Lifestyle
Culture-themed tourism has been thriving in east China's Wuxi City which is breathing fresh life into the traditional scenic sites and providing visitors with both sightseeing pleasure and spiritual cultivation.
Nianhua Bay Park in the city has become a top tourist destination for its ambiance of "Zen", a kind of Buddhism culture which helps people to gain inner serenity and sobriety.
The park, a project developed by a local state-owned enterprise, has been boosting the cultural and tourism sector by leveraging local culture and history.
Business owners are attracting tourists by promoting ancient aesthetics, cultural and religious items and lifestyle of refreshment.
"I'm off work on the weekend and they told me this place has ambiance of Zen, so I have come here to engage spiritual cultivation," said Xu Hong, a tourist from Shanghai.
For those tired of the urban hustle and bustle, the park's stores sell traditional Chinese goods, where tourists can have an immersive historical experience.
"The first impression is that this kind of products are favored by middle-aged people, or even the elderly. But the process of burning incense allows us to relieve stress accumulated in our daily life, " said Zhang Jiahao, manager of Nianhua Fragrance store.
As handicrafts rank high among the most popular souvenirs, traditional craftsmanship is also in demand.
"My parents' generation mainly sold these crafts in rural villages. But now there is no market in villages. They are replaced by plastic and stainless steel. So if we want to do the business, we need to cater to consumers in the cities," said Shi Huihua, owner of Zhufeng Chanyun bamboo products store, whose family have been creating bamboo crafts from four generations ago.
"When it comes to our next generation, there may be fewer people making bamboo crafts. But our innovation creates added value. So, there still will be people doing this because the profit margin would be high by then," said Shi.
Thanks to visitors flowing to the park, the spot is becoming a driver for the local economy.
"The park receives more than two million visitors per year. And it has, directly or indirectly, brought more than 10,000 local jobs. Local people can find a very stable job in their hometown, and at the same time, improve their quality of life. This has also injected constant vitality into the rural economy," said Zhu Weidan, general manager of Nianhua Bay Scenic Area.