On the just passed New Year's Eve, under the Drum Tower in Tianjin, the ancient cultural street was crowded with welcoming citizens and tourists. Everyone looked up and held their breath, waiting for the bell to ring. With a loud and heavy ancient bell, laughter and joy resounded throughout the hometown of Jinmen. This is part of the New Year's Eve event held in Nankai District, Tianjin City. Tourist Guo Xiaoyi, who came from Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, squeezed into the crowd and smiled wryly: "Listening to the sound of the bell at the Drum Tower to celebrate the New Year, and then going to the Ancient Culture Street to eat a set of pancakes and rice cakes, and drink a bowl of Guoba dishes, this New Year's Eve trip has a Tianjin flavor!" Since the establishment of the Tianjin Garrison in 1404, more than 600 years have been accumulated in the lives of the people in this old city of Drum Tower. How to continue the cultural context in the fireworks atmosphere and let fashion bloom on the ancient texture? The managers and operators of the Gulou commercial district adhere to the principles of cultural people, benefiting the people with culture, enriching the city with culture, and developing the industry with culture. They integrate cultural atmosphere into the atmosphere of fireworks and activate consumer power with fashion. In the warmth and affection of old Tianjin, they continue to write new stories of traditional commercial districts. History and Revitalization: From the Origin of "Abacus City" to the Light and Shadow Show "Tianjin Wei San Zong Bao: Drum Tower, Battery, Bell Tower (Dialect Pronunciation: g ǎ o). ”This proverb, which is often spoken by old Tianjin people, fully embodies the weight of the Drum Tower. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Tianjin Wei was established, and the Drum Tower was the origin and core of this "Abacus City". It has undergone three reconstructions and has seen numerous shipping masts and sails, as well as fires and smoke filled the air; Once the city's fire watchtower, it also disappeared in the roar of road widening. After its reconstruction in 2001, although the Drum Tower regained its ancient shape, it remained a silent historical landmark for a long time. Hearing the bell sounds like coming home. ”68 year old resident Shi Zhongming comes here every New Year's Day without any hesitation. He looked at the brightly lit Drum Tower in front of him and remembered the past: 'Back then, the Drum Tower was dark at night, surrounded by old alleys, how could it be so lively now.' The transformation began with the creative activation of historical landmarks. Nowadays, the drum tower wall light and shadow show held every night turns the thick blue brick wall into an ultra long curtain, and the flowing light and shadow are poetic and picturesque, telling the urban story of Tianjin through modern technological language. Just a few dozen meters away from the Drum Tower, the Guangdong Guild Hall with blue bricks and grey tiles stands quietly in the depths of the alley. This is the most complete surviving Qing dynasty guild hall in Tianjin, and now it has also found a new way to "revitalize" it. In 2025, the association will launch "Light and Shadow Traditional Chinese Opera Photography", where visitors can wear costumes and take photos on the century old theater tower where Mei Lanfang once performed on stage. Zhang Xinyue, a post-2000 youth, has indulged in the addiction of "Mu Guiying" here. After taking photos, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wearing costumes in the old theater, even the air is filled with old flavors. This cultural impact is completely different from that in ordinary theaters!" From the time center of morning bells and evening drums, to the "time and space interface" that integrates light, shadow, opera, and immersive drama, the Drum Tower area has successfully transformed into an open cultural experience venue that can be heard, seen, and touched while preserving its historical core. Linkage and Integration: When it comes to the changes in the Gulou commercial district from "each beautiful and its own beauty" to "beauty and sharing", we have to talk about the "double drum (ancient) linkage". Previously, the Drum Tower and the Ancient Culture Street were like two parallel lines: the Drum Tower was solemn and dignified, with a full sense of cultural experience, but the commercial vitality was slightly lacking; The ancient cultural street is bustling and popular, but there is inevitably a problem of homogenization of business formats. Tourists often choose a place to visit and then leave, making it difficult to have a complete and three-dimensional perception of the old city. According to the overall layout of "beads forming chains and connections forming patches", Nankai District is promoting the integrated construction of the ancient cultural street and Gulou commercial street areas, and making every effort to create the cultural business card of the "Double Drum (Ancient) Region". By optimizing the pedestrian route and unifying visual signage, nodes such as Drum Tower, Guangdong Guild Hall, Confucian Temple, Ancient Culture Street, and Luhe Duyun Lane are connected one by one, forming a complete travel route of "Drum Tower Climbing High - Ancient Street Customs - Lane Seeking Solitude" naturally. The Gulou area focuses on cultural highlands and fashion sourcing functions, introducing trendy formats such as light and shadow technology, immersive theater, and JD MALL; The ancient cultural street area focuses on cultivating folk fireworks, upgrading intangible cultural heritage experiences, and creating immersive new spaces such as Luhe Duyun Lane. The two, one elegant and one vulgar, one quiet and one active, perfectly form a consumption loop. Recently, the Ancient Culture Street has launched the "Smart Cultural Tourism PASS Card". Tourists can "touch" their phones, and the AI tour guide will automatically go online to explain. With just a touch, an animation will immediately pop up on the phone, telling the legend of Tianhou Palace and the story of the clay figurine Zhang clearly. It can also collect digital badges to exchange for small gifts. "The staff of the Ancient Culture Street introduced that this smart system is planned to be officially launched during the Spring Festival, allowing seamless connection throughout the cultural tourism process. Passing through the memorial archway of "Jinmen Hometown", red lanterns flicker in the Ancient Culture Street, and the sweet smell of fried cakes and the mellow smell of tea soup come to your face. At the hanging money market in Yuhuangge Square, Zhang Kunzheng, a vendor of intangible cultural heritage velvet flowers, explained to young people: "Velvet flowers sound like 'Ronghua' and are loved by the elderly during the Chinese New Year. This is the taste of Tianjin's New Year!" Trend and Future: The first store economy activates the "urban reception hall". When the ancient cultural street is bathed in the fragrance of tea soup in the morning light, the modern business model across the street is unlocking another vitality. The first store economy of Gulou commercial district has become the "traffic code" to attract young customers, and also drives the commercial district to upgrade from a local cultural landmark to an "urban living room". In June 2025, Hema Fresh settled in Tianjin Joy City, bringing not only fresh ingredients but also creating a new social space. In the past, buying groceries was a practical household chore, but now it has become a leisure activity for the whole family on weekends - young people buy and eat now, check in and take photos, elderly people compare prices and try new things, chat about daily life, and then go upstairs to watch a movie after buying. This money is also comfortable! "According to the investment manager of Joy City, in recent years they have introduced more than 63 city level first and flagship stores." We carefully analyzed the preferences of Tianjin consumers, identified the dual core of 'youthfulness' and' family needs', and built a differentiated first store matrix. "At the same time, the first duty-free store in Tianjin located in the commercial district attracted a large number of foreign tourists who transit without visas as soon as it opened. "In the past, when you bought international famous products, you had to rush to pick them up after the airport security check. Now, you can pick them up as long as you want while strolling around the city. You can pick them up as long as you want. After you buy them, you don't have to pick them up by yourself. It's very convenient!" A Russian tourist who was picking up perfume gave a thumbs up. Yu Bo, the head of China Duty Free Group Tianjin Branch, said, "We not only need to boost consumer confidence and optimize the quality of the business district, but also introduce national and local intangible cultural heritage, time-honored brands and other products with Chinese cultural characteristics. Through diversified operations and innovative consumption scenarios, we will help Tianjin accelerate the construction of an international consumption center city with global influence." At Tianjin JD MALL, technology experience directly drives the consumption boom. This is not just a home appliance store, but also an immersive experience center for esports, digital, and home furnishings. What we want to create is a 'super store' where people of all ages can find fun, "said store manager Zhuang Yu. During the "Double 11" period in 2025, with the help of consumer subsidies and other policies, the sales of "hardcore" products such as foldable screen phones, the latest graphics cards, and smart homes will significantly increase, making it a home for young people's consumption. The New Year bell is far away, and the drum tower lights are still bright. From historical landmarks to trendy fashion shows, the Gulou commercial district is using innovative measures to interpret how the old city can write a new era of Tianjin's prosperity between tradition and modernity. (New Society)