This summer, Xikou Ancient Town offers brand-new recreational experiences. On July 4, an immersive cultural performance themed “Elegant Gathering on Shan Creek · Tracing the Poetic Path” kicked off here. The three-li-long Wuling Road was turned into a roaming stage. Visitors could follow performers portraying literati of successive dynasties as they wandered through streets and lanes, reciting poems along the way, and gain an on-site immersive experience of the “Poetic Path of Shan Creek”.

Early that morning, bells rang out from the tower atop Wuling Gate, and a master of ceremonies opened the event with a poem recitation. Afterwards, six historical literati with deep ties to Shan Creek, including Wang Xizhi and Li Bai, appeared on stage in sequence. Each recited their immortal verses, turning words preserved in local ancient documents into vivid scenes visible and tangible to the audience.

Next, the procession led by these “ancient literati” moved to the music pavilion at Wenchang Pavilion beside Shan Creek. A giant writing brush several meters long named the “Shan Creek Literary Brush” was unveiled at the spot, emerging as a new cultural landmark along the creek.

The street parade was the highlight of the day. Performers dressed as poets led the crowd slowly down the three-li street. Visitors naturally joined the procession: some held up mobile phones to film the whole journey, while others walked side by side with the “poets”. The old street’s bustling worldly atmosphere was infused with a strong literary charm. Meanwhile, three bamboo rafts drifted downstream on Shan Creek. Poets aboard the rafts chanted poems across the water, and tourists on the riverbank paused to respond in verse. The interwoven sound of poetry and beautiful waterscapes created an evocative sight perfect for photography.

The parade finally returned to the foot of Wenchang Pavilion, and the poetry gala shifted from a staged performance to an interactive activity open to all guests. A universal poetry solitaire game themed around three classic Shan Creek motifs — mountains, streams and moons — invited every visitor to join in. Guests competed to recite matching lines, winning small souvenirs from this cross-time poetry gathering.

“Xikou is a vital stop on the eastern branch of the Eastern Zhejiang Tang Poetry Trail. Countless literati traveled along the nine twists of the Shan Creek source and through the Snow Dou Mountains across dynasties, leaving the ancient town with a profound and enduring literary heritage,” a person in charge of the district cultural and tourism group stated. The roving poetry gala was designed to break the traditional fixed-site sightseeing model. By letting visitors “roam the streets following ancient poems”, it revives the thousand-year literary legacy and makes the poetic trail’s scenery touchable, perceivable and resonant for all.

It is reported that this immersive performance will be held at 11:00 and 15:00 every weekend throughout July. Local residents and tourists may stroll leisurely along this poetic trail and savor the lingering fragrance of ancient literati’s writings amid the ancient town’s streetscapes.