At the cultural market of Shili Red Makeup Cultural Park, children are watching and experiencing the clay gold colored paint technique with Ningbo characteristics.

Photographed by Hu Xuejun

"Guichou goes out from Ninghai to Ximen in the dark of March. Clouds are scattered and the sun is bright, and people are happy about the mountain light." This is the beginning of Xu Xiake's famous travel notes. More than 400 years ago, Xu Xiake, a geographer of the Ming Dynasty, set out from Ninghai, and started the legendary experience of visiting the land of China "where people have never reached, and where people have never known". According to expert research, May 19, when Xu Xiake set out from Ninghai, was designated as "China Tourism Day". Recently, the 2024 "China Tourism Day", the main venue of Zhejiang Province and the 22nd Xu Xiake Tourism Festival, was held in Ninghai County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province.

Ninghai is located in the hilly and mountainous areas of eastern Zhejiang Province. It not only has rich landscape landscapes such as the Grand Canyon of eastern Zhejiang and Lianghuang Mountain, but also has a long history and cultural accumulation. It has the reputation of "the hometown of ancient Chinese stage", rich intangible cultural heritage such as gold colored paint, flat tone playing teeth, and ten mile red makeup marriage customs. It is also a great Confucian of the Ming Dynasty Fang Xiaoru, a modern left-wing writer Roushi The hometown of many historical and cultural celebrities, such as Pan Tianshou, a master of traditional Chinese painting. In recent years, Ninghai has given full play to its characteristics and advantages, made good use of cultural and tourism resources, and promoted tourism development with its profound cultural heritage.

Qiantong Ancient Town in Ninghai has more than 1300 ancient houses of all kinds, including the Grand Ancestral Hall, Tongshi Ancestral Hall, Folk Museum, etc. These buildings not only show the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also reflect the local history and culture. The street layout of the ancient town adopts the "Huizi" structure. The streams surround each family. Tourists can walk along the unique "Bagua River System" in the village to experience the quiet life of the ancient town.

Sit on the second floor of the cafe facing the street to enjoy the prosperous street scene, live in the old courtyard house converted into a homestay to immerse yourself in the life of the ancient town, watch a performance of old artists in front of the ancient theater, go to the folk museum to see folk activities such as the Lantern Festival Festival and traditional crafts... Here, the strong cultural atmosphere has attracted a considerable number of tourists, And the booming tourism also makes this ancient village, which once lost many young people, revitalize again.

In 2008, "Ninghai Shili Red Dress Wedding Custom" was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. In the Ten Mile Red Makeup Cultural Park in Ninghai, the architecture designed by Wang Shu, the winner of the Pritzker Architecture Award, is antique and full of charm, and is integrated with local traditional craft elements such as bamboo weaving. There are more than 2000 pieces of red collections, including sedan chairs, beds, cabinets, tables and chairs in front of the house, dressing boxes, etc. The exquisite ten thousand work sedan, step out bed, the ingenious traditional pattern design on the cabinet, and the moving legend of "East Zhejiang women are all king"... The rich collection allows visitors to fully experience the exquisite traditional handicrafts and distinctive wedding customs.

In addition, Shili Red Makeup Cultural Park will also hold various cultural activities regularly, such as cultural fairs, intangible cultural heritage performances, etc., attracting many tourists to experience intangible heritage crafts, feel the beauty of traditional Chinese crafts, and experience the spirit of lean and dedicated craftsmen.

It is reported that in recent years, Ninghai has actively promoted the development of global tourism, constantly improved tourism infrastructure, improved tourism services, and deepened the integration of tourism and other industries. From the simple focus on scenic spot sightseeing to the idea of "string beads into a chain", the whole of Ninghai will be built as a big scenic spot. Today, Ninghai is full of scenery. Strolling among the mountains and seas, the colorful folk culture not only leaves tourists a memorable memory of eastern Zhejiang customs, but also makes the development of tourism in Ninghai more stable and further.

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