During the National Day holiday, Jiangsu's culture and tourism market rolled out a wave of innovations. Traditional scenic spots broke through with fresh experiences and new settings, while old factories, historic streets, and aging farmhouses shed their worn appearances and reemerged as new landmarks blending cultural experiences with leisure consumption. The upgrading of tourism offerings and the revitalization of existing spaces injected fresh momentum into the holiday tourism market.
Changzhou: Industrial Factory Transformed into a Vibrant Street District
During the National Day holiday, Changzhou added another leisure landmark — the Chashanli Muguang Street District at No. 5 Longyou Road in Tianning District saw steadily rising popularity. Every evening at 6 PM, the Muguang concert began on schedule, paired with retro teahouses, specialty foods, and trendy businesses, letting visitors immerse themselves in the seamless blend of old industrial heritage with local street life and contemporary flair. The bustling district was formerly the production base of the Changzhou Marine Cable Factory, established in 1958, which witnessed the glorious years of Changzhou's industrial development before falling idle and silent. Ms. Jiang, the district manager, said the renovation project always adhered to the principle of "never erasing memory," preserving the original textures of red brick walls, large-span trusses, and high side windows to the greatest extent, merging the rich industrial heritage with modern trendy businesses and neighborhood warmth, transforming the idle old factory into a new urban lifestyle landmark. The aesthetic of old and new coexisting, along with the lively mix of businesses, quickly integrated the district into residents' daily lives. Chen Li, a resident of the nearby Qingliang Xincun neighborhood, remarked that the once-idle and dilapidated factory had been completely renewed, with supermarkets and teahouses all available, providing good spots for grocery shopping, after-dinner walks, and neighborly chats. For younger residents, it has become a trendy destination right at their doorstep. Resident Qian Xindong said the district now hosts cafes, specialty restaurants, gyms, and diverse businesses, satisfying dining, fitness, and leisure needs without leaving the neighborhood, and making it an excellent choice for entertaining friends and family. It is understood that the Chashanli Muguang Street District focuses on convenient living and trendy consumption, creating six core business categories: business offices, sports and fitness, specialty dining, craft beer bars, cultural creative products, and creator co-branded stores, bringing in well-known brands and locally distinctive shops. Currently, the ground floors of all eight buildings in the district are fully operational, with foot traffic steadily rising on weekday evenings, weekends, and holidays. The Chashan Grand Teahouse within the district is the crowning touch, replicating the retro style of the 1980s and reviving the era charm of Changzhou as a "star city of industry." The teahouse delves into local tea culture, gathering fine local teas such as Liyang Tianmu Lake white tea and Yanghu green tea, and regularly stages intangible cultural heritage performances including Wuxi opera, Pingtan storytelling, and folk narration at the Chashan Theater, letting residents experience the old city's vibrancy amid tea fragrance and theatrical charm.
Yangzhou: Historic Street District Opens, Rekindling Childhood Memories
On the first day of the National Day holiday, the Baoying Taishan Temple Historical and Cultural Street District, rebuilt on its original historic site, officially opened, with a series of cultural tourism activities rekindling shared historical memories among Baoying residents. Baoying Taishan Temple was first built in 1561 and at its peak boasted seven successive courtyards and over 300 halls, earning the reputation of a "grand spectacle of the Jianghuai region." In this reconstruction on the original site, Taishan Temple was reborn as a new cultural tourism landmark blending national trends, intangible cultural heritage, and modern consumption. The district was built alongside the Grand Canal, linking surrounding attractions such as the Old East Gate Street District and Zongzhao Garden, turning the century-old Taishan Temple into a cultural tourism district where visitors can stroll through, sit and play, and find things to buy — a place for sightseeing, photo-taking, and reminiscing. "I visited Taishan Temple as a child. I never imagined I'd see it again in my old age. Time flies, and Baoying has changed so much," said Mr. Zhou, now in his seventies, with deep emotion. Ms. Tang made a special trip back to her hometown from out of town to visit Taishan Temple: "When I was little, elders told me there used to be a grand temple by the Baoying Canal. I heard before the holiday that the newly built Taishan Temple district would open during National Day, so I came back specifically to see what it actually looks like." During the National Day holiday, the Taishan Temple district organized a rich array of cultural tourism activities. Starting from the 1st, the grand stage drama "Crane Guards Huaxia, Drums Shake Hanchuan" premiered with a bang, attracting large numbers of tourists to interact with costumed characters. The "Lotus Encounter, Hanfu Parade" performance drew crowds so enthusiastic that the Hanfu procession was surrounded wherever it went. At the intangible cultural heritage market, Baoying's traditional crafts and flavors were showcased together, adding a layer of taste memories to the historic site. The evening iron flower fireworks display let residents and visitors witness the spectacular scene of brilliant molten iron flowers illuminating the ancient temple under the night sky. A Baoying County official said that in the future, the Taishan Temple district will use its historical and cultural heritage as a guide, linking sightseeing, specialty snacks, cultural creative markets, and family activities into a network with surrounding attractions and districts, becoming a new leisure destination and a new growth driver for county-level consumption.
Zhenjiang: Old Farmhouses "Grow" New Business Formats
On the 1st, by the Zhangshan Reservoir in Zhenjiang High-tech Zone, a rural coffee house converted from an old farmhouse was bustling with people — this was the coffee house's first National Day holiday since opening. "I never imagined that a shabby courtyard once piled with clutter could become so stylish," said Chen Xiaomei, a resident of Zhenjiang High-tech Zone, who brought her children to camp on the lawn with the reservoir's blue waves visible right outside the window. Just a few months ago, this was merely an ordinary farmhouse among the village's many idle assets. Now, it retains the original charm of a rural courtyard while incorporating leisure elements, truly earning the title of a "reservoir-view seating area." "Today alone, the reservoir-view cafe and camping base have already received over 500 visitors," said Ding Shan, a village official helping out at the coffee house, busily and happily. During the National Day holiday, the site launched a mountain countryside carnival with folk music performances and camping barbecues taking turns, inviting residents to immerse themselves in rural pastoral pleasures. The village is located on the outskirts of the new city, just over ten minutes by car from the urban area, and boasts over 400 mu of peach orchards and a base producing nearly 100,000 butterfly orchids annually. Centering on the two major cultural tourism IPs of "peach orchard" and "butterfly orchid," the village fully revitalized idle old houses and abandoned corners through micro-renovation and refined improvement. From spring peach blossoms covering the hills to summer fresh fruit hanging from branches, and now to reservoir-side camping and leisurely tea drinking, Zhangshan Village is using minimal cost to leverage the flow and retention of cultural tourism and agricultural integration. This "small but beautiful" renewal model not only awakens dormant resources but also drives incremental growth in the village collective economy. The integration of flower sales, peach picking, and dining consumption has fattened villagers' wallets and broadened employment channels. The once-silent old courtyards have now become a link connecting city and countryside, attracting more and more urban residents for nearby "micro-vacations." "We don't want to create a flash-in-the-pan 'internet-famous spot.' We want Zhangshan Village to become a 'city living room' that visitors are willing to revisit," said Jiang Lei, Party Secretary of Zhangshan Village, expressing the village's pragmatic vision for development. The village will accelerate the construction of leisure forest trails connecting the coffee house, viewing platforms, and flower-picking spots; coordinate and integrate reservoir ecology, peach orchards, and butterfly orchid base resources to let the "old ruins" continuously release new vitality.
Lianyungang: A New "Journey to the West" Experience at Huaguoshan
"I brought my kids to experience the Journey to the West culture. The float parade was so lively — my child chased after the Monkey King the whole way. This trip was truly worth it," said tourist Zhang Xiaobing, holding up his phone at the gate of Huaguoshan in Lianyungang on the morning of the 2nd. As the float slowly passed by, the appearance of the Monkey King actor made the crowd uniformly raise their phones, with shutter clicks denser than drumbeats. During the National Day holiday at Huaguoshan, from the visitor center to the mountain gate trail and up to Yunu Peak, Jiangsu's highest summit, national flags fluttered along the way, with "China Red" set against verdant mountain scenery, filling the festive atmosphere. This year's Huaguoshan offered more than just its classic IP. The scenic area launched new settings all at once — a cave restaurant, cliff-side coffee, and a secret monkey realm — adding a youthful touch to the traditional mountain hiking experience. Inside the cave restaurant, stone walls served as partitions with atmospheric lighting, letting visitors dine in a unique environment; sipping coffee by the cliff with mountain forest views as a side dish made taking a rest an enjoyment in itself. In the secret monkey realm, children observed monkeys playing from a safe distance, while parents crouched before educational displays reading about the monkeys' habits — learning through play. The newly unveiled "Nine Dragons Cloud Path" became a popular photo spot. The blue-and-white boardwalk wound through the mountains, dotted with five-star red flags along the way, looking from afar like clouds settled on verdant greenery — a stunning shot from any angle. Visitors strolled along in small groups, taking photos or gazing into the distance, laughter unceasing. Interactive games like bottle-guessing were set up alongside the boardwalk — with over 30 such experience points throughout the mountain, each completed game earning a "immortal ticket" that could be exchanged for small gifts. Children clutched their ticket stubs, more energized than they were climbing the mountain. While the foot of the mountain was lively, the summit was equally exciting. The newly upgraded cableway expanded from 500 to 2,500 passengers per hour. Many visitors chose to ride the cableway up, with vast forests surging below their feet and layered peaks unfolding like a scroll. Huaguoshan wove Journey to the West culture into every aspect of eating, touring, shopping, and playing, giving the traditional scenic area new ways to engage. This famous mountain written into "Journey to the West" is using an immersive Journey to the West feast to let visitors arrive with excitement and leave fully satisfied — everyone is a pilgrim, and new legends abound everywhere.
Changzhou: E-sports Camp Set Up at Music Festival Site
At 9:50 AM on the 1st, two hours before the first day of the Taihuwan Music Festival began, Nantong music fan Ding Shiqi didn't wait idly by the stage but ducked into the adjacent e-sports camp, teaming up with newly met fans for a round of "Valorant." Before the music festival started, this e-sports camp became a "waiting space" for fans. That day, the 13th Taihuwan Music Festival kicked off at Changzhou Taihuwan Xixi Valley, with 30,000 fans gathering on the first day and over 400,000 marking "want to watch" on the Damai platform. Ticket sales information showed that over 70% of this year's festival attendees came from outside Jiangsu province, over 95% from outside Changzhou, and over 80% were under 35. When young people are willing to stay, the value of a ticket extends beyond a single performance. The Taihuwan Music Festival organizers linked resources across all of Changzhou — fans could enjoy 30% off tickets at Yancheng Chunqiu Amusement Park, half-price adult tickets at 35 yuan each and 15% off accommodation at Taihuwan Camping Valley, and free entry tickets to "Groundhog Paradise" at Tubo Camp; four "Changbao Tourist Shuttle" routes ran daily, connecting major scenic spots including Global Dinosaur City, Yancheng Chunqiu Amusement Park, and Global Animation Xixi Valley; over 20,000 free parking spaces were available at 200 parking lots citywide; and millions of cultural tourism consumption vouchers were distributed through the "Enjoy Changzhou" platform. Taihuwan is extending the music festival's passion from the stage to the mountains and fields, the city and countryside. Changzhou has ranked first in national music festival city box office for four consecutive years, and the Taihuwan Music Festival has ranked first nationally in single-event box office for three consecutive years. The 400,000 "want to watch" marks are the entry point of the traffic chain, a single ticket stub is the exit point, and the e-sports camp, ticket stub economy, and scenic spot linkages are concrete connection points along this chain. Youth rushes in, one ticket links the whole city, and what Taihuwan captures is not just over 100,000 music fans but a growing rapport between a city and young people.
Nantong: Riverside Carnival Offers Great Food and Fun
"Look! The warship turned into a rocket! The flames are still moving!" On the evening of the 1st, 2,000 drones flew out from the riverside of Nantong Yangtze River Sports Park, forming patterns such as "Love China" and Long March rockets in the sky, prompting residents to take out their phones and snap photos. That day, the 7-day 2026 Nantong Cultural Tourism Carnival opened here, with all ten themed exhibition zones fully open, showcasing a series of cultural tourism consumption scenes spanning music, markets, food, cultural creative products, e-sports, home textiles, technology, and traditional Chinese medicine. "Just finished playing football, now enjoying the river breeze at the night market — what a relaxing first day of vacation!" said football enthusiast Song Yuling, who had just finished a grueling 90-minute match at the park's field and turned the corner into the night market, already clinking beer bottles with teammates in celebration of today's victory, grilled skewers in left hands and beer in right. The night market area buzzed with voices, and the opening ceremony was spectacular. The event重磅 released Nantong's citywide autumn cultural tourism consumption promotion series, the 2026 Nantong University Freshman Exclusive Gift Package, Nantong autumn themed premium travel routes, and launched the new themed cultural creative brand "Tongtong and Friends." As Nantong's benchmark urban cultural tourism consumption event held for five consecutive years, the carnival continuously explores new pathways for transforming "urban park economy" into "cultural tourism consumption economy," steadily building the "Riverside Carnival" cultural tourism brand. At the event, immersive cultural tourism performances from across Nantong drew attention, with local culture and specialty products from 7 sections showcased together — Huayi tie-dye handicrafts, hat accessories and cultural creative products, and Rugao morning tea, Rudong shrimp roe baked cakes, and Tongzhou Shigang smoked cakes, steaming hot with enticing aromas. "My motherland and I, never to be separated..." As the Nantong University Symphony Orchestra flash-mobbed "My Motherland and I," the magnificent and melodious movement officially opened the symphony special performance, joining the calls from night market food stalls to create a symphony of ever-more-spectacular nights by the Nantong Yangtze River.
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