THE Guanlan Ancient Market Cultural Festival, in its second edition, showcases the unique blend of ancient and modern, old and new. With “China chic” as its theme, the monthlong event has gathered craftsmen and literary creators at the Guanlan Ancient Market. This year’s cultural festival has invited Liu Yong, a winner of the Golden Summit Award in Chinese fashion design, to showcase his China chic series design pieces at a fashion show. Concurrently, artists from the Guanlan Cultural Town are utilizing unused shop spaces in the Guanlan Ancient Market to curate the “New Charm of China Chic — Symphony of Traditional and Contemporary Art” exhibition. The exhibition features contemporary prints, ink paintings, woodworking, and other modern art pieces, presenting a fusion of traditional and contemporary. The festival also features a restored landmark building, “Lange,” for the first time. Based on the authentic cultural foundation of the ancient market, the event launched an interactive historical cultural exhibition “Strolling Through the Market,” where participants can immerse themselves in the business formats and resident roles of the ancient market from a century ago. The Guanlan Ancient Market, also known as the Guanlan Old Street, is located in Guanlan, Longhua District. It is Shenzhen’s only well-preserved market with a Hakka culture from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Guanlan Ancient Market Cultural Festival was inaugurated in 2019, aiming to showcase the traditional Hakka customs and architectural charm of the market. The first edition of the festival attracted over 15,000 participants. The event was covered by Shenzhen Daily photographer Liu Xudong. (Tang Li) | 