This summer, Huaihua’s citywalk centering on bookstores, night markets and coffee has continued to gain momentum, creating a distinctive cultural and tourism route that lets residents and visitors explore urban culture, savor everyday street life, and experience a slow rural pace.
Strolling through Huaihua’s streets, bookstores are entering residents’ lives with fresh faces. Xinhua Bookstore draws many readers with its classic pedigree; the Yiyang Qianxi Library has become a must‑visit for young fans; Lezhi Bookshop has created a reading space that blends classical and modern elements inside the city’s new landmark, offering books, cultural and creative products and a café area in one place.
“We have launched activities to attract residents to visit our store for parent‑child interaction,” said Yang Shuang, manager of Lezhi Bookshop.
During the summer holiday these bookstores have been packed, with many families choosing them as top spots for shared reading and a cool place to escape the heat. “The bookstore is right next to my home. Bringing kids here during the summer holidays to read and enjoy parent‑child time is a pleasant thing,” said Ms. He, a local resident.
When night falls, Huaihua’s night markets hum with activity. Xintiandi Night Market gathers trendy snacks and draws young people from near and far; the riverside night stalls along Hexi river banks let citizens enjoy both the view and barbecue; the night market at the East Campus of Huaihua University is beloved by students for its affordable eats. The Huaihua Daily’s special “Spend 100 Yuan to Eat Your Way Through Huaihua’s Night Markets” guide went viral online, boosting the local night‑time economy while giving visitors a reproducible food‑hunting itinerary.
In suburban areas such as Yangcun and Chengnan, “village cafés” like Pubu Café and Qichi Café leverage natural scenery to build hybrid leisure spaces, effectively boosting short‑distance tourism.
Entering Hetang Village in the Chengnan subdistrict, eight cafés, including Qichi, Babaloya, yolo Yiguan and others, sit side by side, forming a distinctive “coffee town” that has become a popular check‑in spot for young people.
Today the “coffee town” has not only injected new development vitality into Hetang Village but also created jobs at the doorstep for more than 30 villagers; the once‑quiet settlement has become a well‑known destination for weekend leisure.
Bookstores elevate the city’s cultural taste, night markets energize the nighttime economy, and coffee drives rural tourism. This citywalk model not only satisfies residents’ yearning for a slower life, but also effectively promotes urban consumption upgrading and rural revitalization.
A relevant official from the cultural and tourism bureau said Huaihua is building a new all‑region tourism calling card through the integration of urban culture, street life, and rural leisure. The city will roll out measures to promote citywalk’s transformation from a short‑term craze into a sustainable development model, further unleashing consumption potential and aiding the upgrade of the city’s brand.
(Translated by Yang Hong)