Stories of High-Quality Development｜Innovative practices in humanomics: Promoting the integrated development of culture and economy

Culture is like water, nourishing everything in silence and connecting a nation's past, present and future.

In places where culture is highly developed, the economy also leads the way. This perspective offers a humanistic interpretation of the economy. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, proposed the important concept of "humanomics" during a panel discussion with lawmakers from east China's Jiangsu Province during the "two sessions" in 2023.

China today is steeped in tradition yet full of modern flair. "Chinese cultural classics are spearheading the 'new guochao (China-chic)' trend, while consumer markets are embracing Chinese aesthetic. Culture and the economy blend and thrive together here," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, when hosting People's Daily's video series "Stories of High-Quality Development." "Chinese modernization infuses Chinese civilization with modern vitality, while Chinese civilization gives Chinese modernization its profound cultural depth."

To deeply integrate fine traditional Chinese culture into modern life

In 2024, museums across China received 1.49 billion visitors and earned 3.43 billion yuan in revenue from creative cultural products. In the same year, the operating revenue of China's cultural industry exceeded 19.14 trillion yuan. Chinese residents made 5.62 billion domestic trips, spending a total of 5.8 trillion yuan. The deep integration of culture and tourism has led to innovative and standout successes, further unleashing consumption potential.

The "A Century of Stewardship: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum" exhibition opened on Sept. 30. "Born from the powerful currents of modern China's social transformation and advancing in step with the nation's journey toward rejuvenation, the Palace Museum not only safeguards profound historical legacy but also radiates a distinct contemporary brilliance," said Zhu Hongwen, deputy director of the Palace Museum.

The Palace Museum and its collections embody the continuity of Chinese civilization spanning over 5,000 years, serving as a vital vessel for the nation's fine traditional culture. "Whether through the deep integration of 'culture and technology' or diverse explorations in cross-sector collaboration, we consistently uphold innovation in inheritance and development through innovation," said Zhu. For instance, the "Digital Heritage Repository" provides free public access to high-definition images of more than 150,000 cultural relics. The "Panoramic Palace Museum" enables virtual tours of the Forbidden City across all seasons from anywhere. Cultural works such as "Masters in Forbidden City," "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting," and "The Cat God in the Palace Museum" have made the majestic imperial palace relatable, tangible, and vibrantly alive.

According to Dai, culture is a vital pillar underpinning high-quality development. Museums across China have gotten creative in recent years, offering audiences vivid, multi-dimensional, and immersive cultural experiences, which have not only ignited a "museum craze" and brought cultural heritage into brighter focus but also seamlessly integrated China's fine traditional culture into modern life. This has turned cultural resources into popular consumer products, fueling fresh momentum in the culture and tourism market.

Keep turning the achievements of high-quality economic development into momentum for cultural prosperity

Culture is a new engine and catalyst for economic growth. At the same time, economic growth also lays a solid material foundation for cultural prosperity and opens up broad market opportunities. This drives the cultural industry forward through innovation, building on both growth in scale and improvements in quality. It has effectively promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.

Driven by consumer demand, culture-tourism integration and technology empowerment, how can the country further unlock the vitality of fine traditional Chinese culture? In the Wuyi Mountains of southeast China's Fujian Province, a team of sci-tech experts has stepped out of their labs and immersed themselves in the fields, "writing their research papers across the vast landscape."

Zheng Yucheng, a sci-tech expert in Nanping city, Fujian Province, is one of them. "Young special sci-tech experts are committed to taking root in the tea plantations, transforming the ancestral experience of 'weather-dependent tea making' into big data models, innovating tea processing techniques, assisting local farmers in establishing green eco-friendly tea gardens, and setting up 'aerial tea routes' for drones to preserve the freshness of tea leaves with greater efficiency and reduced labor," said Zheng.

The thriving tea industry drives development in other sectors. The rapid development of tea science and industry has filled farmers' pockets and improved their lives, and made tea culture increasingly popular. With its vibrant presence infusing into people's daily lives, a growing number are discovering and visiting the Wuyi Mountains thanks to their encounters with its tea.

"Practice has proven that economic development is fundamental to cultural advancement and indispensable," Dai said. In the new era, we must apply the new development philosophy, build a new development paradigm, and keep turning the achievements of high-quality economic development into momentum for cultural prosperity. We must enhance our ability to lead in culture and innovate in science and technology, and continue to create new scenarios, spaces, products, and business models, to drive the high-quality development of cultural endeavors and industries through heritage preservation and innovation, ultimately promoting the building of a strong socialist culture in China.

Continuously meeting people's growing aspirations for a better life

Cultural strength fuels economic development, while economic vibrancy showcases cultural richness. Enriching people's spiritual lives stands as a fundamental requirement of Chinese modernization. Humanomics in the new era takes the all-round development of people as its goal, reflecting the original purpose of high-quality development.

Culture plays a vital role in meeting the people's growing needs for a better life. While developing the economy, various regions across China also explore how to cultivate values, nurture minds, and enrich people's lives through public cultural programs. The Su Super League that went viral this summer gave an answer to this question.

A single Su Super League match attracted over 60,000 spectators and helped generate 38 billion yuan in consumption across various scenarios throughout east China's Jiangsu Province, according to data released Aug. 19 by the General Administration of Sport of China.

"What we aim to achieve goes beyond attracting visitors — we want them to stay," said Zhong Yunfei, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director of Suzhou's Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau. "Using culture as our thread, we embroider the tapestry of modern life stitch by stitch. When young people find the old town fascinating and old residents find life flavorful, the city truly comes alive."

"People are the intersection of culture and economics. Humanomics in the new era focuses on people, continuously meeting their growing aspirations for a better life, and providing them with more and better spiritual nourishment," said Dai.

On the new journey ahead in the new era, regions across China should continue to deepen research on humanomics and further promote the integration and mutual reinforcement of culture and the economy, so both thrive together. "They must pursue creative transformation and innovation-driven development to inject the power of culture into high-quality development. They need to identify growth points in cultural consumption, enhance their capacity for cultural and technological innovation, and strengthen cultural soft power. They need to better implement the people-centered development philosophy and satisfy people's ever-growing needs for a better life," Dai noted.

"This year marks the conclusion of China's 14th Five-Year Plan, and the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan's formulation. Embarking on the new journey, let's jointly write a new great chapter of humanomics, and work hard to answer the central question of our time: How can places rich in culture also take the lead economically?" Dai said.