Hong Kong enterprise to build cultural town in Meicun

The signing ceremony of the Meili ancient town project is held on May 22. The Hong Kong-based Road King Group will help to make the town a tourist attraction featuring Wu culture. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]

Meicun in Wuxi's Xinwu district has decided to join hands with the Hong Kong-based Road King Group, a prominent property developer, to make Meili ancient town a tourist attraction featuring Wu culture with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan ($188 million).

The ancient town project will cover 8.16 hectares and provide all kinds of cultural tourism products, including performances, folk custom experiences, shopping and resorts.

It will also develop Meicun's historic culture of the erhu (a two-stringed bowed musical instrument) and Wu culture, the traditional culture of the Jiangnan region that encompasses the region around Taihu Lake and south of the Yangtze River.

Regarded as the erhu capital of China, Meicun's erhu craftsmanship was listed as a Jiangsu province intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Huang Qin (right), acting mayor of Wuxi, and Zen Weipao, chairman of Road King Group, discuss the planning and goals of the new Meili ancient town project. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]

Huang Qin, acting mayor of Wuxi, is treating the ancient town project as a pilot to promote rural construction and revitalization.

"Wuxi welcomes skilled developers to improve the cultural content and quality of the ancient towns," Huang said. "The government will provide full support to the project and we hope that the Road King Group will build a high-quality cultural town to display Wu culture and the charming history of Meicun."

Zen Weipao, chairman of Road King Group said: "With their profound historical meaning and cultural connotation, historic villages such as Meicun reflect the origin and development of Chinese civilization of five thousand years, which is an integral part in the composition of our ancient civilization. We will preserve and promote Meicun's historic charm to the greatest extent in the new Meili ancient town."