Located in Guanglu Town, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Yao'an Road Military and Civilian Administration Mansion is an ancient building with a history of thousands of years, which still stands on this land today, witnessing the rise and fall of Guanglu Ancient Town. This town, carved into a shining pearl by time, exudes its unique historical charm.
Guanglu Ancient Town is located on the land of Chuxiong, like a historical picture scroll, showing the prosperity of the past. The winter morning light sprinkled on the gray tiles of the roof seemed to pull back time to a thousand years ago. Huixing Street is the main street of the ancient town, and its unique architectural style contrasts with the ancient temples and houses, outlining a scene like an ancient style painting.
The architectural style of Guanglu Ancient Town is a fusion of Chinese and Western elements, and the Yao'an Road Military and Civilian Governor's Mansion is one of the most representative buildings. This magnificent building was not only a node of the ancient Southern Silk Road, but also the political, military, and cultural center of the ancient Yao'an region. Standing on this land, it seems that you can feel the ancient chariots and horses, and the long history has left a deep imprint here.
The streets of Huixing Street extend in all directions, and the houses are built along the street, which is scattered, forming a unique "Hui" shaped architectural pattern. This pattern not only reflects the beauty of the loop in form, but also implies the flow of the four seasons and the continuous blessings. Walking through this ancient alleyway, you can feel the atmosphere of history as if you can travel back in time and space.
Guanglu Ancient Town is not only about ancient buildings, it also has some ancient and traditional folk culture. As a pearl of the ancient town, Longhua Temple has a history of more than 1,100 years, and was once a resort built by the geographer Xu Xiake against the mountain. Longhua will be the traditional temple fair here, every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, the temple fair is held in the temple, a variety of folk activities such as singing, dragon playing, lion dance, stilt walking, running dry boats and so on are wonderful, attracting tourists to come one after another.
With the changes of the times, Guanglu Ancient Town is also constantly radiating new vitality. The Lotus Festival has become an important event in the ancient town, and the renovation and upgrading of the lotus pond has made the area a popular destination for summer tourists. Nearly 1,000 acres of sightseeing lotus ponds, from June to September every year, bloom with delicate lotus flowers, adding a lot of color to Guanglu Ancient Town. During this festival, visitors can enjoy wonderful performances and feel the wonderful blend of ancient traditions and modern culture.
In order to promote the development of the cultural tourism industry, Guanglu Ancient Town pays attention to excavating its own profound historical and cultural heritage. The principle of equal emphasis on protection and development has not only restored ancient buildings, but also renovated 242 houses and improved infrastructure. Such efforts have given the ancient town a new look and attracted more tourists.
In the development process of Guanglu Ancient Town, the integration of tourism and culture has become an important direction. By cooperating with enterprises to develop projects that combine characteristic folk culture with tourism activities, the ancient town provides more entertainment options for tourists while inheriting culture. Through the construction of intangible cultural heritage Xi Center, the ancient town has successfully attracted more tourists and achieved a win-win situation of cultural inheritance and tourism development.
Industrial upgrading is the key to the prosperity of Guanglu Ancient Town. Through the introduction of leading enterprises and the promotion of private investment, diversified formats such as farmhouses, homestays, and specialty snack bars have emerged in the ancient town. The improvement of infrastructure has made the experience more convenient for tourists, and various consumption scenarios have gradually been enriched, providing more reasons for tourists to stay.
The entrepreneurs who have returned to their hometowns are full of confidence, and they strive to build the ancient town into a tourist destination integrating food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment. By improving the infrastructure and creating a more popular entertainment venue for young people, the ancient town has gradually moved away from the single tourism format of the past and formed a more diversified development pattern.
Guanglu Ancient Town not only pays attention to economic benefits, but also pays more attention to benefiting the residents of the ancient town. Through the establishment of a tourism service company, it undertakes the business of sanitation, greening, and community property in the ancient town and surrounding areas, creating more than 80 new jobs and increasing the income of the masses by about 2 million yuan every year. This approach not only promotes the development of the cultural tourism industry, but also provides more employment opportunities for local residents.
In the trend of this era, Guanglu Ancient Town is radiating new vitality. From January to November 2023, Yao'an County has received 1.4171 million tourists, achieving a comprehensive tourism income of 1.342 billion yuan. The increase in this number not only reflects the gradual increase in the attractiveness of the ancient town, but also indicates that the future of Guanglu ancient town will be more brilliant.
Let us all look forward to this ancient city continuing to write its own legend in the new era. In this land, history and modernity, tradition and innovation, at the intersection of time, compose a unique melody of Guanglu Ancient Town.