Historic buildings with modern elements spark new vitality

CHONGQING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The curtain had fallen on the show, but Zhou Jiamu remained immersed in the storyline. Throughout the whole process, in which she followed the performers in shuttling between different rooms in an old building, Zhou felt as if she were part of the story.

The immersive drama "Mists in Jiangzhou" was performed in a building with historic flair built in 1941 in Yuzhong District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The building was packed with people during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday, with tickets for this show often sold out days in advance.

"It's a unique experience that allows one to watch the facial expressions and body movements of actors at a very close distance, and sometimes, to even talk to the actors," said Zhou, a high school student from southwest China's Guizhou Province.

"If it were not for this drama performance, there would be barely anyone visiting this more than 8-decade-old building," said Liu Mingxi, producer of the drama.

"We can usually only see cultural relics through a glass showcase. But now people can better know about the history and stories of this site through the lens of drama," Liu added.

Also in Chongqing's Yuzhong District, a former banknote printing factory has now become an innovation center for artists and young entrepreneurs. The old factory site, once abandoned and forgotten, has gone viral on social media platforms as a place integrating business, food, fashion and historical atmosphere.

"I would like to spend hours here exploring these shops, as there are diverse business entities such as coffee shops and cultural creative products," said Sun Liting, a tourist from northwest China's Gansu Province.

During the holiday, Tian Taiquan, a local artist and drawing teacher for children, brought his students to the center and held an outdoor exhibition of their works. The strong expression and vivid color modulation of their paintings drew much attention.

"When I was young, only a remote and neglected industry remained here, but now the inflow of a bevy of young entrepreneurs and artists entails a fusion of multiple cultures. Therefore, this venue can strike a chord with most visitors," said Tian.

Over the past decade, Chongqing has stepped up efforts concerning the investigation and protection of its cultural relics and about 26,000 immovable cultural relics were registered.

Chongqing will continue to explore the value of cultural relics, promote scientific development of cultural relics protection, and strengthen the integration of technology in the use of cultural relics, said Liu Qi, director of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development.