International friends explore Cixi, and the red waxberry feast conveys the millennium-old 'beauty'

Associated Press

a day ago

In Cixi in June, the mountains and fields are covered with red waxberries, and the air is filled with the sweet-and-sour aroma of the fruit. From June 4th to 5th, a group of international friends from all over the world delved into this famous city in the south of the Yangtze River, embarking on a unique cultural exploration journey as 'Global Promoters for Cixi Waxberries'. They climbed the waxberry Mountains, savoured delicious cuisine, admired celadon, and visited intelligent manufacturing facilities. Using their cameras, they told the touching stories of 'the Hometown of Chinese Waxberries' to global audiences, helping the cultural IP of Cixi Waxberries set sail overseas.
'Wow, this coffee is so creative and unique! It has a natural sweetness of waxberries. It's different from the coffee I usually drink. There's no need to add sugar!' Fodil, a winner of the Grand Prize in the 'Chinese Bridge' Story-telling Contest from France, exclaimed this while tasting the creative waxberry-flavored coffee. At the Shanglin Lake Celadon Culture Heritage Park, these foreign friends enthusiastically visited two cultural and tourism markets, 'Charming Shanglin' and 'Celadon and Waxberry Tales'. They enjoyed the 'Tang-style Tea Ceremony' performance, tasted waxberry-flavored desserts, waxberry wine, and various Cixi snacks, explored Cixi's cultural and creative products, and shared the down-to-earth Cixi delicacies and creative items with their global fans through the camera.
In the simple and elegant Lianshuxia Art Village, international friends witnessed the transformation of old farmhouses into cafes, homestays, and reception halls. They took an immersive tour of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall of Secret-color Porcelain, sipped tea and chatted in the idyllic rural environment. Following the sightseeing route, they observed how art had revitalized over 3,000 square meters of idle farmhouses, how the countryside had been given new life, and experienced the beautiful transformation brought about by rural revitalization.
Subsequently, the international friends plunged into the lush waxberry mountains in Cixi. They were divided into groups to start an interesting 'waxberry-picking competition'. Their deft fingers moved among the branches and leaves, experiencing both the joy and difficulty of harvest. David from Australia said excitedly, 'This is the first time I've eaten waxberries. They're both sour and sweet, with a really unique taste. The freshness is incredible!'
At the subsequent 'Waxberry Feast', the sweet and sour taste of waxberry wine and waxberries was memorable. Creative dishes like waxberry-flavored braised pork, waxberry-flavored spareribs, and waxberry-flavored squirrel-shaped fish made the international friends praise the wonderful combination of Cixi waxberries in dishes, exclaiming that it 'opened up a new world of taste buds.'
The charm of Cixi extends far beyond waxberries. In the studio of Shi Zhen, a national-level inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in the Shishan area, the gentle lustre of celadon and the bright and juicy waxberries complement each other. The superb clay-throwing skills demonstrated on-site by Master Shi Zhen made these foreign friends hold their breath in concentration. After trying to throw clay by herself, Maria from Russia exclaimed, 'I've learned that Yue Kiln celadon has a thousand-year-old history in China. Experiencing this production process, I feel that celadon embodies the wisdom of the ancient Chinese working people and is also an important symbol of China's intangible cultural heritage.'
In order to let the global promoters experience the profound industrial strength of Cixi, the event carefully arranged an 'Intelligent Manufacturing in Cixi' experience. At Haitong Food Group, foreign friends witnessed how small waxberries, through modern technology, are transformed into high-quality juices, dried fruits and other food products that sell well around the world. In the newly unveiled Cixi Smart Home Appliances Pavilion, the exhibition halls of enterprises such as Fotile Group and BULL Electric are filled with a dazzling array of commodities, making people overwhelmed. The futuristic smart home appliances even made these international friends marvel continuously. Denzil from Australia and his wife Kristina from Ukraine said, 'The small home appliances in Cixi are so smart. I particularly like the noise-reducing hair dryer. It can be manually adjusted to three temperature levels, and the price is so affordable. I really need it!' They 'couldn't resist' and immediately started the 'shopping spree' mode. They placed orders for products by scanning the QR code online and had them easily mailed home.
It is reported that the awarding ceremony was held on-site during this Global Promoters for Cixi waxberries event. Ten foreign friends participating in this event were conferred the titles of Global Promoters for Cixi Waxberries and Honorary Villagers of Lianshuxia Art Village. They made a 'three-year agreement' to witness the positive development of Cixi waxberries.
This immersive experience event of 'Global Promoters for Cixi Waxberries' is an important measure taken by Cixi to innovatively promote the integration of culture and tourism and enhance the international influence of local culture. Through the unique bridge of 'international friends', from a first-person perspective, with immersive experiences and global social media dissemination, vivid stories about Cixi's industries, local products and cultures are told. The event not only effectively attracted extensive attention on overseas social media platforms, injecting international traffic into the Cixi waxberry brand, but also deepened the coordinated development of the 'waxberry economy' with industries such as culture-tourism and intangible cultural heritage. It has strongly shaped Cixi's international image as the 'Hometown of Waxberries in China', featuring both profound heritage and modern vitality.
As the content created by the 'global promoters' continues to gain traction on overseas social media platforms, this 'oriental ruby' from Cixi, with its unique cultural charm and industrial value, is attracting more of the world's attention, ushering in a new chapter of spreading its fragrance across the globe.
Media Contact
Company Name: Cixi International Communication Center
Contact Person: Qi Xing
Email: Send Email
Phone: [phone]
Country: China
Website: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?src=11×tamp=1749453306&ver=6041&signature=fi91xOvUHKTTFwGASzgY*U6hkQ15dUplYJ26UxKglchWDU8oznzmaFHDSkgEToN94N534uUwuRn2XGDSYDOEwNcA-6QaV01JNGqsH665VvlYiA1NrmS-zOmri3xEFH5g&new=1
Source: The China Box