The Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday are combined into one, and there is an eight-day super golden week. As a result, Nanxun Ancient Town has experienced a surge in passenger flow that has never been seen before. On October 1, it has already exceeded the 10 million tourist mark for the year. This ticket-free 5A-level scenic spot is supported by solid examples and confirms the successful operation process of converting "traffic" into "retention". Li Yulin's family, who came specially from Qinghai, became the 10 millionth lucky visitor. At the same time, they also witnessed the glorious and magnificent transformation of this thousand-year-old ancient town.
First stores set up together to bring fresh blood
This year, Nanxun Ancient Town has introduced 29 first stores of various types, including EARTH PUPU Coffee’s first store in Asia, Turandot Book Italian Restaurant’s first store in the country, the British Museum’s first cultural and creative store in Zhejiang, and the Xinglingjie Immersive Experience Center. These new store faces are everywhere. Each brand is not just copying it casually. On the contrary, it carefully and thoughtfully integrates many international elements with the style of our excellent Jiangnan water town. This allows tourists to encounter very new trends in old houses and ancient streets.
What attracts young people to line up and check in at Baoshanhe Family Street is the KAKAO FRIENDS themed market, and the stamp booklet at Cat’s Sky City Cultural and Creative Store has become a hit. Time-honored brands do not show weakness. Huzhou’s century-old brand Ding Lianfang is still popular. Tourists are willing to queue up for a bowl of traditional double-piece steamed buns. Old and new businesses coexist harmoniously here.
Ticket-free policy triggers peak passenger flow
At the beginning of this year, Nanxun Ancient Town took the lead in breaking the usual practice and became the fourth 5A-level scenic spot in Zhejiang to adopt a free and open model. This decision showed great power during the National Day Golden Week. Without the obstacle of tickets, tourists' willingness to enter scenic spots has greatly increased, the number of family travel groups has increased significantly, the ancient town is crowded but orderly, and the vitality of business has been fully activated.
Free admission is not the end, it is just the starting point. The local government has simultaneously launched the "Four Beams and Eight Pillars" project for the revitalization of the ancient town. From the three dimensions of function, time and region, the layout has been re-planned. It is no longer limited to the core area of the ancient town, but the surrounding areas have been included in the overall development scope, blurring the boundaries, so that tourists can go far and stay, and the consumption scene has changed from a single sightseeing to a diverse experience.
Mid-Autumn Street Banquet recreates traditional charm
The 100-meter-long street banquet was held on the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Diotang Fengqing Street. Local residents and foreign tourists sat together to taste mooncakes and seasonal delicacies, recreating the grand scene of ancient merchants gathering together. The modern interpretation of this traditional custom makes the festival atmosphere particularly strong. Strangers toast to each other and wish each other, and the accents of the north and the south interweave into a unique festival symphony.
On the reunion dinner table, there are many authentic Huzhou dishes, which are also integrated with the taste of hometown brought by tourists from all over the world. The banquet has become a miniature stage for cultural exchanges. The organizers of the event deliberately retained the old-fashioned sense of ritual. From setting up the table to serving the dishes, everything followed ancient methods, so that the younger generation could also feel the weight and warmth of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
Immersive night tour lights up the night in the water town
As night falls, the immersive light show in East Garden and the immersive light show in Yiyuan are staged on time. Light and shadow technology projects the changes of the four seasons on the ancient buildings. Visitors can trigger the special effect of "lotus growing step by step" when they step on the ground projection. This kind of interactive experience breaks the "just watch and watch" limitations of traditional night tours. Both adults and children are chasing light and shadow games with great interest.
An equally popular night boat cruise is a small boat that travels between the rivers. The lights on both sides outline the outline of the ancient houses. The light and shadow devices under the bridge create a fantasy feeling like a time and space tunnel. This year, Nanxun successfully established a national-level nighttime cultural tourism consumption cluster, integrating night performances, night markets, and night tours, allowing tourists to play from day to night, fully activating the night economy of the ancient town.
Ancient style night market recreates the prosperity of merchants
During the National Day, the Xun Song Market, which has become popular in the summer, has been upgraded. Stall owners in Hanfu put out various cultural and creative handicrafts, and tourists changed their clothes to blend in. The night market has traditional sugar paintings and dough-making figures, as well as modern handicrafts and creative drinks. The mix of ancient and modern styles makes every stall full of curious eyes.
Performers dressed in ancient costumes shuttled through the streets and alleys, interacting with random tourists. Some were reciting poetic couplets, and some were performing impromptu dances. This type of immersive performance breaks through the boundaries of the stage, making visitors feel as if they have traveled back to that lively period of prosperous business and bright lights. Naturally, stalling and checking in has become a must-do action.
The integration of cultural landscape and emerging business formats
During the day, visitors can visit Xiaolianzhuang, Jiaye Hall Library, Zhang Shiming’s former residence and other classic attractions. Visitors can touch the profound historical context of Nanxun. The architectural style that combines Chinese and Western elements tells the legendary story of the wealthy merchants of Xun. These old attractions have not become deserted because they are free of charge, but because the passenger flow has increased, more people have understood the essence of Jiangnan culture.
However, the new business formats presented by Baoshanhe Parent-Child Street and Diotang Style Street have given a different kind of play experience. Starting from theme cafes, to cultural and creative markets, from parent-child interaction to hand-made experiences, young people have found their own way to play in the ancient town here. History and trend go hand in hand in this ancient town, and everyone can find a way to open it that suits their heart. This is the key code for Nanxun to break through the limitations.
Have you ever been to Nanxun Ancient Town? If you haven’t been there yet, has the extremely strong popularity during this Super Golden Week touched your heart? Welcome to share your own travel plan or your experience during visiting the ancient town in the comment area. Please like and repost it so that more people can see the new look of this ancient town that has lasted for thousands of years!
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