What kind of experience is "drag show" in old buildings? On weekends and holidays, an original immersive interactive drama "Dongfeng Rises from the Mountain City" adapted from the real history of Chongqing Herbal Medicine Association will be staged at the former site of private Xinghua Primary School in the historical and cultural area of Baixiang Street, Chongqing.
"Through the form of immersive drama, the old buildings have been activated and utilized, and the audience can also get close to and feel the history it contains through the drama." Li Kai, director of immersive interpretation of Chongqing Changjia Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd., introduced that this kind of drama has been staged in the old buildings of several historic blocks in Chongqing, with nearly 20 performances every month, almost full of venues.
The historical and cultural area of Chongqing Baixiang Street is transformed from the Baixiang Street located in Yuzhong District of Chongqing. There is a saying in Chongqing that "a white elephant street, half of the history of Chongqing". Baixiang Street has preserved 9 historical relics, 2 city gates and old city walls, and 1 old drum tower site, recording the precious cultural and historical memory of the city.
Zhang Li, a resident who once lived near the former site of the "Shanxi Guild Hall" on Baixiang Street, said: "It is impressive that Baixiang Street was once brilliant, but with the passage of time, the buildings on Baixiang Street are increasingly damaged, supporting facilities are missing, and the environment is messy, which makes life inconvenient for residents."
In 2021, Chongqing started the construction of a pilot demonstration project for the transformation of old functional areas with a total investment of 70 billion yuan, and updated the traditional landscape areas. The renovation of Baixiang Street is no longer confined to the protection of the physical environment of cultural relics and buildings, but also implemented in the overall functional orientation and development, aiming to promote the sustainable development of the integration of culture and urban economy.
"On the one hand, we have followed the principle of" repairing the old as the old "to restore the cultural relics in Baixiang Street; on the other hand, we have used the pattern of cultural relics to achieve the balance of introducing, retaining, upgrading, replacing and innovating industries, and on this basis, we can meet the space needs of new and old residents and tourists." Chen Dibing, deputy director of Yuzhong District Historical and Cultural Block Construction Management Committee, said.
Now, this century old street that has experienced changes has taken on a new look. Stone brick walls, European doors and windows, balcony porches... old buildings after repair have been transformed into bookstores, theaters, exhibition halls, etc. The style and feature area also gathers Chongqing specialty food, international exquisite cuisine, fashion and creative retail stores. The old street has "awakened" in the modern atmosphere and regained its vitality.
The Chongqing Zoning Place Name History and Culture Exhibition Hall jointly built by Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau and Yuzhong District Government was built on the basis of the former site of "Shanxi Guild Hall". Zou Linjun, the person in charge of the exhibition hall, said that relying on the old buildings in the old streets to show the history and culture of Chongqing to the citizens and tourists, it is not only an emotional look back on the development of the city, but also an affectionate narration of Bayu culture.
(Reporter Wu Yanxia, Li Xiaoting, Yang Shiyan) Xinhua News Agency, Chongqing
