Foreign Media's Tour to Qingdao: Learning about the History of Jimo Ancient City

On November 13 to 14, 2023, journalists from the "Hi, Shandong-Splendid Qingdao" foreign media group paid a visit to Jimo Ancient City. During their exploration, they delved into the preservation and development efforts of this historical site, immersing themselves in its cultural heritage, innovation, and ongoing development. Foreign journalists from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam, and other countries, engaged in this activity.

Jimo Ancient City spans 43 hectares, boasting a total construction area of around 370,000 square meters. The city's layout features "one city, two streets, ten scenes, and thirteen blocks". Within the city, there is the Jimo Confucian Temple, a place carrying the traditional Confucian culture, and the Memorial Archway Street documenting significant figures and events since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Other structures such as ancient academies, Yamen (traditional county government offices), Yalvchi Stage, Zhenwu Folk Museum, City God Folk Museum, city walls, and Christian churches also adorn the ancient city. Walking through the ancient city, one will feel like making a journey through time and being captivated by it.

The group embarked on a tour, visiting the Confucian Temple, Yamen, and Examination Academy. As they strolled through the time-honored architecture, they learnt about the history of this millennium-old city, immersing themselves in the captivating traditional Chinese culture. They also delved into the production processes of intangible cultural heritage products such as Jimo Rice Wine, Huang's Pyrography, Gecun Carved Wooden Molds, and Birdcage-Making in Da'ou Village. This firsthand encounter significantly enriched their comprehension of the profound Chinese culture.

Jimo Ancient City has witnessed profound integration and development of culture, business, and tourism. A diverse range of businesses, including boutique hotels, cultural artifacts, leisure reading spaces, trendy entertainment, delicious cuisine, original products, and retro-style attractions, infuse Jimo Ancient City with vitality. These businesses turn it into not only a place with historical and cultural depth but also a hub of commercial activity with international appeal. With all these, Jimo Ancient City has been ratified as one of the first batch of national nighttime cultural and tourism consumption gathering areas and the first batch of Shandong Province's pedestrian street upgrading pilot districts.