Xing Tao still relives her immersion experience in late September in Wujiang, a district of Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
The Beijing resident enjoyed the traditional four-bowl tea early in the morning before she explored the silkworm culture park in Wujiang. After lunch she went on to sail on East Taihu Lake.
Xing says she was most impressed by the four-bowl tea in the district's Zhenze town, which features watery eggs, baked glutinous rice tea, smoked green bean tea and green tea.
"It's interesting to see how each bowl is taken in order and the whole thing sort of reflects the slow pace of life," she says, adding that it was pure delight to sip the tea along the lake and take in the view of towers in the distance. She took a special shine to the third bowl, she says.
"The smoked green beans, coupled with carrots, white sesames and dried black tofu make for a fresh fragrance and a mellow taste."
She was one of several online influencers invited by the Wujiang culture and tourism bureau to get a taste of the tourism plans the local authorities have for the area.
In June last year, Wujiang was named a provincial demonstration zone for what the industry calls all-for-one tourism, meaning tourism that extends well beyond just individual scenic spots and into cultural appreciation that also results amenities being upgraded to the economic and social benefit of locals. Ideally, proper planning for this results in a thriving tourism ecosystem.
The local authority is now working to upgrade the district into a national model for such tourism.
The district is home to historical towns including Zhenze, Tongli and Lili. The aim is to generate tourism income by making the most of Tongli's night economy, of Zhenze's rural charm and of a cluster of museums that have taken shape in Lili.
One attraction in Tongli old town is the Nanyuan tea house, built in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), where local food can be enjoyed in a quaint setting. In the afternoon the delicacy to be enjoyed is of the aural and visual kind, a Suzhou pingtan performance.
Zhenze offers a historic and stimulating walk that takes visitors through attractions dating back up to 2,000 years, including Shijiantang, a sprawling mansion about 200 years old that features exquisite and imposing wood and tile carvings, Ciyun Temple Tower and the tomb of the 17th century astronomer Wang Xichan.
For gourmands, old chicken soup, stir-fried shrimp, crispy marble beef rib, steamed grouper, stone pot moray eel and meat mooncakes are a must try.
Wujiang is also drawing on its rich sericulture, Song brocade and qipao to promote tourism.
The local authority is striving in particular to attract visitors from the Yangtze River Delta. Their proximity means locals could head to Wujiang after work on Friday, with a night garden tour featuring a drama performance at Tuisi Park in Tongli followed by a homestay in one of many establishments set up for that purpose.
The next day could be spent exploring Zhenze and East Taihu Lake.
At the Taihu Snow Sericulture Cultural Park, Xing, the tourist from Beijing, observed the process of silk production close up, and engaged in a variety of silk cultural activities.
"There were exquisite and practical travel souvenirs too," she says.
She also tried her hand at peeling silkworm cocoons and made a cocoon handwork. "I knew a lot more about sericulture now," she says.
At the East Taihu Ecological Park she basked in sunshine as she sat on a yacht in the lake, caressed by a cool autumn breeze, and lapping up the views.
"It was my first time sailing, and it was exciting," she says.
yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn
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