Zibo | Yanshen Ancient Town: Discover the charm of this ancient town.

💰Ticket information: CNY 40 for adults (free entry after 5:30 pm, other discounts are subject to on-site announcements) ⛰Opening hours: Open daily from 8:30 am Liuli Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance: Daily at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm at the Liuli Theater 📝Boshan, formerly known as Yanshen, is named after the legendary Yan Wenjiang who became a fairy here. As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, Yanshen had become an important base for the coal and ceramics industries, enjoying the reputation of "the hometown of Chinese ceramic and glass art." Until the 1990s, it was still an important global procurement center for ceramics and glass. Relying on the well-preserved 13 ancient kilns, old factories, and traditional neighborhoods, after two years of careful design and renovation by Professor Zheng Xin, winner of the UK's "Future Architecture Award," the once-abandoned ancient kilns, dilapidated sagger walls, and neglected courtyards have been reborn. Yanshen Ancient Town has been revitalized. Strolling through the streets of the ancient town, you can see sagger fragments embedded in the walls, a unique product of the round kiln firing process. In ceramic production, saggers are used as firing containers. Discarded saggers are cleverly used as wall materials, forming unique ceramic sagger walls, a distinctive feature of Boshan. The ancient town is dotted with themed spaces such as handicraft workshops, art museums, and creative studios, integrating cultural features such as intangible cultural heritage crafts, artistic creation, and full-process ceramic and glass craft experiences. It also introduces youthful entertainment projects such as Hanfu experiences and real-life CS alley battles. From the perspective of designers and ordinary tourists, this ancient town stands out compared to many overly commercialized imitation ancient towns. It has old buildings from memory, distinctive street spaces, participatory craft workshops, observable skill displays, and open leisure and entertainment spaces. Even if the studios are not attractive enough, the craft performances are not exciting enough, the entertainment projects are not rich enough, and there are some similar "internet celebrity" decorations, such a cultural space is rare in northern counties. If you have the opportunity to visit Boshan, I recommend you come and see it for yourself. I personally think the CNY 40 ticket is a bit expensive. It might be more popular if it could be transformed into a free cultural space. However, in today's era, economic benefits may indeed be an important consideration.