Group photo of award-winning contestants
On the evening of February 1, Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town was bathed in brilliant neon lights and resounded with melodious singing, as the month-long concert campaign drew to a successful close.
Kicking off on New Year’s Day, this grand feast integrating music, cultural tourism, technology and creativity has garnered sustained attention. With the star-studded line-up of renowned tenor Dai Yuqiang and other accomplished performers including Huang Gexuan and Wei Xun, the campaign culminated in a spectacular grand final featuring a galaxy of vocal talents. After fierce competition, Xie Xin from Huaihua claimed the championship, with Xiang Hua taking the second place and Yi Hua the third.
Concert performance venue
On the final night, music and local delicacies combined to ignite the atmosphere of the venue. Dai Yuqiang showcased the timeless charm of classic music with O Sole Mio, Wei Xun electrified the whole audience with his dynamic stage presence, and both Luozi the Singer and Huang Gexuan delivered distinctive vocal performances. More than ten outstanding monthly finalists wowed the on-site audience with their high-caliber singing, earning rounds of enthusiastic applause. Meanwhile, the Hongjiang specialty food experience zone adjacent to the stage was also a huge hit, where freshly made local snacks such as Hongjiang blood glutinous rice duck, duck noodle soup and fried spring rolls attracted numerous tourists to taste, forging a vibrant feast that blended audio-visual pleasure with culinary delight.
Since its launch, the event has quickly evolved into a phenomenal cultural tourism IP, with the cumulative live broadcast viewership exceeding 36 million across all online platforms and the total number of likes hitting 60 million. Over a hundred short videos produced for the event have been widely circulated on all platforms, and the highlight edit has been aired on the prime time of Hunan Economic TV at 19:00 every Thursday evening. The overall promotional exposure online has surpassed 120 million, successfully propelling some hashtags to go viral, and effectively converting the online popularity into offline cultural tourism appeal.
Singing on the Super Stage in the Ancient Town takes music as the link and integrates the profound history and folk customs of Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town. It has not only provided a stage for singers from all over the country to showcase their talents, but also enhanced tourists’ immersive experience through diverse forms such as drone light shows, folk custom experiences and food promotion events. The campaign has significantly boosted the tourism popularity of the ancient town in the run-up to New Year’s Day and the Spring Festival, further shining the brand of China’s No.1 Ancient Commercial Town.
More than just a music competition, this event is a practical exploration of cultural-tourism integration that revitalizes Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town with melodies. Though the event has concluded successfully, the echoes it has stirred and the expectations it has raised continue to linger.
As the Year of the Horse is approaching, the Hongjiang District has elaborately designed a series of festive events under the theme Blessed New Year in Hongjiang, Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Ancient Town, ranging from the Hongshang Blessing Feast on the Little New Year, the Dragon Dance Parade in the Ancient Town on the first day of the Lunar New Year and the Hongshang Blessing Ceremony on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, to the Lantern Festival Event and the 5th Hunan Xiaoxiang Dragon Dance Competition. Tourists from all corners of the country are invited to come to Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town and celebrate a trendy Chinese New Year filled with melodious music, delicious flavors and cultural heritage in the lasting charm of this millennial commercial port.
(Translated by Yang Hong)