Millennia-old Chinese city blends ancient heritage with modern energy in thriving night economy

A popular night market's integration of traditional local culture has helped energize the millennia-old Luoyang city in central China's Henan Province.

Luoyang, one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and the capital of 13 dynasties, has been ramping up tourism in recent years.

Present-day Luoyang is home to five capital city ruins, six UNESCO World Heritage sites, 197 cultural relic units under national and provincial protection, 9,000 pieces of immovable cultural relics, and 102 museums.

Among all the distinctive cultural experiences specially organized by the local government, the enchanting riverside dance undoubtedly stands out as a highlight.

"This classical dance primarily draws on movements from artifacts like terracotta figurines and murals, while also incorporating elements and styles from traditional opera," said Zhang Fangfang, the deputy director of the Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Laocheng District.

Much like traditional dance, other revitalized cultural practices are flourishing in modern society, with Hanfu -- traditional Chinese costumes once favored by Han Chinese -- similarly amassing a devoted following.

"I believe Hanfu represents our traditional attire and embodies Chinese culture. Wearing Hanfu while taking photos in Luoyang's ancient city is especially beautiful, as if stepping back to the Tang Dynasty thousands of years ago. It beautifully showcases the unique charm of Eastern women, and I absolutely love it," said a tourist.

At a modest stall in the night market, a vendor skillfully crafts exquisite art pieces using traditional Chinese herbs as the base material, creating life-like sculptures. In one striking diorama, furry monkeys sit at a dinner table in a traditional-style Chinese kitchen.

"Maohou uses monkey figurines to mimic various human movements, portraying the diverse aspects of everyday life. By blending the monkey's natural vivacity with the artist's creativity, they create a remarkable realm of artistic expression," said the craftsman.

According to local officials, showcasing these modern takes on traditional artwork is a central purpose of the night market.

"Of course, we can't let these treasures remain hidden underground. Over the years, we have employed disruptive creativity, immersive experiences, youthful consumer engagement, and mobile communication to advance our cultural tourism efforts," said Lan Hongtao, deputy director of the Luoyang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Braodcast-TV, and Tourism.

Millennia-old Chinese city blends ancient heritage with modern energy in thriving night economy

With the beginning of the cotton harvest season, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is anticipating higher yields from advancements in agricultural technology and mechanization.

Xinjiang is the largest production area of high-quality commodity cotton in China. The 2.47-million-hectare cotton growing area in the region has produced more than 5 million tons of cotton for six consecutive years.

The northern and southern parts of the vast autonomous region have different climates, different cotton varieties and also different growing periods. Currently, cotton picking started two weeks ago in northern Xinjiang, while the harvesting has just begun in the southern areas.

In Tumxuk City, located in southern Xinjiang, cotton farmers are using all-in-one harvesters to help them pick cotton, separate the flowers from the stalks and pack them into bundles.

"In the past, we picked the cotton manually. It took us more than a month to pick 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of cotton, and the cost reached 1,000 yuan per mu (about 2,106 U.S. dollars per hectare). Now, we use domestically produced cotton pickers to gather them, which have high efficiency and low cost. It now takes less than a day to harvest my 100 mu of cotton, with a cost less than 200 yuan per mu," said Turaxun Samat, a local farmer.

This year, Xinjiang has vigorously promoted the new cotton planting technology of drip irrigation under the mulching film at the appropriate emergence temperature, replacing the old method of irrigating before sowing. The technology can greatly improve the emergence rate while also saving water resources.

In addition, the precision sowing supported by BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and remote sensing monitoring by the agricultural big data platform have also been widely adopted across Xinjiang, contributing to the growth of cotton output.

"This year, a total of 1,057,800 mu (about 70,520 hectares) of cotton have been planted in Tumxuk City, and the unginned cotton yield is estimated at 451.4 kilograms per mu, an average increase of 11.7 kilograms per mu over the previous year," said Chen Yongsen, a member of the leadership of the city's Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The cotton harvesting in Xinjiang is expected to end in early November.

Xinjiang enters cotton harvest season with higher yield expected