TV series success sparks tourism boom in Xingcheng

Riding the wave of acclaim from the hit TV series The Swimsuit Saga, Xingcheng, a quaint city nestled in Northeast China's Liaoning province, has emerged as a sought-after tourism hot spot, authorities reveal.

The 37-episode series, set against the backdrop of late 1970s to the 1990s, chronicles the journey of a Xingcheng local who strikes gold by venturing into the swimwear business alongside his wife. As the narrative unfolds, viewers witness the couple's resilience in surmounting hurdles to elevate their venture into a premier enterprise, instrumental in propelling their hometown to the pinnacle as China's swimwear production hub.

Filmed in Xingcheng from July to October 2021, the drama's picturesque coastal scenes were captured at a revamped site on the local beach spanning over 10,000 square meters, as shared by Chai Jingjie, the chief producer.

Zhu Wenbiao, deputy head of the Liaoning Provincial Radio and Television Administration, lauds the series for catapulting Xingcheng into the limelight, with iconic locales like the Jinxi Swimwear Factory and the Xingcheng Ancient Wall drawing throngs of tourists keen on capturing memorable snapshots.

Following the drama's successful initial run on various networks, including Beijing Satellite TV, Xingcheng, under the jurisdiction of Huludao, emerged as the top draw for tourists, notes Zhu. Over the recent five-day May Day holiday, Huludao welcomed a staggering 28.16 million visitors, marking a substantial 90.56 percent surge from the previous year. Notably, local tourism revenues surged to 2.07 billion yuan ($286.8 million), a 94.27 percent spike compared to the corresponding period in the prior year, as disclosed by Zhu.

Dong Mei, a first-level inspector of Huludao's Committee of the Communist Party of China, underscores Xingcheng's burgeoning stature in the global swimwear market, boasting over 4,000 swimwear enterprises whose revenues command a sizable share, exceeding 20 percent of the global market.