Regions across nation welcome holiday visitors

During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, from Sept 15 to 17, regions across China delved into local traditions, innovated tourism products and services, and provided the public with unique cultural and tourism experiences that combined ancient charm and modern fashion in scenic spots, historical streets and landmarks.

In Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province in southeastern China, a three-hairpin themed makeup and cultural activity organized by the city's culture and tourism bureau attracted many tourists during the holiday.

The three hairpins represent local culture. They usually consist of three silver hair sticks, flat in shape and engraved with intricate patterns. In ancient times, women in Fuzhou, a coastal city, modified small iron tools into iron hairpins to wear for self-defense against pirates.

"I brought my family to Fuzhou for a visit and was amazed by the three hairpins. They are very beautiful and impressive. I would love to try them myself if I have the chance," said a tourist from Jiangsu province.

The three hairpins cultural exhibition, themed "Ancient Charm and New Life", opened at a heritage site during the holiday. It features sections such as time-space dialogue and cultural creation, showcasing relics, photos, accessories and folk costumes.

The time-space dialogue section displays one of the most well-preserved sets of silver three hairpins from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The main hairpin is 25.9 centimeters long and each of the two side hairpins is 27.9 cm long, all adorned with pearl-inlaid peony flower patterns.

In Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Qiuci Alley in the old town of Kucha city, which was known as Qiuci in ancient China, was bustling with street vendors and tourists' laughter during the holiday.

Since 2023, the local government has been integrating traditional culture with modern life in the alley by improving infrastructure and enhancing street functions, preserving its rich historical culture.

The alley has become a new tourism landmark in Kucha, attracting both residents and tourists. From May to September, the alley received more than 600,000 visits, enriching tourists' experiences and boosting the income of residents, local officials said.

Additionally, Kucha is accelerating the development of new cultural and tourism integration scenes, such as a museum and a theater, offering higher quality Qiuci cultural experiences.

In North China's Shanxi province, an influx of tourists were drawn to the well-preserved historic sites, as the recent hit video game Black Myth: Wukong has popularized the province's architectural assets.

"I had long planned to visit Shanxi to see ancient buildings," said Liu Xian, a tourist from Chongqing, who visited the Jinci Museum in Taiyuan with his wife during the holiday.

To align with elements of the traditional Chinese novel Journey to the West and its leading character Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, the museum has set up signboards in front of some ancient buildings to recreate scenes from the TV series.

Also, "in collaboration with the Shanxi Culture and Tourism Department, the museum has set up a pass-issuing station at Wenchang Palace to attract more tourists to travel Shanxi with Wukong," said Qiu Ping, deputy director of the museum.

Thanks to the video game, the museum saw a significant year-on-year increase in tourist numbers during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. The museum also launched original dramas, cultural performances, reading sessions and traditional games to enrich visitors' holiday experience.