors and students visited recommended sites including the Konghou Exhibition Hall, Xiangshan Bookstore, and the Former Residence of Zheng Guanying. They also engaged in conversations with local villagers. During the field trip, students documented the layout of culture and tourism businesses and visitor flow routes, took photos of tourism resources with potential for optimization, and held on-site discussions on the inherent relationship between cultural resources and tourism innovation. They also carefully observed the village’s practices in intangible cultural heritage display, celebrity culture development, and the integration of traditional and modern formats.

Students visited the Konghou Museum and had discussions during the tour

At the featured cultural and creative stores in Yung Mark, everyone visited there to look around the products which are incorporating regional symbols and intangible cultural heritage elements. While carefully observing the product designs and exchanging ideas, they gained an immersive and intuitive understanding of the deep integration of traditional culture and tourism consumption, accumulating materials for exploring development paths that foster the symbiosis of culture and tourism.

Yung Mark cultural and creative stores

The Yung Mark field trip has come to a successful conclusion, with all groups completing the collection and organization of primary research data. Taking the cultural tourism development of this ancient Lingnan village as a starting point, this practical activity offered students an in-depth understanding of the current development status and challenges of rural culture. It also enabled them to better appreciate the importance and practical value of applying classroom knowledge to real-life scenarios. Participants not only deepened their understanding of how to achieve the innovative development and transformation of fine traditional Chinese culture in the new era, as well as how culture can empower rural cultural tourism and boost rural revitalization, but also laid a solid practical foundation for the subsequent design of innovative cultural tourism plans for Yung Mark and the completion of group presentations.

Text: ZHU Siyi, ZHAO Xinyuan

Images: ZHU Siyi, ZHAO Xinyuan, WAN Wanqi, XIAO Yao

Edit: WAN Wanqi, XIAO Yao