Sijing Ancient Town adds a new cultural label and explores the "dragon boat+tourism" competition model
Sijing Ancient Town has a long history and is known as the "root of Shanghai". With the theme of "Longyou Ancient Town, Racing for a Thousand Years", on September 17, 2023, one of the activities of the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the first Millennium Ancient Town Songjiang Sijing Dragon Boat Invitational, made this Jiangnan water town lively again.
The cheering group came all the way from Fujian
On that day, more than 600 contestants from 24 ancient town teams from provinces and cities such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Fujian, Gansu, Guangxi, and Shanghai competed in the Sijing Pond, showcasing the "speed and passion" of water in the 200 meter and 500 meter straight track races.
![Sijing Ancient Town adds a new cultural label and explores the "dragon boat+tourism" competition model](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8d468ba9ff1e763451a09bb0cd867dd9.jpg)
There are a total of 24 participants from the Sijing Ancient Town Dragon Boat Team, all of whom were outstanding players in the Shanghai Urban Amateur League Dragon Boat Competition in June this year. In order to prepare for the battle, the team members conducted intensive training in the early stage. The team members admitted that although the training was very difficult, during the process, they gained a group of friends who worked together and felt the joy of dragon boat racing. Although we ultimately did not step onto the podium, everyone said, "We are the hosts, and of course, we want guests from afar to come and enjoy themselves!"
Ms. Qi, a resident of Sijing, brought her grandson to the competition venue and said, "I moved from the city to Sijing a few years ago. The ancient town has a special charm, and I have also developed feelings. Now that we are hosting dragon boat races, it can help more people understand Sijing."
At the scene, a group of Fujian spectators caught the eye. After the reporter learned about it, they all came to Shanghai with their respective hometown dragon boat teams. There are two participating teams in Fujian this time, namely the Fujian Minhou Sugarcane Town Dragon Boat Team and the Fujian Minhou Mindu Ancient Town Dragon Boat Team. Ms. Liu said, "When a team from our hometown comes to compete, we certainly need to come and cheer. By the way, let's take a look at the water towns in Jiangnan. They do have their own unique strengths and weaknesses compared to our ancient towns in Fujian."
![Sijing Ancient Town adds a new cultural label and explores the "dragon boat+tourism" competition model](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/c7d8a39bb51013032f8c77cbfcbb4761.jpg)
Cultivate integrated and innovative cultural and tourism brands
In mid March this year, Sijing Ancient Town met with the citizens after years of protective development and construction. The Sijing Xiatang Historical and Cultural Scenic Area, Cangcheng Historical and Cultural Scenic Area, and Fucheng Historical and Cultural Scenic Area have ushered in a new era of protection, renewal, and utilization. But the antique charm is no longer the only label of old streets and alleys, and the ancient town is also exploring and seeking change, thinking about how to retain the footsteps of tourists. The cultivation and integration of innovative cultural and tourism brands through "full industry linkage" has become a topic for management departments.
In the historical development of Sijing Ancient Town, "water" is an important element, providing unique natural conditions for holding dragon boat races. Many years ago, Sijing held a dragon boat race, but in order to form a reputation and even a brand, it requires the support of a cultural core. This year, the addition of the Songjiang District Bureau of Culture and Tourism has empowered sports events. By exploring new models of "dragon boat+tourism" and "dragon boat+culture", a new IP for the first millennium old town Songjiang Sijing Dragon Boat Invitational was born, becoming a new brand of culture and tourism.
![Sijing Ancient Town adds a new cultural label and explores the "dragon boat+tourism" competition model](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/5f33ab62f10d5671e8d1967f1b8681a9.jpg)
In recent years, the booming development of dragon boat sports in Shanghai has provided more possibilities for "dragon boat+". Hu Lingjie, President of the Shanghai Dragon Boat Association, introduced that the dragon boat sport in Shanghai has developed from suburban areas to urban areas; The participants have evolved from mainly farmers to civil servants, white-collar workers, students, international friends, etc; The age structure of participants is also becoming younger. The dragon boat race was originally a traditional folk activity of the Dragon Boat Festival. Now, the dragon boat race in Shanghai continues from February 2nd to the end of November, spanning for more than half a year.
Shanghai is striving to create a "Shanghai style dragon boat sport", and the ancient town dragon boat race has become another new highlight. In the first year of hosting the competition, it received good feedback and made Sijing Town optimistic about the prospects of this event. In the future, it will continue to enrich the content of activities, making the dragon boat race a platform for showcasing the unique culture and development achievements of the ancient town.