Mazhuang Village in Pan'an Lake Subdistrict, Jiawang District of Xuzhou City opened an immersive cultural and tourism block on July 6, the first of its kind in the broader Huaihai Economic Zone.
The venue offers demonstrations of intangible cultural heritage items, parades featuring hanfu, the historical Han Chinese outfit, and a zone to experience handicrafts.
Pan'an Lake was once the largest subsidence area in Xuzhou due to coal mining. In 2010, Jiawang District began a massive project to integrate reclamation of coal mining subsidence, restoration of the ecological environment and the development of wetland landscape, resulting in an eco-tourism park.
In March of this year, Pan'an Lake Scenic Area Management Center established a new company dedicated to the creation of cultural and tourism block. The first phase of the project opened in June 30 and received over 100,000 visits on it first day of trial operation.
The village's resident Liu Zhen said it is even livelier now than during the Spring Festival. Visitors can have the chance to enjoy specialty food and explore a creative market filled with interesting designs and crafts that are gaining traction on the Internet.
Notably, scented sachets have become popular among visitors. Wang Xia, head of the village committee, said these sachets often clearly display the herbs inside and customers are encouraged to grind the herbs and choose the colors to customize their own creations. The tailored scented sachets, targeting young visitors, generated sales revenue of 3,000 yuan per night.
Inside the venue, Zhu Xuening rows a sightseeing boat during the day and, at night, dresses in hanfu to host live streams, introducing local customs, scenery and performances to the audience online.
(CFP Photo)
Pan'an Lake Subdistrict has also hosted a photography contest featuring hanfu, the Second Dragon Boat Race, and other activities this year. The scenic area also plans to seek recognition as a 5A tourist attraction, with renovation projects scheduled for the lake's main island. In the first half of this year, local tourism revenue reached 1.468 billion yuan, up 83.9% year-on-year.
