Chapter 229 Culture, Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage

Chapter 229 Culture, Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage

The news of the show's explosive popularity spread like wildfire, not only dominating local social media platforms but also attracting the attention of the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

On Friday afternoon, Hu Xiaoguang had just finalized the recording venue for the next episode when he received a call from an unknown number.

After hanging up the phone, he practically ran into his office, nearly dropping the file folder in his hand: "Great news! Huge, fantastic news!"

Su Yingxue and the others, who were checking the ingredient list, looked up at the sound and saw Hu Xiaoguang with a flushed face, so excited that he could hardly speak coherently: "The Culture and Tourism Bureau... the Culture and Tourism Bureau wants to cooperate with us! They said our program brought the lively atmosphere of the old town to life."

They wanted us to film our next episode at the intangible cultural heritage food street, and even connected us with three intangible cultural heritage food inheritors as technical advisors!

"Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Street?"

Xia Paopao's eyes widened. "Is that the old street with so many time-honored shops? My mom keeps saying she wants to go there!"

Lin Qiao couldn't help but clap her hands: "That's wonderful! With the guidance of a successor, our food will definitely become even more authentic!"

Shen Yu quickly calmed down and looked through the cooperation proposal handed over by Hu Xiaoguang: "The requirements of the Culture and Tourism Bureau are that we must not only retain our affordable and people-friendly characteristics, but also incorporate intangible cultural heritage techniques. This is not an easy task."

Su Yingxue nodded, her fingertips tracing the words "Combining Intangible Cultural Heritage with Modern People's Livelihood" on the proposal: "Indeed. The craftsmanship of time-honored brands emphasizes slow and meticulous work. We need to balance efficiency and taste, so we have to think about it carefully."

At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly raised his hand, a hint of shyness on his face: "My grandfather used to make intangible cultural heritage sugar paintings. He taught me a little bit of the basics, so maybe... maybe it can be of some help?"

Chen Mo added, "My family still has ancestral sugar painting tools. If the production team needs them, I'll bring them tomorrow."

Everyone's eyes lit up. Su Yingxue smiled and patted the two brothers on the shoulder: "That's great! Now our show has another highlight."

Over the next few days, the group split into two teams. Shen Yu followed Hu Xiaoguang to the intangible cultural heritage food street to scout out locations and discuss cooperation details with three inheritors—Grandma Zhang, who makes water chestnut cakes, taught her how to control the steaming temperature; Grandpa Li, who makes dough figurines, demonstrated the dough proofing techniques; and Grandpa Wang, who fries sesame cakes, shared his family's secret seasoning recipe.

Su Yingxue, along with Xia Paopao, Lin Qiao, and the Chen brothers, plunged headlong into selecting ingredients. To fit the intangible cultural heritage theme, they abandoned ready-made semi-finished products and insisted on using the most traditional methods to process the ingredients: soaking glutinous rice, grinding rice into milk, and boiling sugar syrup, keeping them extremely busy.

Chen Chen's sugar painting skills also came in handy. He practiced in his spare time until his fingers developed calluses, and finally he was able to skillfully draw the shapes of little rabbits and tigers, which made the children passing by clap their hands.

On the day of the recording, the intangible cultural heritage food street was decorated and bustling with activity.

The Culture and Tourism Bureau specially arranged folk performances, with the sound of gongs and drums resounding through the air as dragon and lion dances took place, attracting crowds of tourists.

In front of Su Yingxue and her group's stall, there was an eye-catching sign that read "Intangible Cultural Heritage Innovation Set Meal"—water chestnut cake with spicy rice noodles, fried dough sticks with sweet soy milk, and sugar paintings made on the spot by Chen Chen as free gifts.

Three intangible cultural heritage inheritors also personally oversaw the event. Grandma Zhang looked at the crystal-clear water chestnut cake steamed by Shen Yu and couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "This young girl is quick to learn. The taste is better than many of the apprentices I have taught!"

After tasting the food, the tourists were full of praise. One tourist from out of town even livestreamed on his phone: "Family! The food here is absolutely amazing! It has the taste of time-honored brands, yet it's affordable and accessible. This trip was totally worth it!"

The live stream's popularity soared again, with the chat filled with messages urging for more episodes and requests to check in.

[Intangible cultural heritage + people's livelihood: This collaboration is brilliant!]

Chen Chen's sugar painting is amazing! It instantly brought back childhood memories!

[Please, the production team, just weld the address to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Street! I'm going to check it out tomorrow!]

By the time they closed up shop, their sales had exceeded ten thousand. A few people sat around on the stone benches of the old street, munching on freshly fried dough sticks, watching the sunset turn the bluestone pavement of the old street golden.

Looking at the letter of renewal of cooperation in his hand, Hu Xiaoguang couldn't stop smiling: "The Culture and Tourism Bureau said that they want to sign a long-term cooperation agreement with us to make the program a local cultural and tourism brand!"

Su Yingxue took a bite of the crispy steamed bun and looked at the tourists in the distance—they had satisfied smiles on their faces and were carrying takeout food. The alleys of the old street were filled with laughter.

She turned to look at her companions, her eyes full of smiles: "You see, as long as we stay true to our original aspirations, more and more light will come toward us."

Meanwhile, in a high-end apartment on the other side of the city, Zhu Lili was scrolling through trending topics about the show on her phone. On the screen, Su Yingxue and Shen Yu stood in front of a stall in a food street selling intangible cultural heritage, their smiles bright and warm. Her fingers gripped the phone tighter and tighter until the screen was distorted.

Suddenly, her agent pushed the door open and came in, her tone somewhat cautious: "Sister Li, the brand that we had agreed on an endorsement deal with said... they want to change the person. They want to find Su Yingxue."

Zhu Lili suddenly raised her head, her eyes almost overflowing with malice. She stared intently at Su Yingxue's smiling face on the screen, gritting her teeth as she said, "Su Yingxue, you wait. I won't let you be smug for long."

Zhu Lili smashed her phone; the expensive device hit the marble floor, and the screen shattered instantly into a spiderweb pattern. Her agent, terrified, huddled in the doorway, too scared to utter a sound.

"Who does Su Yingxue think she is?" Zhu Lili's voice was shrill, as if it had been sanded. "How dare an ordinary person with no background or popularity climb over me to get ahead? How dare she steal my endorsement?"

She was panting heavily, her gaze sweeping over the gossip magazines scattered on the coffee table. On the cover, Su Yingxue, wearing a simple white shirt, stood at the entrance of an alleyway in a non-heritage food street, her smile clean and warm. That smile was like a thorn, piercing Zhu Lili's heart.

The agent hesitated before speaking, "Sister Li, how about... we try a different approach? Audiences these days really like things that resonate with everyday life. If you're willing to lower your standards, go for it..."

"Lower your standards?" Zhu Lili sneered, her exquisitely made-up face full of disdain. "I'm a popular actress, how could I possibly show my face in such a smoky place?"

She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling traffic below, a ruthless glint in her eyes: "Transformation? No need. I have plenty of ways to make her show fail."

The agent's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to advise her not to act impulsively, Zhu Lili picked up another phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, it's me." Her voice suddenly became soft and charming, completely different from before. "Do me a favor and find out the food suppliers for Su Yingxue's show... Yes, that wildly popular food show. I need you to cut off their supplies."

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Lili curled her lips into a confident smile.