Historical zone in Fujian welcomes holiday tourists with night economy, cultural immersion

The Xinghuafu historical and cultural zone, the core area of Putian in Fujian Province, is attracting huge turnouts of travelers during the Spring Festival holiday season with cultural immersion activities.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on February 17 this year. In celebration of the grand festival, Xinghuafu, with its freshly renovated buildings adorned with traditional oil-paper lanterns and holiday decorations, has staged a variety of evening performances for visitors since February 4. Holiday travelers here can also enjoy an interactive experience with performers dressed up as ancient characters across the cultural zone -- a cultural immersion activity Xinghuafu has introduced this year to enrich the traveling experience. Visitors can play games with performers and win ancient style paper bills which can be redeemed for discounts at local shops.

The cultural zone has seen the daily number of visitors exceed 60,000 since February 10, doubling compared to the same period of last year. With its restored ancient mansions and alleyways becoming popular backdrops for hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) photography enthusiasts, traveling photography is also expanding in Xinghuafu, boosting the overall economy of the area.

"This is my first time coming to this ancient street to take photos. The scenery here is really photogenic. It was such a pleasant surprise," said a tourist dressed in hanfu.

What began with two or three photo studios has now grown to over a dozen, with social media fame driving demand. The trend has subsequently boosted cultural creative products and food and beverage sales in the cultural zone.

Tourists are also drawn to Xinghuafu's authentic Putian cuisine such as lor mee and flat wontons. Some stores are treating visitors with special activities for the holiday.

A highlight this year is the hands-on red rice cake making experience. The red rice cake, a glutinous rice delicacy, typically stuffed with sweet fillings, is a key festive treat for the Spring Festival in Putian. Shops are also rolling out to-go packages for visitors to bring Putian's flavors back home. Food parcels shipping out from Xinghuafu has doubled during the holiday season, according to express delivery workers.

Historical zone in Fujian welcomes holiday tourists with night economy, cultural immersion

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting