During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, the author returned to their hometown of Bengbu via high-speed rail. Upon exiting Bengbu South Station on the Beijing-Shanghai line, the familiar lively atmosphere was immediately palpable. Bengbu is a city born from the railway and flourishing by the Huai River, renowned as the "Pearl of the Huai River" and the "Hub of Northern Anhui." It stands as a landmark city along China's north-south geographical divide. In 1912, the completion of the Tianjin-Pukou Railway transformed this small fishing village on the banks of the Huai River into a crucial hub for north-south transportation in China, earning it the title of the "Largest Port on the Thousand-Mile Huai River." On January 1, 1947, Bengbu was officially established as a city, becoming the first in Anhui Province to receive this status. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, factories such as the Air Compressor Plant, Diesel Engine Plant, and Machine Tool Plant were successively established, solidifying Bengbu's role as a significant industrial base in central China. Bengbu's accessibility via Huai River shipping, combined with its rail and road connections to the Yangtze River Delta, has been a key factor attracting numerous industrial enterprises to the city.

Previous writings about the hometown often centered on the millennia-old cultural heritage of the Huai River or the industrial foundations laid since the Republican era. However, this Spring Festival, the most striking observations were the changes in Bengbu's urban cultural consumption patterns and population mobility trends. Data frequently analyzed in research reports became tangible and vivid. The phrase "Geese return to the Huai River's banks, people gather to revitalize the Pearl City" is becoming a new descriptor for this hub city in Northern Anhui during the spring season.

First, local consumption IPs experienced a comprehensive surge. In past years, Bengbu's local cultural symbols played only a secondary role during the Spring Festival. This year, however, returning residents witnessed a full-scale explosion of local consumption intellectual properties (IPs). Bengbu possesses rich cultural IP resources. Bengbu's Tushan is the historic site where Yu the Great convened with feudal lords. The "Zuo Zhuan" records: "Yu met the feudal lords at Tushan; ten thousand states brought jade and silk." Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, ordered the construction of the Yu Wang Temple when passing Tushan over 2,200 years ago. In 2006, the Yu Wang Temple Fair was listed among Anhui Province's first batch of provincial-level intangible cultural heritage. The Gaixia Ruins in Bengbu mark the decisive battle between Chu and Han, where the story of "The Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Consort" unfolded. Bengbu's Flower Drum Lantern, recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, is acclaimed as the "Ballet of the East." Additionally, Sizhou Opera, jade carving, Bailianpo Tribute Rice, and the Tianjin-Pukou Railway are other well-known IP resources. Previously, the presence of these local cultural consumption elements was not strongly felt.

During the 2026 Spring Festival return, however, local cultural IPs were visible throughout Bengbu's urban area. A drive of just over 30 minutes from home led to the Spring Lantern Festival garden on the north bank of the Huai River. The garden features Huizhou-style architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with white walls resembling paper and dark tiles like ink. At night, red lanterns adorned the corridors and eaves. During the holiday, daily performances included intangible cultural heritage arts like iron flower casting and fire pot displays. Visitors flocked to the lantern festival for photos and check-ins, making it a popular destination for nighttime tours and scenic appreciation during the Spring Festival. The Spring Lantern Festival also gathered Bengbu's local intangible cultural heritage foods, such as Old Shi's Pear Paste Candy, Tongyuanmao Pastries, and Heliu Bean Cakes. Northern Anhui specialty agricultural products, Spring Festival cultural creations, and folk handicrafts were also available for purchase. The entire lantern festival cumulatively received over 200,000 visitors, equivalent to 6% of Bengbu's local permanent population visiting the same location, with peak single-day attendance nearing 20,000. While the issue of insufficient depth in developing local cultural service consumption remains unresolved, the perceived intensity of local cultural consumption was significantly stronger compared to previous Spring Festivals.

Second, a trend of population return is taking shape. Bengbu was once a typical city in Anhui experiencing population outflow. From 2019 to 2022, its permanent population continuously declined from 3.412 million to 3.309 million. However, in 2023 and 2024, the permanent population stabilized at 3.262 million for two consecutive years, essentially halting the previous trend of annual decline and narrowing the "floodgate" of population outflow.

Data from 2025 shows that the total number of migrant workers in Bengbu reached 1.046 million, with 67.94% working outside the province. During the 2025 Spring Festival period, 556,000 migrant workers returned home. Around the Lantern Festival, approximately 11,000 returnees reached employment intentions in Bengbu. In 2026, this trend of returning for the Spring Festival and subsequently staying for employment continues to form. According to information released by the Bengbu Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, recruitment policies during the 2026 Spring Festival were strengthened. The bureau planned 300 recruitment events around the festival, with 95 already held before the holiday. During the Spring Festival break, the author observed a novel format in the city center's Huai River Culture Square, combining a New Year goods fair with a job fair. Recruitment booths were set up directly within the fair, which also featured intangible cultural heritage performances and New Year goods consumption. On-site consumption vouchers totaling approximately 450,000 yuan were distributed. This integrated consumption-entertainment-recruitment model was something the author had not encountered in other cities.

Bengbu's employment and job-seeking characteristics also differ from national trends. As of the first quarter of 2025, secondary industry job demand in Bengbu accounted for 51.09% of total demand, with manufacturing job demand increasing by 22.41% year-on-year. By occupational category, the job-seeker ratio for professional and technical personnel in Bengbu was as high as 2.22, meaning 2.22 job openings per job seeker, significantly above the national average. Nationally, the ratio was 1.28 for technology promotion, 1.03 for IT services, and only 1.06 for instrument manufacturing. The population return to Bengbu may not be accidental but could be driven by the combined forces of industrial demand and transportation advantages.

Within the vibrant atmosphere of the Spring Festival lies the fundamental resilience of the Chinese economy. The ebb and flow of the Huai River reflect the upward momentum of the Pearl City. From a macroeconomic perspective, population is the cornerstone of long-term economic growth. The rise and fall of a city are essentially about the aggregation and dispersion of people. Bengbu may serve as a vivid example of the transformation of China's urban economies from "population outflow" to "endogenous growth."