The Tonggusi Baxi ancient city in the Xinhe Aksu region, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was the capital city of the Anxi Grand Protectorate in Tang Dynasty (618-907). Photo: Zhao Juecheng/GT

People celebrate during the culture and tourism festival on December 12, 2019 at the Tang Anxi Grand Protectorate Cultural Park in Xinhe, Northwest China’s Xinjiang. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

A county in Aksu Prefecture located in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region opened two new culture parks based on historical protectorates, revealing the country's regional sovereignty.

Xinhe county government officials held a press conference in Aksu on Thursday to promote the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25) Protectorate of the Western Regions Cultural Park and Tang Dynasty (618-907) Anxi Grand Protectorate Cultural Park.

Located in the city center, the parks are historical reproductions of the central government's Xinjiang administrate during the Han and Tang dynasties and feature ancient architectural styles, secretary of the Xinhe Party committee Du Haitao said during the press conference.

The parks exhibit China's unified multi-ethnic state and show the history of the different ethnic groups who have been developing Xinjiang together, Du said.

Du also noted the county aims to become a patriotic education and ethnic unification base for Xinjiang history and Chinese culture.

The Ruins of Protectorate of the Western Regions and Anxi Grand Protectorate were both located in Xinhe.

The Wushikate ancient city of Xinhe was confirmed as the former seat of the Protectorate of the Western Regions in 2017, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to ancient literature, the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC- 8 AD) in 60 BC exercised military and administrative jurisdiction over the western regions by establishing the protectorate in Wulei.

A Xinhe culture and tourism festival was launched on Thursday. Thousands of tourists visited the Tang Anxi Grand Protectorate Cultural Park to enjoy performances and food from over 200 vendors. The festival will run through February 20, 2020.

Through November 2019, Xinhe has welcomed 881,000 visits, a 97.23 percent increase year-on-year, generating 458 million yuan in tourism revenue, the Global Times learned.

The county has a population of 205,700, among which 94.3 percent belong to Uyghur ethnic groups.