During the winter and spring seasons, a relatively dense period of holidays presents a key window for regions to tap into consumption potential and stimulate economic growth. Locking in this "golden period," Rudong County in Nantong, Jiangsu, has meticulously planned a series of activity matrices covering multiple fields such as gourmet food, culture and tourism, and shopping. Lasting from December 2025 to February 2026, ten major themed activities will be spread across the entire county, creating a consumption and cultural tourism experience matrix with "weekly activities and monthly highlights" through diverse formats including spectacular cultural performances, "fresh"-flavored gourmet feasts, and bustling New Year goods markets, offering a heartwarming feast full of vibrant life and cultural flavor for the general public and tourists.
With the first nightfall of the New Year enveloping the "Hao City," the Magic Cube Mini Theater in Rudong's Shanghe Yinxiang was a scene of alternating light and shadow, with a full house attending the premiere of the "Marvelous or Mysterious Night," a magic and acrobatics show from the "Encountering Liaozhai" series. Within the 400-square-meter open space, the story of "A Chinese Ghost Story" from the "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" was given a fresh interpretation: Ning Caichen transformed into a scriptwriter racing against a deadline, "Ning Caishen," while Nie Xiaoqian became a mysterious florist, "Xiao Meng," interacting closely with audience members playing the role of "apartment viewers of Lanruo." As the plot unfolded layer by layer, fantastical magic and thrilling acrobatics took turns on stage, continuously igniting the atmosphere and drawing gasps of surprise from the audience.
As the "opening piece" of Rudong's 2026 Warm Winter cultural tourism series, the Magic Cube Mini Theater not only innovatively adopted an environmental performance format but also integrated diverse business models like an art lounge and magic experiences, creating a new cultural space combining viewing, consumption, and leisure. During the trial operation period around New Year's Day, the mini-theater offered one to two performances daily, attracting numerous residents and tourists to visit. "Every show is full, and the response has been very positive!" said Zhou Wangdong, Party Branch Secretary of the Rudong County Juvenile Acrobatics Troupe, adding that future plans include optimizing plot details based on audience feedback to make the story even more complete.
Beyond the new offerings at the Magic Cube Mini Theater, the Rudong 2026 Warm Winter cultural tourism series will also heavily promote a Spring Festival folk custom parade. This parade, centered on Rudong's "coastal regional culture + traditional New Year flavor customs," will feature folk performance troupes with strong local characteristics and floats themed around marine culture, encompassing classic folk programs such as dragon and lion dances, fishermen's work songs, and traditional folk dances, while also incorporating interactive segments allowing visitors to participate firsthand and soak up the strong festive atmosphere.
Furthermore, key scenic areas like the Bencher Ancient Town and the Xiaoyangkou Tourism Resort will simultaneously host Spring Festival-themed activities, presenting a variety of special programs including Spring Festival light shows, "Golden Armor and Iron Horse" themed dances, intangible cultural heritage experiences, Suzhou Pingtan storytelling, night tours with performances, and the intangible cultural heritage practice of "da tiehua" (creating sparks by striking molten iron).
In the deep winter, as the chill intensifies, the square at the Yuanzhuang Town transfer center in Rudong was filled with rising steam and enticing aromas on the morning of January 2nd. The "Taste of Yuanzhuang 'Lamb Freshness' Tour," part of the "Fresh World·Best of Rudong" Follow the Food Weekly系列活动, was drawing to a close. At the event site, lamb delicacy stalls were neatly lined up, offering everything from ready-to-eat boiled lamb and lamb skewers to fresh offal like lamb tripe and blood, attracting many residents who stopped to purchase. "We sold 25 kilograms of boiled lamb in just half an hour; there have been so many people coming specifically for it these past two days!" exclaimed butcher Kang, proprietor of the Kang's Lamb stall, deftly weighing and packing the meat while cheerfully explaining its specialty, "Our lamb is stewed using traditional methods, it's neither gamey nor pungent, you're eating the pure, 'fresh' original flavor."
Each area has its own unique palate. Beyond Yuanzhuang's "lamb freshness," this winter, Rudong will also leverage the "Fresh World·Best of Rudong" Spring Festival Gourmet Cooking Season and the "I am the Kitchen God·Rudong Fresh" series of activities to explore the codes of distinctive fresh flavors across the entire region, bringing more hidden "Rudong Fresh" treasures from the lanes and alleys into the spotlight. Specific activities will be rolled out in three phases. The first phase, the "Ten Feasts, Hundred Dishes" landmark food collection and selection activity, was planned and launched in December 2025, involving participation from catering businesses, time-honored brands, and intangible cultural heritage representatives from various towns and districts in submitting dishes for evaluation. These were then scored by a professional panel based on criteria like ingredient selection and cooking techniques, ultimately selecting a batch of high-quality merchants to lay the foundation for subsequent food promotion.
The climax of the activities spans from December 23, 2025, to February 15, 2026. Currently, three major themed activities—"Follow the Food Weekly," the public shop exploration "Freshness Journey," and the "Kitchen God 'Freshness' Competition" alongside the Rudong Food Market—are in full swing. Catering professionals, food enthusiasts, and home cooking experts from across the county can sign up to participate, comprehensively showcasing the diverse cooking methods and unique flavors of Rudong's specialty ingredients. The results implementation activities will be held in mid-to-late February 2026, centrally displaying the selected landmark foods and Kitchen God creations, and promoting the compilation of the "Rudong Landmark Food Standards Collection," ensuring the activity outcomes have a long-term impact and attract more gourmands to Rudong to experience the unique charm of "Rudong Fresh."
From the "feast for the taste buds" running throughout the period, to the "procurement feast" before the Spring Festival, and the "shopping feast" spread across the city... the planning of the ten major themed activities balances timing, rhythm, and long-term impact, allowing the festive atmosphere to build progressively and maintain its warmth. Complementing these efforts is a series of pro-consumer policies introduced by the Rudong government. On December 28, 2025, the first round of consumption vouchers for the Rudong Warm Winter Consumption Season was officially issued. As a key component of the "全民乐享・如意购" consumer promotion campaign, this round of vouchers is applicable at merchants in categories including department stores, supermarkets, catering, and appliances, offering instant discounts of up to 800 RMB.
It is understood that the "全民乐享・如意购" campaign will coordinate funds from both county and town levels, precisely distributing consumption vouchers through the UnionPay QuickPass app. The county level plans to allocate 3 million RMB, with Chengzhong Subdistrict allocating 300,000 RMB, Juegang Subdistrict allocating 100,000 RMB, and Dayu Town among others also issuing special consumption vouchers. Multiple rounds of benefits will be叠加, making consumption more cost-effective for the public. In early February, the 2026 "Spring Festival如意购" New Year Goods Fair and Automobile Display and Promotion Event will also be held. Catering to New Year goods procurement needs, it will organize enterprises from within and outside Rudong County to participate in the fair, setting up exhibition and sales areas, tasting zones, and folk custom interaction areas, while distributing New Year goods consumption vouchers, allowing residents to purchase quality New Year goods in a one-stop shop. The automobile exhibition area will centrally display models from multiple brands, focusing on promoting new electric, intelligent, and connected vehicles, providing consultation and test drive services. On-site car purchases will qualify for a vehicle insurance premium subsidy of up to 3,000 RMB.
"We hope that through a four-pronged approach combining 'consumption voucher distribution + themed activities + merchant collaboration + scenario enhancement,' we can comprehensively cover all categories of consumption scenarios including shopping, dining, culture and tourism, property/automobiles, and New Year goods. We strive to bring consumers a consumption feast that combines practical benefits, experiential warmth, and cultural depth, ultimately promoting the steady growth of the county's total retail sales of consumer goods," explained Wang Feng, Director of the Rudong County Commerce Bureau.
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