From October 14 to October 17, CRI Jiangsu Channel invited video bloggers from Russia, the UK and Italy for a 4-day field visit to Huai’an about “Huaiyang Delicacy”, “The Beauty of Lake Rhyme”, “Huai’an’s Bookish Atmosphere” and “The Road to Well-Off”. Through their camera, they documented what they saw, heard, and felt, and shared this happy city in northern Jiangsu with the world.
In the northern part of the Yangtze River Delta, Huai’an covers an area of 10,100 square kilometers, has a total population of 5.68 million, and has jurisdiction over four districts of Qingjiangpu, Huai’an, Huaiyin and Hongze, three counties of Lianshui, Xuyi and Jinhu, as well as Huai’an Environmental and Technological Development Zone, Huai’an Industrial Park, Huai’an Eco Cultural Tourism Zone. There are rich natural resources and profound cultural heritage here. It was once a water transportation hub and important point for salt transportation, so as to have been flourished and prospered. This city is home to the famous banquet of the founding of Huaiyang cuisine, Hongze Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, and the lobster capital in China. It was also the birthplace of the founding premier Zhou Enlai as well as the author of “Journey to the West”, Wu Chengen.
Visiting a bushy plantation (Photo by Li Yan)
Using their own platforms, overseas influencers produced and launched a series of videos of Huai’an trip, which were released through Youtube, Bilibili, Instagram, Vkontakte, Facebook, LinkedIn, Xigua Video, Weibo and other social platforms. The first video was released overseas on October 26, and instantly received over 100,000 plays, causing extensive interaction.
Overseas influencers interacting with students of Xin’an Primary School (Photo by Li Yan)
In Huai’an, food is the most important thing. Huai’an has the famous Huaiyang cuisine and a number of special snacks. In the video series, the Huaiyang cuisine has become the spotlight. The video sparked the curiosity and love of many foreigners, who said that they would love to taste the dishes in Huai’an if they had the opportunity. Huaiyang cuisine is a part of the four traditional Chinese cuisines due to the network of rivers and lakes that crosses Huai’an, nine of which run through the territory. Yangcai provides abundant raw materials as well. Huaiyang’s cuisine pursues its original flavor, and its delicacies including stewed crabmeat balls, soft touting long fish, salted pork in jelly and other dishes are very popular. Huai’an food is spreading abroad today. Not only Internet celebrities have recommended it, but Huai’an has also been named the “Gastronomy Capital of the World”. This is linked to Huai’an’s profound food culture, solid food industry foundation, high-quality resources, and its outstanding eco-ecological environment.
Hongze Lake in Huai’an boasts a good ecology and high levels of aquatic life. The hairy crabs here are well-known from far and wide. The male crabs are creamy yellow, and the female crabs are as yellow as gold. They are especially delicious. Bloggers informed the world that hairy crabs and other lake products used to be sold at agricultural exhibitions and promotional meetings. Today, live broadcasts are on the rise, and many fishermen are selling their fish live. With unique natural resources, villages near Hongze Lake have developed leisure and tourism projects. Come here to explore ten miles of reeds, pick wild water chestnuts and wild lotus, enjoy fisherman’s dishes, work in the fisherman’s field, and experience the life of a fisherman in the wild. Tourism has spurred the sale of agricultural and sideline products in neighboring villages, helping the people of one party embark on the road to wealth and truly realize the concept of “creating large quantities of gold each day”.
The chef demonstrating the knife work of Huaiyang cuisine (Li Yan photo)
Chinese people are even more accustomed to Xuyi people because of their use of water as a medium, their tenacious effort to earn a living, and their pursuit of happiness and prosperity through crayfish. On the basis of traditional rice paddy shrimp farming, Xuyi County has developed lobster farming through shrimp-rice symbiosis, pond intensive culture, shrimp and crab polyculture, and shrimp and lotus root production, bringing economic, ecological, and social benefits to the local people. The Tianquan Lake Town is adjacent to the Tieshan Temple, a national forest park that offers a beautiful environment, a livable ecology, and a prosperous industrial base. Local farmers can find various jobs or start their own businesses. For instance, many villagers who work outside return to their hometowns to open farmhouses, guesthouses, or picking gardens. The world sees the well-off life of people under the revitalization of the countryside.
Overseas influencers experiencing shrimp and lotus root breeding base (Photo by Li Yan)
A happy life cannot be achieved without cultural nourishment, and the video shows Huai’an’s strong bookish atmosphere. Huai’an City has built 24-hour Xiangyu Bookstore all over the main city, all day, no closing, to open the “last 100 meters” of public library services to the community, while actively using the quality space and customer resources of tea houses, cafes, training institutions and other business premises, to take the mode of cooperation, hosting, common construction, for each space specific. The bookstore has become the living room of the city, and its citizens of this city love to read, to read good books, and to read well. Reading has penetrated into their daily lives and has become a ritual.
Overseas influencers visiting the former residence of Wu Chengen (Photo by Li Yan)
“Let’s tell China’s story well, let’s spread the voice of China, and let’s show the three-dimensional, holistic China.” Huai’an is actively innovating its communication methods to show the world happy Huai’an and let the world know about and fall in love with Huai’an.
Contact: Ray Fu
Email: 467572280@qq.com
