Shuozhou Through the Eyes of Overseas Vloggers Season 3 | Ancient Charm Meets Modern Energy in Shuocheng: A New Chapter of Cultural Exchange

On November 3rd, the event “The Shanxi Chapter of Chinese-Style Modernization: Shuozhou Through the Eyes of Overseas Vloggers (Season 3)” and “Embracing Innovation, Pursuing Quality: Witnessing High-Quality Development in Shuozhou” was officially launched in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. Six overseas vloggers from Pakistan, Ukraine, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and South Korea began their five-day in-depth journey in Shuocheng District, capturing the millennia-old city’s historical charm and modern vitality through their lenses to present Shuocheng’s unique cultural appeal to the world.

As the main urban area of Shuozhou City, Shuocheng District has a long history and profound cultural heritage, serving as the core bearer of Shuozhou’s history and culture. Building on the preservation and inheritance of its millennia-old cultural heritage, Shuozhou has actively promoted the integration of culture and tourism alongside high-quality development, breathing new life into the ancient city. It has evolved into a livable and tourist-friendly destination that blends historical elegance, humanistic charm, and modern dynamism.

On the morning of the launch day, the overseas vloggers first arrived in Shuocheng District and visited Chongfu Temple — a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit known as the “art palace of the Jin Dynasty.” First constructed in the second year of the Linde reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (665 AD), this millennium-old temple is famous for the “Five Wonders of the Amitabha Hall”: the inscribed plaque, sculptures, murals, carved doors and windows, and glazed ridge decorations. It stands as a treasure of existing architectural art from the Liao and Jin dynasties in China. The vloggers experienced Chinese culture through engaging activities such as the ancient game of pot-throwing, poetry-matching, and collecting cultural pass stamps. They lingered in the Amitabha Hall, deeply impressed by the elaborate architectural details and profound cultural heritage. Ukrainian vlogger Karyna Kovalevska sighed, “Stepping into Chongfu Temple feels like traveling through the ages. The temple’s serenity and the exquisite artistry let me experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.”

Vlogger from Bangladesh, Sohel Khan (Shu Le), poses for a photo in front of the Amitabha Hall
Photo by Zhang Yanbin

After visiting Chongfu Temple, the group headed to the central community of Shuozhou’s old town to attend a vibrant cultural gathering. As one of the well-preserved ancient urban blocks in Shanxi Province, Shuozhou’s old town retained its traditional style of blue bricks and gray tiles during renovation while integrating modern public service functions, becoming an important window to display local folk culture. At the event, a series of performances and activities unfolded, including graceful fan dances, melodious Guqin performances, calligraphy and painting creation, and masterful paper-cutting art. More than 10 intangible cultural heritage items were showcased collectively. The vloggers watched closely, participated in making paper-cutting by hand, and immersed themselves in the unique charm of Shuocheng’s folk culture. They raised their cameras to record every cultural detail, sharing the craftsmanship of Chinese intangible cultural heritage with the world via social media.

Overseas vloggers showcase intangible cultural heritage artworks
Photo by Zhang Yanbin

In the following days, the overseas vloggers will further explore Shuozhou’s achievements in historical and cultural inheritance, visit local modernized enterprises and ecological parks, and comprehensively experience Shuozhou’s new progress and accomplishments in high-quality development. This event has not only built an international cultural communication platform for Shuocheng District but also brought the brand image of “First City North of the Great Wall, Virtue-Promoting Shuocheng” to a global audience through international lenses, injecting new vitality into the development of Shuocheng’s cultural and tourism industry. (By Tan Mengjing)