Students visit the Luosifen Cultural Exhibition Hall of Guangxi Luobawang Food Technology Co., Ltd. in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Li Hanchi)
More than 1,000 domestic and international visitors arrive daily at Liuzhou Luosifen Industrial Park, a national 4A-level scenic area in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, eager to discover the secrets behind the region's famous river snail rice noodles.
Industrial tourism has emerged as a rising force in China's cultural tourism market, with luosifen-themed factory tours proving highly successful. The signature street food is driving the integration of manufacturing and tourism.
At the Luosifen Cultural Exhibition Hall of Guangxi Luobawang Food Technology Co., Ltd., tour guide Lei Jie led a group of students from a middle school in the regional capital, Nanning, through the facility covering more than 1,200 square meters.
Designed in the shape of a river snail, the hall uses physical items and interactive technology to illustrate how the humble street snack has grown into a 10-billion-yuan ($1.4 billion) industry.
Zhou Wenling, head of cultural tourism at Luobawang, said the company has been working to add warmth to modern manufacturing by tapping into the intangible cultural heritage of luosifen-making techniques. This initiative aims to help more people learn about the cultural stories behind luosifen and its production process. The company has launched premium educational courses themed on luosifen, along with dedicated classrooms and DIY experience zones.
In recent years, Liuzhou has encouraged companies in Liuzhou Luosifen Industrial Park to build integrated industrial tourism complexes that combine sightseeing, leisure and entertainment, transforming factories into tourist destinations. This approach has expanded corporate influence, increased revenue and promoted the city's distinctive luosifen industry. In 2023, the industrial park was designated a national industrial tourism demonstration base.
"We receive about 100,000 tourist visits annually, with bookings for group tours filled every month," Lei said. As luosifen continues to grow in popularity at home and abroad, a growing number of visitors are coming to explore the industrial park. The tourism development department at Luobawang employs seven tour guides, who recently handled 17 tour groups in just two days — four of which were led by Lei.
According to Zhou, the company's cultural tourism strategy has yielded notable results, with merchandise sales increasing by approximately 30 percent annually. Since 2021, the company's tourism-related revenue has reached about 30 million yuan.
At a luosifen-themed post office jointly launched by Guangxi Hugui Food Group Co., Ltd. and China Post, Chen Li, a tourist from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, carefully wrote a wish on a co-branded postcard before placing it in the mailbox.
Photo shows cultural and creative products themed on luosifen, or river snail rice noodles, on display in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Fu Huazhou)
The exterior of the post office appears ordinary, but the interior is filled with luosifen motifs. Postcards, envelopes, stamps, fridge magnets, gift bags, folding fans, tissue boxes, stamp albums and other luosifen-themed products line the shelves.
"We receive more than 1,000 visitors daily, including school groups and individual tourists," said Lan Suzhen, a receptionist. "These cultural and creative products sell extremely well and require frequent restocking."
"We've combined Liuzhou's industrial features and natural scenery with luosifen so that visitors take home not just merchandise, but memories of the city," said Wei Qiuling, head of the educational tour department at Guangxi Hugui Food Group Co., Ltd. Through creative products, she hopes more people will appreciate luosifen's cultural value. Visitors can also join themed hand-painting sessions or design creative products of their own in the company's DIY zone.
According to Du Dongtao, Party secretary of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Yufeng District, Liuzhou has made full use of the national intangible cultural heritage of luosifen-making to roll out immersive activities. These activities include DIY luosifen preparation sessions, creative banquet design and taste-tester recruitment.
Multiple enterprises in the industrial park have blended luosifen with cultural creativity, launching cross-sector tourism initiatives such as luosifen-themed post offices and aerospace collaborations. They have also introduced products integrating motifs like bauhinia flowers and automobiles. Over 100 such products have been released, proving popular among tourists and consumers.
In the first three quarters of this year, Liuzhou Luosifen Industrial Park received 129,000 educational tour visits, generating 10.1 million yuan in tourism spending.
Liu Li, director of the Liuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, said the city will continue to strengthen its luosifen cultural tourism brand, preserve and pass on luosifen-making techniques, and further explore the cultural meaning behind the dish.
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Congxiao
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
