【正文】 t the policy following Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Li Zhiyong, deputy dean of the tourism institute at Sichuan University, said the move contributes to a large increase in the number of overseas tourists and raises the city39。s level of internationalization. The policy will also bring direct economic revenue, Li said. Chengdu has many cultural legacies and is also a paradise for panda lovers with the world39。s largest breeding and research center. Three days are long enough for foreign visitors to visit those iconic tourist spots, he noted. The city is home to the remains of the Jin sha civilization that dates back more than 3,000 years as well as the Qing cheng Mountains and the Du jiang yan irrigation system. Qing cheng has long been recognized as the birthplace of Taoism, China39。s ancient indigenous religion, while Du jiang yan is considered to be the oldest functioning watercontrol project in the world. Chengdu ranked third in tourist facilities, management and services among 60 Chinese cities in a customer satisfaction survey released last year. But, Li added that efforts are still needed to develop more tourism products, improve English services and provide accurate translation of traffic signs and scenic billboards. Zhao Yun, chairwoman of British Chamber of Commerce Southwest China, told China Daily that his colleagues found the policy very convenient. A British client once flew here and stayed for just one day to check her ordered goods, she said. Zhao was born in Shanxi province, but she has lived in Chengdu for more than 10 years. My life was like a running race moving from place to place. I also lived in Beijing and Shanghai before, she said. But Chengdu is a place that you never want to leave once settling down. It is now my second hometown, she said. If the environment is further improved, the city will attract more people to visit and live, with the 72hour visafree policy and pelling conditions in transportation, culture, climate and cuisine, he said. Foreigners also gave positive feedback on the policy. A spokesman from Dell Inc said the pany has a global hub of operation in Chengdu, so the threeday visa has an immediate and positive influence on the pany39。s business development. Rudy Buttignol, president of the public broadcasting pany in British Columbia, Canada, said his work requires frequent travel to Chengdu and the policy makes the trips easier. Data from the city39。s public security bureau shows some 100 foreign visitors enjoyed the 72hour policy by the end of March, most of them from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. Chengdu also reported robust growth in its overall tourist industry last year. Official statistics show that it received some 150 million tourists last year, an increase of 28 percent from 2021. Around million came from abroad, an increase of 12 percent. Total revenue from tourism surpassed 133 billion yuan ($). During his visit to Kazakhstan in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Central Asia join hands to build a Silk Road economic belt to boost cooperation. The idea has been w idely echoed in Central Asian countries, being an encouraging blueprint for Chinese areas along the Silk Road that has linked Asia and Europe for more than 2,000 years. In the next three weeks, China Daily reporters w ill travel through the belt in China and in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. They w ill show the progress and expectations of the countries, businesses and peoples on the route. Shaanxi the start of the ancient Silk Road has positioned itself as the new starting point for the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt, w hich will strengthen China39。s cooperation w ith Central Asian countries, a senior official said. Shaanxi Governor Lou Qinjian said the province is fresh, rich and unique, as it w as when it anchored one end of the ancient Silk Road. It is the best option for acmodating industrial transfers from East China or the w orld at large, he said on Wednesday in Xi39。an. Lou held a joint interview w ith 27 media, including China Daily, the first in a series of interviews entitled Chinese Media Along the Silk Road. The interview s w ill be in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as w ell as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. The media group held the first interview on Wednesday morning in Xi39。an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, a trade channel established more than 2,000 years ago linking China, Central Asia and Europe.