Shops to be open on Shibati Main Street

Shibati Traditional Landscape Area (Picture provided by Yuzhong Historical and Cultural Sub-districts Management Committee)

Old items on display

A collection of paintings and calligraphy related to Shibati

Before and after transformation, provided by Yuzhong Historical and Cultural Sub-districts Management Committee

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- This is a very characteristic old street in Chongqing, which has inherited the past and will embrace the future. Do you remember Shibati that carried countless memories of Mountain City? According to Yuzhong District, from now on, Demonstration Zone A of Shibati Traditional Landscape Area is open to the public by appointment. By making an online appointment with a QR code, you can enter Mountain City Memory Hall, Heritage Hall, Investment Center and other areas, see the landscape of Mountain City in an immersive 3D projection, and see the culture of the Mother City unfolded using “black technology” such as Dreaming Star.

Presenting antiquities in a modern way

Old stories of Shibati told by digital technology

Built in Song Dynasty, Shibati was given its name in Ming Dynasty. According to legend, it was named after the eighteen stone steps that separated the local residents’ homes from a well. Shibati is the epitome of Chongqing’s “Mother City Culture”, with a long history of development that flourished at the sound of the whistle and then fell away with the wharf. Thanks to digital multimedia, the history has now been brought to life in a more visual way in Mountain City Memory Hall. It is learned that expanded from the original old building of Shibati, Mountain City Memory Hall has four floors. The Hall displays a large number of valuable books, images and video materials of old Chongqing, and uses digital technology to re-present the memories of the old Mountain City to the public.

The Heritage Hall uses sound and light technology to recreate “Seven Streets and Six Lanes” of Shibati. Recreating a historical scene through landscape design, “Shanguo Night Light” tells the story of Shanguo Lane, one of the six lanes at Shibati. The backs of the pedestrians walking up the steps are dynamically expressed in light techniques, and the hollowed-out material restores the stilted building and the long stone steps. The story of the residents of Shibati at the end of Qing dynasty, who contributed their own money to buy oil to light the lamps for the convenience of pedestrians at night, comes to life.

Huajiezi, one of the seven streets of Shibati, was once a well-known symbol of entertainment of old Chongqing. The reporter noticed that in addition to setting up a simulated scene, “Huajie Heritage” in the Heritage Hall also displays old items from Shibati in display cases. Old items such as bronze mirrors, brass combs and silver hairpins reflect the historical legacy of the past.

Preserving tradition

The most authentic old Chongqing

It is introduced that Shibati Area has a number of old buildings and a large number of residences representing the old Chongqing style. When Shibati was transformed, the main street steps were preserved in their original form, the original site of the cliff inscriptions was protected, and the traditional street pattern of “Seven Streets and Six Lanes” was well planned and controlled. “We look forward to the future when the public will be able to see the real Chongqing stilted building and the roads with emerald moss and experience the most authentic shades of the old Chongqing at Shibati.”

Covering an area of about 88mu, Shibati Traditional Landscape Area project is divided into a total of ABCDE zones, in addition to the Demonstration Zone A which is open this time. Zone A and Zone B are traditional cultural experience zones located on the main path of Shibati. Based on the traditional folk culture of Bayu, the street culture of Bayu and the culture of historical buildings, the Zones will be open cultural experience zones integrating culture and leisure, humanistic tourism and catering and accommodation. Zone C is domestic fashion as well as cultural and creative experience zone, which is adjacent to Zones A and B and will develop unique cultural IP derivatives in the future to showcase the culture of domestic fashion. Wang Rui told the reporter that Zones ABC, the core conservation zones, are not yet open, but the exterior construction has been completed and the whole has been finished and will be open to the public by the end of the year.

If you would like to explore the new Shibati Traditional Landscape Area in advance, you can make a reservation through “Shibati Traditional Landscape Area” WeChat Official Account. The public will be able to visit Demonstration Zone A, learn about the history of Shibati and the story of the “Seven Streets and Six Lanes” through Shibati Mountain City Memory Hall, and see the architecture at Shibati.

In addition, those who do not make reservations can also see the full view of Shibati Traditional Landscape Area from Shibati Observation Platform. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)