In the midsummer heat of Lanzhou, the grand Silk Road fair opened as scheduled. From July 9 to 13, the 32nd China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair was held with great ceremony. As a key featured city of this year’s Fair, Pingliang made a brilliant appearance, presenting its comprehensive industrial achievements, profound cultural and tourism heritage rooted in the Taoist holy site, and high?quality investment resources. The pavilion was built around the core city IP of “Quest at Kongtong · Wellness in Pingliang,” and anchored in the city’s development positioning of “Three Zones and One City” and the implementation path of the “Five Major Actions.” Through immersive exhibitions, full?chain displays, and interactive experiences, Pingliang comprehensively showcased its “6+2” advantaged industrial clusters, remarkable outcomes in investment attraction, and the grand blueprint for the “15th Five?Year Plan” development. On this Silk Road opening?up platform, the city fully demonstrated the developmental vitality and vast potential of this renowned city in eastern Gansu.

The Pingliang Pavilion this year featured a novel exhibition design with well?defined sections, clearly divided into three functional zones: a welcoming entrance area, an industrial chain display zone, and a business negotiation and matchmaking zone. It skillfully blended millennia?old cultural heritage with modern digital technology to create an immersive exhibition experience. The pavilion’s ceiling was a replica of the Big Dipper starry dome, echoing the time?honored cultural allusion that “the northern Dipper crowns the celestial pole, and thus Kongtong stands supreme,” while dynamic LED lighting effects artistically merged the vast starry firmament with the scenic beauty of eastern Gansu’s landscapes. The entrance area dynamically presented Pingliang’s development strategies and practical initiatives, clearly outlining the city’s complete development trajectory spanning industrial transformation, agricultural upgrading, cultural tourism empowerment, and ecological improvement—offering a direct window for merchants and investors to get to know and understand Pingliang. A central large screen continuously played the city’s investment promotion and cultural tourism promotional videos, while live performances of intangible cultural heritage, including Kongtong martial arts and Kongtong Tai Chi, took the stage in turn, exuding the rich Taoist cultural heritage and the city’s distinctive wellness ambiance.

Industry as the cornerstone, yielding abundant fruits. The industrial chain display zone was the centerpiece of the Pingliang Pavilion, showcasing the development achievements of eight major industrial chains: cultural tourism and wellness, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal products, Pingliang Red Bull cattle, Jingning apples, clean and efficient utilization of coal, bio?manufacturing, new magnesium?based materials, and modern logistics. From traditional pillar industries to cutting?edge strategic emerging sectors, and from local specialty agricultural and sideline products to high?end industrial products driven by technological innovation, the exhibition presented a comprehensive picture of Pingliang’s robust momentum in industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as in extending, supplementing, and strengthening its industrial chains. Within the zone, visitors could find Jingning apples cultivated from 1.51 million mu (approximately 100,700 hectares) of high?quality production areas, Pingliang Red Bull cattle with a brand value exceeding 22.2 billion yuan, over 190 varieties of authentic Chinese medicinal herbs, clean coal chemical products, new magnesium?based composite materials, and bio?manufacturing derivatives. The rich array of high?quality exhibits attracted numerous merchants and investors who stopped to appreciate, sample, and engage in in?depth discussions on potential cooperation.

Within the fabric of everyday life lies cultural heritage, and authentic flavors carry the essence of craftsmanship. Among the array of specialty exhibits, Jingning Panpan Braised Chicken stood out as a culinary icon that drew crowds, thanks to its century?old craftsmanship and uniquely rich flavor. As a brand passed down through generations and recognized as a provincial?level intangible cultural heritage of Gansu, as well as a signature culinary hallmark of eastern Gansu, Jingning Panpan Braised Chicken adheres to a time?honored marinating technique. It selects high?quality free?range chickens raised locally as the main ingredient, and blends them with over ten natural spices, including fennel, angelica root, Sichuan pepper, and cloves. The chicken is slowly simmered in aged master broth and meticulously prepared through multiple processes. The finished product features a glossy, brownish?red color, tender meat that falls effortlessly off the bone, a deep and lingering marinade aroma, and a succulent, non?greasy taste that perfectly balances flavor and nutrition. Leveraging Jingning’s well?established food processing industrial chain and mature cold?chain logistics system, Panpan Braised Chicken has now achieved standardized mass production, gift?box packaging, and distribution across a wide market. It not only serves as a specialty souvenir that embodies the vibrant local life of Pingliang, but also plays a vital role in introducing eastern Gansu’s culinary culture to a broader audience and enhancing the brand recognition of Pingliang’s premium agricultural products.