As night falls, the ancient city of Tianshui in Gansu Province is brightly lit and shimmering with lights. Under the upturned eaves, banners of "New Year," "Joy," and "Auspiciousness" sway gently in the wind. The hem of a Hanfu girl's skirt brushes over the bluestone road, and tourists hold their phones to capture silhouettes of blue bricks and black tiles. During this year's Spring Festival, Tianshui Ancient City held folk activities such as dragon and lion dances, Han and Tang dance parades, and face changing fire breathing, attracting tourists from all over the world. According to statistics, from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Tianshui Ancient City has received a total of 380000 tourists, of which local tourists account for about 60%. This ancient city not only attracts tourists from other places to come and admire its reputation, but also attracts local residents to come and go frequently, and has become a "host guest shared" urban space. Huanxin, from a shantytown to a new window, is located in the Xiguan area of Qinzhou District. It has the only well preserved architectural complex from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the Republic of China in Tianshui city, including hundreds of individual buildings and courtyards, including 57 cultural heritage sites. Over time, ancient dwellings have suffered varying degrees of damage. This used to be a residential area that had been in disrepair for years, without streetlights, and with sewage flowing freely on rainy days. ”Niu Wen, the tour guide of Tianshui Ancient City, is a local and has witnessed the subtle changes in the ancient city. In 2018, Tianshui City launched the first phase of the comprehensive protection and utilization project for the Xiguan area of Tianshui Ancient City. At first, the project was initiated for the renovation of shantytowns. With the deepening of survey and research, the historical and cultural value of a number of protected courtyards gradually became prominent. Tianshui City has carried out overall salvage repairs on the ancient city of Xiguan according to the standards of prototype, original structure, original technology, and raw materials. Tianshui City has also added a level of "general cultural relics protection points", forming a four level protection system of national, provincial, county, and general cultural relics protection points. In the ancient city, some ancient dwellings have been listed as both historical and cultural city protection courtyards and general cultural relics protection points, achieving refined management and protection under dual identities. In June 2022, Tianshui Ancient City officially opened to the public with a new appearance. Tianshui Ancient City has fully preserved the layout of one street and eleven alleys, each carrying a profound history. Feijiang Lane is derived from the phrase 'but the Flying Generals of the Dragon City are here' and was the residence of descendants of the Han Dynasty Flying General Li Guang. The site of the Ming Dynasty city wall, which is 274.5 meters long, is currently the only remaining original site of the Ming Dynasty city wall in Tianshui City. A group of wind and cloud sculptures under the wall tells the story of Zhuge Liang's "six trips out of Qishan", among which the galloping horse is none other than the Tianshui general Jiang Wei. In Yuyuan, there are recorded poems written by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu when he lived in Qinzhou, among which the famous line "Dew from tonight till white, moon is bright in hometown" is well-known. Nowadays, the ancient city has become a window to showcase the history and culture of Tianshui. ”Niu Wen introduces. How to preserve the cultural charm and make tourists willing to stop while restoring the historical style and upgrading from tourist attractions to experience venues? In the early stages of the operation of the ancient city, the occupancy rate of merchants was less than 30%, "recalled Zhang Lijun, Deputy General Manager of Gansu Public Aviation Travel Tianshui Mingcheng Protection Investment Development Co., Ltd." We hoped to showcase the regional characteristics of Tianshui while allowing tourists to stay longer, rather than just having a meal and taking a walk. "During this year's Spring Festival, the Tianshui cuisine" Eight Bowls "and" Thirteen Flowers "in the ancient city continued to be popular. The private rooms in these shops were fully booked before the holiday, and there were often diners queuing up at the entrance. The New Year gift boxes were also particularly popular. We have strict screening criteria for the introduction of catering formats, which should be related to culture and have regional representativeness. For example, Tianshui's' Eight Bowls' and Zhangjiachuan's' Thirteen Flowers' represent the highest standards for Tianshui banquets and are also intangible cultural heritage. Eating here is a cultural experience. ”Introduction by Zhang Lijun. In addition to catering, intangible cultural heritage related to handicrafts has also gathered popularity in the ancient city. The operator prioritizes encouraging non legacy businesses to settle in, provides rental discounts, and utilizes platform advantages to help promote. At present, there are 11 non legacy businesses settled in Tianshui Ancient City. Walking into the Guanxia bamboo weaving store, in addition to various bamboo weaving utensils, there are also colorful cultural and creative products on the shelves. Dadiwan painted pottery doll, Tianshui Spicy Hot Pot element refrigerator sticker, Maijishan hill package pendant... all of them are Tianshui elements. These small items are very popular, and tourists usually take one or two with them, "said shop owner Zhang Zhaojie. In the nearby experience area, several elementary school students were burying their heads in handicrafts. As they flipped their fingers, a bamboo basket gradually took shape. The bamboo resources in Damen Town, Qinzhou District are abundant, and the local bamboo weaving has a long history. Zhang Zhaojie is a representative inheritor of Guanxia bamboo weaving city level intangible cultural heritage. He leads customers to experience bamboo weaving production hand in hand. Everyone makes their own things with their own hands, brings them home happily, and learns about Guanxia bamboo weaving during the experience, "said Zhang Zhaojie. From catering to cultural and creative industries, from purchasing to experiencing, a wide range of commercial formats have extended tourists' stopping time. As of now, the rental rate of shops in the ancient city has exceeded 95%. Except for a few cultural heritage sites that are restricted by planning, shops are already hard to find, "said Zhang Lijun. Tianshui Ancient City is located in the core area of the city, adjacent to Fuxi Temple, and surrounded by attractions such as Yuquan Temple and Nanbei Zhaizi. Visiting Maijishan and Fuxi Temple during the day, and having dinner and enjoying the night view in the ancient city at night, has become a routine strategy for tourism in Tianshui. In 2025, Tianshui Ancient City will receive 4.66 million tourists, of which 40% are local residents. For the people of Tianshui, this is truly a 'city reception room'. Friends and relatives from other places have arrived and brought them to the ancient city for dinner and sightseeing; Local people have their own free time and also love to venture into the ancient city. The most representative of the common life of Tianshui people is undoubtedly the can tea shop in the ancient city. A charcoal fire, a tea can, the fragrance of tea lingers, and laughter continues. There are both young people chatting around the stove and middle-aged people playing cards around the table. A tea room is both a place for tea tasting and a social space. During the Song Dynasty, the official Tea Horse Company was established in Qinzhou, where tea and horses were traded. Drinking tea has become a habit that has been passed down to this day, and simmering tea in a furnace has become a way of life for the people of Tianshui. ”Ma Hui, the manager of Huaiyinxuan canned tea and the representative inheritor of Tianshui canned tea production skills at the municipal level of intangible cultural heritage, introduced. On the basis of the traditional production techniques of canned tea, she combines health ingredients such as goji berries and longan with canned tea, and launches seasonal items in different seasons, attracting many young people. There are consumers of all ages in the store, with local residents being the majority. It's hard to find a seat on weekends and holidays, and customers can sit there for an entire afternoon, "said Ma Hui. Family gatherings at local restaurants, friends gathering at cupping tea houses, and weekend strolls to experience shops, the frequent consumption of locals brings stable foot traffic to Tianshui Ancient City. In recent years, the number of tourists to Tianshui Ancient City has continued to increase and has become an important tourism growth point in Tianshui. Another ordinary night, with dazzling lights, lingering tea fragrance, and interweaving of southern and northern dialects and Tianshui dialect in the streets and alleys, like a beautiful symphony, flowing through the night of the ancient city. (New Society)