On November 11, the large-scale street exhibition “2019 Fusheng Memory Culture Festival” officially kicked off at the Qiao Family Courtyard scenic area in Shanxi!
The Qiao Family Courtyard was the residence of the historically renowned Shanxi merchant Qiao Zhiyong. In recent years, it has gained fame through films and TV dramas such as Raise the Red Lantern and Qiao’s Grand Courtyard. “Fusheng Gong” was once the most important business of the Qiao family, witnessing the prosperity of the Qiao family and even the entire Shanxi merchants' culture. Hence the name “Fusheng Memory Culture Festival.”
The festival will explore and present the history of the Qiao Family Courtyard fromthree perspectives: historical memory, daily memory, and future memory,and will incorporate elements of local handicraft culture, presenting them to the public through artistic curation.
The main visual identity uses elements of Shanxi life and the Qiao Family Courtyard as symbolic motifs to help visitors instantly connect with the local culture. These include lanterns, vinegar jars, currency, wheels, gate towers, steelyards, camels, bills of exchange, abacuses, and plaques—both playful and meaningful. For instance, the stone mill and bills of exchange represent key moments in Qiao family history, while camels and city walls reflect the trading legacy of Shanxi merchants traveling far and wide.
At the same time, the festival will use design interventions to offer a more contemporary expression of the Qiao Family Courtyard and Shanxi merchants’ culture. Collaborating with local businesses, the event invites more artists and creators to participate in the preservation of historical culture. By reinterpreting and redesigning Shanxi folk traditions, Shanxi merchants’ culture, and stories of the Qiao family, these ancient cultural treasures will be revitalized, presented in more engaging and relatable ways to be loved and embraced by visitors—thereby spreading the legacy of Shanxi merchants and imagining new futures for the Qiao family.
The historical memory section of the festival focuses on narrating “Time at the Qiao Family,” including the rise and development of the Qiao family's commercial empire and the family rules and teachings. It also invites outstanding young Chinese illustrator MAYIBO to create illustrated reinterpretations of oral folklore.
The daily memory section features displays of Qiao family lanterns, Xiaoyi shadow puppetry, and pyrographed gourds, showcasing Shanxi folk culture. These exhibits, reinterpreted by local “Sanjin Craftsmen,” allow audiences to experience the unique charm of classic Shanxi customs.
The future memory section is themed “Rebirth of Fusheng.” Through design interventions, it engages with traditional shops like “Little Tiger Afu” and “Old Vinegar Workshop,” bringing vitality to these heritage businesses by designing posters and refreshing their image.
This cultural festival can be seen as a brand-new attempt by the Qiao Family Courtyard scenic area to preserve and pass on historical culture.
This year, the scenic area has also newly completed the construction of the “Fusheng City” commercial street and a complex of Fusheng inns, expanding its visitor base to include younger travelers, families, and tourists. It has also introduced distinctive boutique accommodations such as the “Fusheng Xin Inn” with strong Shanxi characteristics, and the “Yiqi Yiqi Qiao Family Courtyard Youth Hostel,” a representative brand of China’s new-generation hostels under ttg, offering a variety of lodging options. This means that in the future, visitors can not only explore the Qiao Family Courtyard but also visit the “Fusheng City” commercial street to see exhibitions, experience folk activities, and enjoy comprehensive services including commerce, dining, accommodation, culture, and information hubs.
It’s worth mentioning that the “Yiqi Yiqi Qiao Family Courtyard Youth Hostel” is ttg’s first site-specific hostel, and another exploration and experiment by ttg in the realm of lodging culture.
By blending “the old history of the Qiao Family Courtyard” with “the new daily life of urban living,” ttg has created a Shanxi-wide “urban exploration map,” achieving better integration between urban youth hospitality culture and local scenic spots. Visitors can not only get close to centuries-old Shanxi merchants’ culture and explore the beauty of ancient Chinese architecture but also enjoy the lifestyle and accommodation culture of modern urban youth. Moreover, ttg incorporates more thoughts on travel accommodation and vibrant youth elements into the cultural offerings of the scenic area, unlocking a unique way to experience the Qiao Family Courtyard.
The “2019 Fusheng Memory Culture Festival” is open to the public free of charge. The Fusheng Inn complex will serve as the event’s information center, where visitors can obtain maps for the Fusheng Memory Culture Festival and the Shanxi Urban Exploration Map. The embedded coffee brand “Two Cups Two Cups” inside the information center will also open during the festival, with a late-night canteen available at night to welcome friends from all over. Everyone is welcome to come and visit!