Converting the Chinese author’s old residence into a popular tourist attraction

According to Aria Heritage, the former residence of the Qing Dynasty writer Po Songling (1644-1911) has become a popular tourist destination thanks to local government efforts to preserve cultural heritage sites and integrate them into people’s lives. Appreciate the Chinese tradition.

Sun Lily, one of the workers in the Pu Songling Memorial Hall project, said: This residential complex, which was reopened to the public on August 4 after partial expansion and renovation, has had more than 184,000 visitors by the end of the month, which is more than the same period in previous years. has increased greatly.

According to him, the book “Strange Tales from Liaozhai Studio”, a collection of classic Chinese stories by Po, has been translated into more than 20 foreign languages, making it one of the most translated and accessible works of Chinese classic literature in foreign countries. has become

Po’s former residence, located in Pujiazhuang, a village in Zibo, Shandong Province, consists of the main building “Liaozhai” in the center and two adjacent flanking rooms, built in the architectural styles typical of northern China during the Ming (1644-1368) and Qing dynasties. Is.

Po Songling Memorial Hall, a building complex based on this residence, was built in 1980 with the support of the local government to showcase Po’s legacy.

Annual conservation work is done to protect buildings in this country. The Cultural Heritage Administration of China has issued policies asking governments and social groups to promote the preservation and use of cultural relics.

In May, the government, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued a notice encouraging local cultural and tourism authorities to develop immovable cultural artifacts in the Artifacts-Themed Tourism Route, a national project launched in It is handmade, to include and gradually expose these works to the public.

In recent years, more efforts have been made to preserve this author’s residence.

“The first thing I do every day is to check the condition of every house,” Sun said. Because they are all old houses, we pay special attention to maintenance.

He continued: “Some of them have thatched roofs, so they should undergo regular inspections.” We repair them once a year and replace as needed every three years, as birds sometimes remove roof material for nesting and heavy rain can wash away parts of the thatch.

The restoration is committed to using original materials, forms, crafts and techniques to preserve the historical appearance of the building, said Pi Tao, director of the memorial hall. For example, the roofs of the main building of “Liaozhi” are woven by hand using the stems or leaves of the Lui plant, which helps to maintain its original appearance and can also protect the building from insects.

This memorial hall has 10 exhibition rooms that display more than 15,000 cultural artifacts, including the only real portrait of Poe, manuscripts, seals, and other national first-class cultural artifacts.

In the exhibition grounds, valuable historical materials such as ancient manuscripts, foreign language manuscripts, calligraphy works of famous artists and colored sculptures depicting stories from this collection are displayed.

By integrating research, education and tourism, the memorial hall advances the goal of revitalizing and functionalizing ancient sites.

This year, the museum has organized more than 10 cultural promotion events in schools, communities and workshops, which have significantly contributed to the preservation, maintenance and use of intangible cultural heritage.

Wang Chengguang, a professor at Shandong University’s School of Economics, said the steady influx of visitors to Po’s hometown is the result of the area’s rich human history and cultural heritage.

Wang suggested that the local government should use this opportunity to develop tourism products and projects that are aligned with the demands of the modern market.

The memorial hall is creating an immersive themed exhibition room that uses advanced digital technologies such as 5G, 3D, VR and ultra-high definition to allow visitors to have an immersive experience of ghost stories.

*Translation: Asadullah Haqqani

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