Shouxian County: Transforming a Millennium-Old Ancient City into “a Large Scenic Area”
On December 8th, as soon as I stepped into Shouxian County, I received a welcome message: “Chu style, Chu charm, Chu Culture... welcome to Shouxian County”. This message revealed the core secret of Shouxian County’s development of cultural tourism —deeply cultivating Chu Culture.
“Speaking of Chu Culture, you may think of Shouxian County.” This has become the true reflection of Shouxian County’s cultural tourism development, said the relevant official at the 2025 Cultural Tourism Industry Innovation and Development Exchange Event for the Counties.
Chu Culture Museum of Anhui
Since the beginning of this year, the number of visits in the cultural and tourism area of Chu Culture Museum of Anhui has exceeded one million, a fivefold increase in three years. The strong momentum has been transformed into numerous cooperation intentions on site.
Five years ago, Shouxian County faced the dilemma of “boasting resources but lacking transformation”: there were numerous cultural relics, but tourists stayed short; the culture was rich, but the business model was single.
Change begins with the systematic engineering of revitalizing the ancient city. Shouxian is home to Chu Culture and the birthplace of tofu, with rich relics including Anfengtang and mosques built in Ming and Qing Dynasties .
Night view of the ancient city
“We take the creation of a national 5A-level scenic area as an opportunity and operate the entire ancient city as a ‘big scenic area’ ”. The head of Shouxian's cultural and tourism department said that the core is “integration”.
Firstly, integration links history with modern experiences. At the Chu Culture Museum, AR technology brings cultural relics to life; at the 24 Solar Terms Museum, digital devices make agricultural wisdom visible and perceptible.
The integration that can show more atmosphere of life lies in the streets and alleys. Last year, the “Thousand-Person Tofu Banquet” challenged the Guinness World Record by making the “tofu” IP a participatory and tasting experience. “The themed products of tofu banquet alone have brought significant customer growth.” said the organizer.
Device for boat race at Solar Term Museum
Rich formats are the key to making customers stay longer. In recent years, Shouxian has held over 1500 cultural and tourism activities, that is to say, almost one activity was held each day. Simultaneously developing homestays, cultural and creative industries, tea houses and bars, etc., to promote the transformation of the ancient city into a complex integrating leisure, vacation, and study tour.
“Shouxian County closely adheres to the cultural core of ‘Chu style and Han charm’, connecting scenic spots into boutique routes, and forming a clear brand recognition.” said planning experts.
“In the past, tourists would leave in one or two hours, but now they are willing to stay longer.” said a owner of a homestay in Shouxian County. His business is booming, and the tourists need to book half a month in advance.
In 2025, the number of tourists and the growth rate of tourism revenue in Shouxian County rank among the top in Anhui Province. The ancient city of Shouxian has been selected as a typical case of county-level tourism in China and one of the top ten new popular check-in destinations in Anhui Province.
2025 Cultural Tourism Industry Innovation and Development Exchange Event for the Counties and Signing Ceremony of Cultural and Tourism Industry Supply and Demand Matchmaking Conference
The head of the cultural and tourism department in Shouxian County summarized that the breakthrough of the county’s cultural and tourism industry lies in deepening and penetrating its own characteristics, allowing the millennium accumulation to “live” in the present. Build the whole city as a scenic area, integrating historical culture into modern life.
Nowadays, the answer to this ancient city in Northern Anhui becoming a popular cultural and tourism destination lies in its streets and alleys.