Last night (September 6), in the 11th round of "Jiangsu Super League" matches, Wuxi team hosted Lianyungang team at Jiangyin Sports Center. During the pre-match warm-up, a cross-regional cultural feast caught attention - the Ansai Waist Drum, a national intangible cultural heritage known as the "World's Greatest Drum" from the Loess Plateau over a thousand kilometers away, thundered with magnificent momentum by the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake, creating cultural resonance between gentle Jiangnan and bold northern Shaanxi on the green field.

This "Jiangsu Super League" match built a "bridge" for deepening Wuxi-Yan'an cooperation. "This visit to Wuxi represents not only a bilateral cultural convergence but also preliminary groundwork for industrial collaboration," said Li Hongxiang, General Manager of Yan'an Cultural Development Group. Over 28 years, Wuxi and Yan'an have forged inseparable bonds in economic cooperation, talent exchange, and cultural integration. Leveraging the "Jiangsu Super League" platform allows audiences in Jiangsu and nationwide to know and understand Yan'an, while injecting new momentum for future deep cooperation in agriculture, culture, and tourism between the two regions.

"World's Greatest Drum" Makes Stunning Debut on "Jiangsu Super League" Stage

On the green field, over a hundred drummers wearing traditional northern Shaanxi costumes performed, with fiery red silk ribbons dancing up and down with the drumbeats. Amid thunderous drums, cheers grew louder wave after wave. Following the rhythm, northern Shaanxi folk singers' voices rang out strong and clear, continuously echoing above the stadium. The unique sparks created by the collision of traditional arts and sports events thoroughly entertained the on-site fans.

"I had only read about Ansai Waist Drum in textbooks before. I never expected to see it live at a 'Jiangsu Super League' match. It was authentic and spectacular! I experienced the charm of northern Shaanxi culture up close!" shared fan Mr. Gao.

To present the highest performance level of this national intangible cultural heritage at the Wuxi "Jiangsu Super League" venue, Yan'an Cultural Development Group assembled a powerful Ansai Waist Drum performance lineup. "This team consists mainly of performers from Yan'an Song and Dance Theater, along with selected personnel from Yan'an National Orchestra, Yan'an Baota District People's Theater, Ansai Folk Art Training Center, and Yanchuan Shanhua Cultural Performance Group performing together," introduced Guo Yanwei, Deputy General Manager of Yan'an Cultural Development Group.

Behind this heart-stirring performance was nearly a month of day-and-night dedication and relentless effort by the performers. Guo Yanwei revealed that starting from mid-August, over a hundred performers began intensive training. During rehearsals, several performers sustained injuries while improving their skills, but they gritted their teeth and persevered until the end. "Ansai Waist Drum supporting the Wuxi home game in 'Jiangsu Super League' will better promote the spread of Yan'an culture in the Jiangsu region, allowing the national intangible cultural heritage Ansai Waist Drum and northern Shaanxi folk songs to reach more cities nationwide."

Nearly 10,000 "Prosperity Fruits" Convey "Wuxi-Yan'an Friendship" at the Stadium

At the entrance of Jiangyin Sports Center, crowds gathered around the "Yan'an Fruits Support Jiangsu Super League, Passionate Warmth for Wuxi City" market, where neatly arranged Yan'an apples emitted enticing fragrance, becoming the liveliest scene outside the stadium. "Come, take your apple! These are Yan'an apples, try them fresh!" Feng Jin from Yan'an Cultural Development Group greeted audiences while distributing apples. As the market supervisor, he and his colleagues transported nearly 10,000 Yan'an apples to the stadium two days in advance for free distribution, just to let Wuxi audiences genuinely experience this sweetness and friendship.

"Sweet!" "Juicy, much better taste than the apples I usually buy!" Tasting this sweetness from the Loess Plateau, fans praised continuously. As a national geographical indication product, Yan'an apples feature large, plump fruits with rosy, glossy skin and crisp, juicy flesh rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber, earning nationwide recognition for their outstanding quality. "They're not only 'victory fruits' that stadium audiences can share, but also 'prosperity fruits' that drive farmer income increases through Wuxi-Yan'an cooperation," Feng Jin said excitedly. "Coming to Wuxi this time feels like 'visiting relatives'!"

Since cooperation began, Wuxi has continuously strengthened efforts in Yan'an's apple industry development: from introducing quality seedlings to optimize varieties, to promoting green planting technologies to enhance quality; from building sorting and packaging workshops to improve the industrial chain, to establishing nationwide sales networks to expand markets. Step by step, they've helped transform Yan'an apples from "field fruits" to "bestselling products." Each "prosperity fruit" has become powerful testimony to the collaborative win-win relationship between the two regions. Yan'an apples entering the "Jiangsu Super League" stadium represents both sincere gratitude from Yan'an people for Wuxi's assistance and a vivid continuation of Wuxi-Yan'an friendship.

"Yanzhou Gifts" Debut at Market Showcases Cooperation "Core"

Yan'an red dates with plump, pearl-like shapes, Yan'an millet golden and round... At the market site, Yan'an's three major signature agricultural specialty products, including Yan'an apples, made their appearance. "There are also some apple derivatives, like apple chips, apple vinegar, etc. Using fruits as a medium, the assistance friendship continues to warm up in the passionate atmosphere of 'Jiangsu Super League,'" Feng Jin told reporters. Moreover, they presented Yan'an apples as city souvenirs to the participating "Jiangsu Super League" team members.

Yan'an Cultural Development Group treated this Wuxi visit as an important practice of "culture + industry" integrated promotion, bringing the carefully crafted "Yanzhou Gifts" brand series cultural and creative products to the stadium. Among them, the "Baodandan" cultural creation adopts the iconic Pagoda Mountain building with an endearing appearance, making the profound red culture more accessible to daily life. The "Baiping" cultural creation uses the shape of Yan'an apples, meaning "settled, smooth" in northern Shaanxi dialect, serving as both good wishes for stadium athletes and embodying the spiritual core of collaborative win-win cooperation between the two regions.

Yan'an's agricultural specialties and cultural creative products with distinctive regional characteristics quickly won many fans' affection by reaching on-site audiences in ways close to daily life. "I'm charmed by Yan'an's good products! 'Baodandan' is so cute, it can serve as both a pendant and refrigerator magnet. I specially bought one to take home for my child," said fan Ms. Chen who came to watch the match. Guo Yanwei revealed that the group has planned to establish a "Yan'an Market·Yanzhou Gifts" brand store at Huishan Ancient Town under Wuxi Cultural Tourism Group, further exploring new paths for agriculture-culture-tourism integration and extending Wuxi-Yan'an cooperation from cultural integration to industrial win-win outcomes.