The ancient town of Pingyao in north China's Shanxi Province has introduced an array of dazzling nighttime activities including light show and immersive performances to boost visitor numbers around the clock.
As night fell, accompanied by dazzling lights and emotive music, actors perform a story depicting the faithfulness, loyalty and courage of local merchants at the foot of Pingyao.
"The weather is cool, the lights are beautiful, and there are a lot of tourists. You can also feel the cultural atmosphere of Pingyao as an ancient city," said Wang Ye, a tourist.
With a history of over 2,700 years, Pingyao is famous for its well-preserved urban landscape from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It was named a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1997.
The ancient city, covering an area of 2.25 square km, is home to more than 300 cultural relics and nearly 4,000 traditional buildings.
North China ancient town tries to boost nighttime visitor numbers with light show, immersive performances
Residents from Colombian capital city of Bogota expressed their gratitude to China's humanitarian aid supplies for the country's quake-affected communities after a shipment of 80-tonne relief supplies arrived on Tuesday.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug 10. The death toll from the quake had risen to 304, with 4,548 people injured and 426 others missing, the country's disaster management agency said Tuesday.
The items, including generators, mobile water purification vehicles, medical disinfection gears, solar-powered lights, tents, and blankets, are urgently needed in the country which is facing the enormous challenge of relief and reconstruction.
"This is excellent. The earthquake was devastating and we are thankful to China and everyone who is helping and putting their grain of sand," said Raimundo Montemiranda, a security guard.
"Thankful to this help, and any help is going to be helpful from people and countries. This is solidarity and the unity of the world," said Eduardo Prieto, an insurance salesman.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday night that about one-third of Colombia had been affected by the quake, which was centered in San Jose del Palmar in the department of Choco.
He said preliminary estimates put direct economic losses from the earthquake at nearly 30 trillion Colombian pesos (about 9.6 billion U.S. dollars), including 24.5 trillion pesos in building damage and 5.5 trillion pesos in infrastructure damage.
Domestic and international humanitarian aid are both keeping pouring into the hardest-hit areas while search and rescue teams are still working in places where people may remain trapped under the rubble.
Bogota residents express gratitude to China's quake relief supplies for Colombia
