The themed event “A Kaleidoscope of Experiences in Ponan” recently opened at the Ponan Historical and Cultural Block in Pingyang.
Wenzhou News Network reports: The thousand-year-old street has become an immersive stage evoking the world of traditional Chinese martial-arts tales (jianghu). With five categories of performances and eight types of immersive interactions with NPCs (costumed characters who interact with visitors) at its heart, the event offers visitors an experience that brings the whole block to life.
Street characters, including tea vendors, herbalists, singers, acrobats and porters, roam the lanes. Eight traditional arts, including conjuring tricks, storytelling and traditional craftwork, take turns on stage. Local intangible cultural heritage (ICH) traditions, including puppet theater, Huangtang tea (a local yellow tea), street performance and drum storytelling, are woven into the block. Visitors can also enjoy photo spots and a stamp-collecting challenge inspired by the jianghu, collecting a travel booklet, interacting with NPCs and exchanging completed stamp collections for cultural and creative gifts and shopping vouchers. Hundreds of performances run from day into the night, bringing the old street’s historic scenes to life. The event has attracted a total of 274,500 visitors, drawing a strong crowd and giving the block a boost in cultural tourism.
A specialty fair called the Phoenix Market has also opened at Wutong Square, featuring a range of products, from local agricultural specialties to handmade cultural and creative goods. The stall featuring agricultural products from Nanbu County, Sichuan, has proved especially popular. More than 20 kinds of local mountain products, including antler mushrooms, mulberry-leaf tea, osmanthus wine, goji berries, Wufu tea (Five Blessings tea) and knife-cut noodles, are neatly displayed. The wide selection of products from the paired-assistance region has caught the eye of passing residents and visitors, many of whom stop to browse and buy. “This osmanthus wine looks great. I’ve come to the market to pick up some specialties from Nanbu County, thousands of miles away,” one visitor said. Online influencers have also visited the stall to livestream and promote Nanbu’s products in short videos. This combined online and offline promotion has helped raise the profile of products from the region.
The seven-day sales exhibition is organized by Wenzhou Ou Porcelain Industry Development Co., Ltd. The Nanbu agricultural products stall is an important part of east-west cooperation and assistance. Making use of the high foot traffic at the Ponan Historical and Cultural Block, the exhibition brings quality agricultural specialties from Nanbu directly to residents in Pingyang. Visitors can learn about products from the partner region as they enjoy the market and conveniently buy its local specialties.
“Using the popular Phoenix Market in Ponan as a platform, we’re bringing Nanbu’s specialty agricultural products to the streets of Pingyang, so visitors can buy authentic Nanbu products as they explore the market,” said a representative of Wenzhou Ou Porcelain Industry Development Co., Ltd. The exhibition connects producers directly with consumers. It broadens the market’s product selection, meets residents’ diverse needs, and opens up new sales channels for Nanbu’s agricultural products, benefiting both consumption and paired assistance.
Going forward, Wenzhou Ou Porcelain Industry Development Co., Ltd. will continue to explore markets, in-person themed events and other platforms to promote and sell these products. The company will keep showcasing quality agricultural products from Nanbu County, bringing more of Nanbu’s best products into homes in Pingyang and further advancing consumption-based assistance through east-west cooperation.
