On April 21, the brand strategy launch event for Xiji Town’s eco-leisure town in Tongzhou District was grandly held at the Beijing Sunshine International Convention Center. Leaders and officials from relevant departments, representatives from all walks of life, and 35 media reporters were invited to attend the event, witnessing together the magnificent transformation of this eco-leisure town filled with a sense of belonging under the new circumstances.
Xiji Cherry Festival — Taste the First Sweet Bites
The alluvial deposits of two rivers, sifted like gold by the waves, have created the most naturally suitable sandy loam soil for growing large cherries. The unique climate conditions provide the most comfortable paradise for the growth of these delicate and precious cherries.
The large cherry planting history in Xiji Town spans over 20 years, with the current cultivation area reaching 11,000 mu. The cherry orchards in their prime fruit-bearing period cover about 6,000 mu, primarily distributed across more than 30 villages including Shaguidui Village, Rulin Village, Gongjidian Village, and Xiaoxinzhuang Village, among which Shaguidui Village has the largest planting area. The fruits are known for their large size, rich flavor, crisp flesh, and vibrant color, with over 10 high-quality varieties such as Zaodagu, Hongdeng, Rainier, Meizao, and Hongmi. In 2011, "Tongzhou Big Cherries," mainly produced in Xiji, were officially awarded the title of "National Geographical Indication" by the Ministry of Agriculture. The cherry-picking season has evolved into a cultural event, and the Cherry Festival has become a key highlight of tourism in Xiji. Held annually from late May to late June, the cherry-picking season has successfully taken place for eleven consecutive years, with growing influence and increasingly diverse derivative products. The addition of the "Cherry Little Play Music Festival" in 2017 added deeper meaning and greater anticipation to the "Hand in Hand as a Family" themed cherry-picking season.
This launch of the eco-leisure town brand strategy is the result of years of historical accumulation and deep industrial transformation in Xiji Town, and it also represents a strategic plan for future development. Moving forward, Xiji will adhere to the five major development concepts, guided by the “New Town+” model, fully leveraging the roles of historical heritage, ecological waterways, and economic arteries. With the philosophy of advocating “slow living,” and focusing on “micro-tourism” and “micro-outdoor” as leading industries, the town will prioritize the incubation of “four major business formats”: utilizing existing decommissioned factory spaces and other resources to foster mass sports formats; leveraging high-quality hot springs and other resources to develop health and wellness formats; capitalizing on abundant forests, wetlands, and other resources to create eco-resort formats; and drawing on farming, historical, and other resources to cultivate experiential and educational formats. In the future, Xiji will embrace craftsmanship and proceed step-by-step in a location-specific manner, using water and greenery as ink and local culture as brush, to drive the development of the ecological tourism chain in the city’s sub-center within the broader “unified strategy” framework of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and to fully establish an eco-leisure town that offers a profound sense of belonging.