Recently, situated beside the Xianghui Bridge in Xizhuang Town, Jianshui County, the Xianghui Bookshop has officially begun trial operations, having been protectively renovated from the Xianghui Town Public Office, a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit. This century-old building, carrying memories of cultural heritage and revolutionary history, has been successfully transformed into a new type of public cultural space through "light intervention, micro-renovation, and refined enhancement," adding another cultural landmark to Jianshui, further enriching rural tourism offerings, and enhancing the cultural visiting experience for locals and tourists alike.

The Xianghui Town Public Office was originally built in the second year of the Republic of China (1913). It is a courtyard-style building with a timber structure featuring covered corridors on all sides, a typical representative of traditional Jianshui dwellings and an important physical remnant of the development of modern grassroots political power. It once served as the site of Xianghui Bridge Primary School and Huimin Middle School. During the Liberation War, the Jianshui West District Party Branch was established here, making it an important revolutionary stronghold in southern Yunnan. In 1949, the Xianghui Bridge Uprising broke out here, firing the first shot for the liberation of Jianshui, and the uprising forces later formed the Fifth Regiment of the Southern Yunnan People's Home Defense Force. The building, together with the adjacent Xianghui Bridge, is a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit of Yunnan Province, bearing both the red memory of the Xianghui Bridge Uprising and the continuous cultural heritage of Lin'an.

The profound historical heritage endows the renovated Xianghui Bookshop with a unique cultural character, achieving an organic connection between historical heritage and modern public cultural services. Guo Lihong, Deputy General Manager of Hengji (Yunnan) Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. and head of Hengshe (Jianshui) Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd., stated that the purpose of the renovation was to revitalize the old building, empower rural cultural tourism with culture, and create a public cultural space integrating red memory, book reading, and tea and coffee leisure. The bookshop began trial operations on October 1 and has received positive responses. New business formats will continue to be expanded so that more people can experience the unique local charm of Xianghui Bridge.

The renovation process adhered to the principle of protection first, preserving the original layout and timber structure of the old building to the greatest extent possible, and incorporating the stories of red revolutionary history and the imperial examination culture of Jianshui's Lin'an Prefecture into the space. Visitors here can immersively read about red history and look back on the tumultuous years of the Xianghui Bridge Uprising; they can also sit quietly, browse books, enjoy tea, and rest, experiencing the local cultural atmosphere among the ancient bridge and fields, achieving the living utilization of cultural heritage.

The establishment of the Xianghui Bookshop is a vivid practice of Jianshui implementing the province's deployment for building new types of public cultural spaces, promoting the revitalization and utilization of heritage buildings, and empowering rural revitalization through culture. The project is based on local cultural resources, transforming dormant heritage into new public cultural scenes that are perceptible, usable, and experiential. Next, the project will continue to enrich cultural tourism formats, deeply integrate heritage protection, red education, nationwide reading, and rural tourism, leverage the social benefits of public cultural spaces while maintaining operational sustainability, allow the century-old building to radiate new vitality in the new era, tell the cultural heritage story and red legend of Xianghui Bridge, and help "There is a Yunnan lifestyle" take root in Jianshui.

Trial Operation Hours

Operating hours during the trial period: 9:30-19:30.

Location

Beside Xianghui Bridge.

Reporting Team

Reporters: Wu Junsong, Xu Fan, Tian Yuan; Intern Reporters: Sun Jinghan, Chang Xinyue. Intern Editor: Sun Jinghan. Responsible Editors: Li Mengyu, Gao Mingxi. Reviewer: Hu Mengyu. News Hotline: 0873-7616391. Submission Email: 392760443@qq.com. Business Development Hotline: 0873-7620977.