The fusion of millennium-old architectures with modern stylish shops has made an ancient residential area in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province brim with vitality.
Located inside the south gate of the ancient city wall of Xi'an, the thousand-year-old Xiangzimiao Street has recently emerged as a popular destination among a vast array of attractions in the much-loved tourist city, where visitors can not only feel the time-honored cultural deposits, but also get a great consumption experience in different types of stores.
The street is named after the Xiangzimiao Taoist Temple. Built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the temple was the former residence of Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Immortals in the Chinese Taoism, and is regarded as the seedbed of Xiangzi Culture, a school of Chinese Taoist culture.
There are two streets surrounding the temple, with Xiangzimiao Street in the east-west direction and Defu Alley in the north-south direction. With the renowned Bell Tower, Drum Tower and City God Temple not far away, the area boasts rich cultural tourism resources and attract visitors from both home and abroad.
"I can feel the strong vibe of the ancient city here, which collides with modern arts. I really have had a great experience. It is worth the trip," said Wang Weijie, a tourist from south China's Guangdong Province.
The Defu Alley that used to be lined with tightly packed bars and coffee shops was a fashion landmark of consumer tastes in Xi'an decades ago. However, as people increasingly pursue a more diversified consumption experience, the original single business model there has gradually become less popular among consumers.
In an effort to revitalize the business district, local authorities have launched a large-scale renovation project of Defu Alley since last year.
"With many shops introduced here, the overall business model of this street has become an integrated consumption place covering coffee shops, bars, high-end catering, Hanfu stores and others. Now Defu Alley is more elegant, has more artistic style, and offers a better and richer experience. It is hustling and bustling day and night," said Liu Ruiming, a local official.
Many shop operators have also given more thought to the exquisite decoration and creation of photo scenes to attract more young people.
"We should not only keep our traditions, but also conform to the current fashion trend. We need to offer not only tasty and beautiful products, but also a place where customers can take nice photos. We receive a lot of tourists now, so we have set up photo props according to the decoration of our shop, so that they can record the good memories here," said Chen Miaoyuan, owner of Times Coffee at Defu Alley.
Fusion of millennium-old architectures with modern stylish shops revives ancient residential area in Xi'an
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an important platform that demonstrates China's inclusive modernization and brings business opportunities to the entire world, said Ambassador of Nicaragua to China Michael Campbell in an interview ahead of the 7th edition of the CIIE that will open on Tuesday. Themed "New Era, Shared Future", the 7th CIIE is scheduled for November 5-10 in Shanghai. A total of 152 countries, regions and international organizations will participate in the event, including 77 countries and international organizations for national exhibitions, and nearly 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions for business exhibitions.
Nicaragua will serve as a guest country of honor together with France, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and Uzbekistan.
Campbell said Nicaragua has been fully prepared for this year's CIIE to present its unique charm to the rest of the world.
"So we have a very large booth. We will be focusing on Nicaragua's agricultural products. Nicaragua is the granary of Central America. So we have excellent beef, we have excellent seafood products, we have first-class coffee. And we invite all the visitors to our booth to enjoy these products as much as we enjoy them," he said.
Since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Nicaragua in December 2021, this is the third year for the Central America country to participat in the CIIE in a row, with the number of its exhibitors rising from one in the beginning to over 30 this year.
Campbell attributes this to the special magnetism of the CIIE and the continuous progress in China's high-level opening up.
"The 3rd Plenary Session (of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China) is focusing on greater reform and opening up. There is nothing that says reform and opening up more than a platform as important as CIIE that asks the entire world to come and show their products here in China, so that China can import more. China, by promoting reform and opening up, is promoting a type of modernization that includes the rest of the world. Important words, such as solidarity, such as cooperation, such as the pursuit of peace, the pursuit of happiness, building human community with a shared future, these are fundamental elements that are included in China's concept of modernization," Campbell said.
On January 1 this year, a free trade agreement between China and Nicaragua officially took effect, promoting the upgrading of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and demonstrating the leapfrog development of the two countries' relationship and practical cooperation.
Campbell has traveled to 16 provincial-level regions in China since his tenure began in May last year. He said based on what he has seen, he believes China will make greater achievements in its high-quality development and will bring more opportunities to the whole world.
"Government officials, the CPC, the people of China themselves are focused on achieving this type of modernization that they want. That is quality modernization, quality development that doesn't leave anybody behind. I'm looking forward also to flying on a C919. Imagine, China is already building these planes. You have aircraft carriers, your 5G technology is unrivaled. There is a lot that we can learn from China. And I'm sure the future for China will be very bright," said Campbell.
As the world's first national-level import-themed expo, the CIIE is held annually at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.
Since its first edition in 2018, this expo has become an important stage spotlighting China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-level opening-up and a public good for the whole world.
CIIE demonstrates China's inclusive modernization, brings opportunities to world: Nicaraguan ambassador
