Sichuan adds 14 new 4A-level tourist attractions, with Zigong’s Chemical Industry City accounting for half of them

For us, all of this is out of reach.

“Zhongquan Town is a place with a rich history, and I really enjoy its folk culture. Now, Zhongquan Town is developing itself into a town of colored lanterns, which is also a way to promote and pass on Zigong’s culture of colored lanterns. Moreover, there are red-cultural elements such as Lu Deming here, and over time it is likely to become popular among tourists from all over. ”said Mr. Chen, a tourist from Chengdu. Since ancient times, Zhongquan Town has had the traditions of making lanterns, admiring lanterns, and parading lanterns. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, festivals such as the Lantern Festival and Sky Lantern Festival have been popular. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Tianjie Lantern Market gradually took shape in Zigong Zhongquan. It is thanks to this rich historical heritage that the \"Colorful Lantern Town\" in Zigong Zhongquan came into existence. It is reported that as a key cultural brand being developed by Zigong City, \"China Zigong Lantern Town – Zhongquan Town\" is accelerating the construction of three major facilities: an international center for lantern culture exchange, an international innovation and exhibition area for lanterns, and an international creative community for lantern art. “We will apply for World Intangible Cultural Heritage status and foster a group of top-tier global brands in the upstream and downstream industries related to colored lanterns. ”A responsible official from Zhongquan Town said that in the next step, building on the three key components of the Global Lantern Creativity Community, the World Lantern Theme Park Carnival, and the International Lantern Culture Exchange Center, specific projects such as the Culture Sculpture of the Origin of Lanterns, the Ancient Lantern Street, a lantern training school, a lantern market, as well as museums and galleries dedicated to lantern-related folk arts and culture will be implemented, using the existing historical buildings in Zhongquan Town as a foundation. These efforts aim to preserve the historical culture associated with lanterns, strengthen and expand the lantern industry chain, and turn Zhongquan Town in Zigong City into a unique national hub for Chinese lantern culture.

In search of the gems along the ancient salt routes, revisiting the thousand-year-old Xianshi Ancient Town with a history of salt transportation spanning 1,400 years

Near the outskirts of Zigong City in Sichuan Province, there is a well-known ancient town: Xian Shi. We know Zigong because of salt. Zigong is renowned as the \"Millennium Salt Capital\", the \"Hometown of Dinosaurs\", the \"Lantern City of the South\", and the \"Capital of Delicacies\". Xian Shi was a necessary passage for Zigong’s well salt to leave Sichuan, and it was also one of the important docks along the Bu Xi River back in those days.

The streets are clean, and there are few pedestrians. Xian Shi is not very large. Like the architectural style of all the ancient towns in southern Sichuan, there are two-story houses lined up along the streets; the ground floor serves as shops, while further inside there is a small courtyard surrounded by living rooms and side rooms. This is the place where people spend the most time in their lives. Living in such a courtyard makes one feel that time really passes slowly.

Xianshi Ancient Town has four streets: Main Street, Half Street, Xinjiezi Street, and Xinhe Street, with a total length of 662 meters. No one can remain unmoved by the uniquely beautiful pavilions and structures, as well as the stunning natural scenery here, to the point of wanting to stay longer.

The original meaning of the character for “salt” is “to boil brine in a vessel”. The “Shuowen Jiezi” states: What is produced naturally is called ‘lu’, while what is obtained through boiling is called ‘salt’. Today, our table salt comes in various forms such as sea salt, well water salt, and other types. Many people might think that most of the salt we consume is sea salt, but this is not the case; since sea salt contains many impurities and its purification process is costly, the salt we use nowadays is mainly well water salt. The Shenhai Well was drilled in 1835; the construction took three years, and its depth is 1,001.42 meters. It was built using China’s traditional percussion drilling method, and it was the world’s first well with a depth of over a kilometer. It produces both brine and gas. After the well was drilled, over 10,000 dan of brine gushed out daily, along with more than 8,500 cubic meters of natural gas per day; over 80 salt boiling pots were in use. By 1940, still more than 10,000 dan of brine flowed out daily, along with 4,800 to 8,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day. Since its completion, the Shenhai well has been in operation for one and a half centuries. Due to a long lack of maintenance, the facilities underground were severely damaged; however, after repairs, it is now still capable of producing around 1,500 cubic meters of natural gas per day.

On February 10, the opening of Lao Yanchang in 1957 and the World Salt Capital Carnival will be held on a grand scale. A variety of activities such as the Salt Capital Music Festival, the Belt and Road Salt Capital Exhibition Tour, and an intelligent park management system will be available for visitors and locals to enjoy. Starting from January 5th, the ** event in Zigong began. Ye Zhiying and Xu Sheng, members of the city’s Political Consultative Conference, mentioned in their proposal titled \"Suggestions on the Protection and Utilization of Zigong’s Old Industrial Remnants\" that industrial remnants serve as the most straightforward way for outsiders to understand the essence of a city. Redeveloping these industrial remnants helps to preserve the historical heritage of Zigong. With numerous examples of the transformation of industrial cultural and tourism parks across the country, the upcoming Laoyanchang 1957 will also feature a distinct \"salt\" theme, enabling these industrial relics to undergo a transformation into cultural and tourism assets.