932,100 Visits! Tong’an's Thousand-Year-Old city Unlocks the "Flow Code" of Cultural Tourism!

From dawn to midnight, the sizzle of street snacks pairs with the hum of night markets.

From mountains to sea, the thrill of off-road rides echoes with coastal footsteps.

From city streets to village lanes, ancient stillness meets harvest-time energy.

This May Day holiday, Tong'an's cultural tourism heat soared, unveiling a full-spectrum holiday landscape that spanned all hours, all regions, and all people. Statistics have shown that Tong'an District received 932,100 visits during the holiday.

As an essential component of Xiamen's cultural tourism landscape, Tong'an has precisely targeted the rising demands for "micro-vacations," connecting rural areas, historic towns, mountains, and seas into multi-dimensional scenes. By deeply tapping into local resources and enhancing service experiences, it transforms tourism popularity into sustainable consumer loyalty, continuously elevating its cultural tourism brand as the "Millennial Silver City Standing Tall, Tong'an Welcomes All."

Upgraded Rural Tourism: A Diversity of Experiences Keeps Visitors Coming Back

A closer look at Tong'an's May Day cultural tourism market reveals the vital role rural tourism has played.

As the administrative district with the largest share of agriculture in Xiamen, Tong'an has vigorously promoted travel to the countryside by attracting visitors to villages and cultivating a rich mix of sightseeing, leisure, wellness, and educational experiences in rural tourism.

As early summer brings rising temperatures, the mountain villages, where the temperature difference between peaks and valleys can reach 10°C, have become especially popular.

In Lianhua Town's Junying Village and Baijiaoci Village, visitors can embark on morning chicken-catching and loach-hunting adventures, afternoon tea-picking and tea-making, evening bonfire parties, and next morning's climb to Guangming Peak to admire sea clouds and the sunrise. This string of activities greatly delighted Mr. Chen's family, who exclaimed, "Unlike the superficial village visits of the past, this immersion truly lets us experience rural life in depth."

Similarly, the two-day-one-night itinerary in Shangling Village was met with rave reviews, with its 24 homestays maintaining nearly full occupancy throughout the holiday.

The parent-child interactive groups and outdoor experience teams launched by the "Rice Fragrance of Shangling" project emphasize natural healing, encouraging tourists to hike through forests, meditate quietly in fields, and participate in rural activities like bamboo shoot digging and fish catching, with activities almost fully scheduled from morning till night.

As rural tourism flourishes across the region, extending visitors' stay duration becomes the key to the breakthrough. Liu Shenghai, head of the "Rice Fragrance of Shangling" project, shared his perspective: "Shangling Village has abundant natural resources. Birds, fish, insects, mountains, waters, and fields are all exploitable assets here. We can develop different experiences for different seasons to meet the diverse, in-depth travel needs of citizens and tourists."

This perfectly suits the rural tourism development of Tong'an.

In Tong'an, rural tourism is shifting from mere "sightseeing style" to immersive "vacation style," with products gradually developing toward diversity, integration, and personalization.

In Gukeng Village, lush bougainvillea clusters create an ideal setting for camping.

In Aitou Village, in-home hot springs become a major selling point for homestays.

In Sanxiushan Village, Su Song Herbal Garden, "Educated Youth" Kitchen, cafes, and other supporting facilities enrich visitors' experiences...

Photo by Xia Haibin

One could say each village possesses its own unique offering.

Cultural Tourism Revitalized: Tong'an Ancient City Releases Its Charm

As cultural tourism continues to heat up, Tong'an Ancient City has thrived as a popular destination during the May Day holiday. Recently, its Historic and Cultural District was included in the sixth batch of Provincial Historic and Cultural Districts. With its profound cultural connotations, this place further releases its cultural tourism attraction.

Stepping into the core of Tong'an Ancient City, the Old Site of Tong'an County Government Office, one finds the historical administrative center of local governance, with traces left by historical figures like Zhu Xi (a preeminent Confucian scholar and philosopher of the Song Dynasty).

During the holiday, intangible cultural heritage handcraft workshops opened for limited times, allowing citizens and tourists to personally experience palm weaving, lacquer fans, sugar painting, clay sculpture, and other crafts, with each day bringing a fresh surprise. Ms. Xu, a tourist who visited with her child, said, "Experiencing intangible cultural heritage skills in this ancient-styled place, and playing while being immersed in traditional culture, all make this ancient setting ideal for children to learn and play."

The "flow" of visitors drawn by these activities has transformed into "lasting foot traffic" because of the ancient city's charm.

During the holiday, Xiamen's "Tong'an Ancient City Cup" Dragon Boat Invitational Race kicked off in the Dongxi River (Su Song Park section).

Su Song Academy held its completion ceremony, with multiple activities attracting tens of thousands of visitor check-ins.

SUMMER 01 Old Site of Tong'an County Government Office

Within the Old Site of Tong'an County Government Office, the Fujian-Taiwan Folk Culture Exhibition Hall uses the ancient halls as its backdrop, displaying over 500 precious artifacts. Beyond this, the Cross-Strait Family Values and Genealogy Research Center houses over ten thousand volumes of surname genealogies. Meanwhile, in the red brick building, the Tong'an Library, with its coffee aroma wafting through the air, complements the classic architectural charm perfectly.

SUMMER 02 Tong'an Confucian Temple

Just a short walk away, Tong'an Confucian Temple stands as Xiamen's only Confucian temple building and the most completely preserved large-scale ancient structure. To this day, it still carries the important duty of Confucian sacrificial ceremonies, while also exhibiting historical stone sculptures and steles, including Song dynasty stone generals, Ming dynasty stone warhorses, and Qing dynasty stone guardian statues, each echoing the heartbeat of this thousand-year-old “Silver City.”

A local official from Tong'an District states that the District is actively exploring characteristic integrated development models. While striving to achieve greater breakthroughs in ancient city upgrades and cultural-tourism integration, the District intends to deliver even higher quality experiences for both residents and visitors.

According to reports, the Command Center of the Tong'an District Ancient City Project was officially established in March and has organized the first batch of 10 projects planned to commence this year, covering multiple areas including existing scenic spot renovation, old street district upgrades, and new construction projects.

Coastal Tourism on the Rise: High-End Business Format Clustering

Mountain and sea resources are not only Tong'an's precious wealth but also a powerful driving force for cultural-tourism integrated development.

During the May Day holiday, multiple running events took place, with the National Coastal Rowing Beach Sprint Open set to be held soon. These events have unanimously chosen the Romantic East Coast Line.

The Romantic East Coast Line boasts Xiamen's largest inner bay, Tong'an Bay. Here, a glance reveals natural landscapes of blue seas, sandy beaches, and lush mangroves. The 46-kilometer rainbow running track serves as both a professional racecourse and a highly photogenic check-in spot. Here, citizens and tourists can ride the mini train along the rainbow track, moving forward against the breeze, touring romantic landmarks like the fishbone-shaped pedestrian bridge, groynes, and the Wave Gate, or enjoying the fun of "treasure hunting" on tidal flats during low tide periods.

Meifeng Pedestrian Bridge Source: Fujian Transportation

This Romantic Line offers far too many fun experiences to count.

Mr. Ding and his family from Zhangzhou checked into Xiamen Portman Seven Stars Bay Hotel & Resort specifically to visit attractions along the Line at their own pace. The nearby Xiamen Binhai Water Sports Resort impressed them most, featuring over 20 land, sea, and air-based activities including wake surfing, rainbow parasailing, and flyboarding. The destination delivers marine excitement to the fullest.

Along this "rainbow ribbon," Xiamen Fantawild is a favored destination for families with children and younger groups.

The Colorful Trend Play Carnival launched during this holiday has brought dreamlike hot air balloons, Chinese-style costume parades, and castle firework shows, infusing the place with a festive, ceremonial flair.

Visitor numbers at Xiamen Fantawild saw a clear rise over the holiday, with most guests coming from the Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou region. A Fantawild representative noted that more than 100 attractions across the three themed zones continue to draw crowds, but it’s the all-in-one solution for food, accommodation, and entertainment that truly turns day-trippers into overnight guests. The on-site Fantawild Holiday Hotel Xiamen has become a key asset for retaining guests.

Evidently, the ecosystem of scenic beauty, trendy attractions, and quality accommodations has created a virtuous cycle in Tong'an.

Today, the Eastern Romantic Line has created a cluster of high-end seaside hotels, with Renaissance Xiamen Hotel, Marriott Hotel, Fantawild Holiday Hotel Xiamen, Element Xiamen Tong'an, and others gathering to become an essential link for tourist experience to appreciate Tong'an's distinctive charm and receive premium service.