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Hot TV drama boosts tourism in Jiangmen
CGTN
A photo taken on February 11, 2023 shows tourists visiting Qimingli in the east of the Changdi Historical and Cultural Block in Jiangmen city, south China's Guangdong Province. /CFP
A photo taken on February 11, 2023 shows tourists visiting Qimingli in the east of the Changdi Historical and Cultural Block in Jiangmen city, south China's Guangdong Province. /CFP

A photo taken on February 11, 2023 shows tourists visiting Qimingli in the east of the Changdi Historical and Cultural Block in Jiangmen city, south China's Guangdong Province. /CFP

Recently, the hit TV drama "The Knockout" has sparked huge interest in many of its main film locations in Jiangmen, south China's Guangdong Province, since its release on January 14.

Based on real cases of organized crime, the 39-episode drama had many scenes shot on the city's historic streets featuring traditional arcade houses, or qilou, and at nearby diaolou, or fortified residences, drawing crowds of tourists to the historic film locations.

Home to thousands of overseas Chinese, Jiangmen in south China's Guangdong Province has a large number of old streets featuring ancient Chinese and Western-style buildings.

A visitor takes pictures of old shops in Qimingli, which appeared in the hit TV drama
A visitor takes pictures of old shops in Qimingli, which appeared in the hit TV drama "The Knockout." /CFP

A visitor takes pictures of old shops in Qimingli, which appeared in the hit TV drama "The Knockout." /CFP

Traditional qilou buildings, or arcade houses, are both shops and homes for many local people. Most of the qilou buildings in the area are three or four stories tall, with an arcade stretching above the second story over the sidewalk.

These arcades together form a shaded corridor over the sidewalk, which keeps the shops and pedestrians safe from the scorching sun and rain.

Qimingli is one of the best-preserved and largest overseas Chinese villages dating back to the 1910s. /CFP
Qimingli is one of the best-preserved and largest overseas Chinese villages dating back to the 1910s. /CFP

Qimingli is one of the best-preserved and largest overseas Chinese villages dating back to the 1910s. /CFP

In Jiangmen, you can see many historic luxurious villas and unique gardens built by overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, reflecting Jiangmen's unique history and culture.

The city was traditionally a treaty port on the Pearl River Delta. It is also home to cultural treasures such as the UNESCO-listed heritage site known as Kaiping Diaolou and Villages.

A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP
A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP

A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP

A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP
A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP

A file photo of diaolou buildings in Kaiping, a type of defensive village house. /CFP

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages was listed in the world cultural catalog in 2007. Nearly 2,000 diaolou towers stand amid the fields, in perfect harmony with the splendid countryside.

An incredible fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, UNESCO experts describe them as "a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms."

Jiangmen is known as the hometown of countless delicacies. Chang fen, or rice noodle rolls, which were often spotted being eaten by characters in the drama, is also a must-try dish for visitors to Jiangmen.

A file photo of chang fen, or rice noodle rolls, a rice roll made from thin, wide sheets of rice noodles. /CFP
A file photo of chang fen, or rice noodle rolls, a rice roll made from thin, wide sheets of rice noodles. /CFP

A file photo of chang fen, or rice noodle rolls, a rice roll made from thin, wide sheets of rice noodles. /CFP

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