Chapter 212: Traditions in Turmoil

General Niu, these five projects are either trivial or incredibly difficult. I’d say we’ve truly hit the jackpot this time!

Across the way…

Deputy Director Zhang Si wore a face of uncontrollable joy. “Years ago, H Country secured the Confucian Academy, the Eastern Medicine Treasure, and the Kimchi and Court Ritual Heritage! These four projects represent ancient architecture, traditional medicine, cuisine, and court rituals – all essentially for display! The only competitive area with H Country is traditional costumes.”

“No choice,” he muttered. “When we checked through our connections, the higher-ups hinted that the venue might be split between north and south, meaning the projects would be divided evenly.”

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the main venue centered on Jinlong Ancient City! How could he not be happy?

Now that the announcement is official, Jinlong Ancient City will never run short of visitors in the latter half of the year.

“Exactly! Even though our twenty-five projects might sound modest, they have huge potential. Traditional weddings, Lantern Festival celebrations, and Double Ninth Festival hikes are almost guaranteed successes.”

Niu Hongchang nodded in agreement.

“General Niu, so then…”

After the excitement subsided, Zhang Si quickly asked, “Can we now prepare fully? Though the event is at year’s end, some projects, like finding inheritors, do take time.”

“By the way,” he continued, “let’s start with the traditional wedding project. If we don’t have a proper template, we can refer to the one from Mingsha. After all, Mingsha doesn’t have a version for traditional weddings!”

After a moment’s thought, Niu Hongchang arranged, “Reference Mingsha’s version?”

“General Niu, Mingsha’s project uses a Wan Gong Sedan Chair – that hardly serves as a model!”

Zhang Si hesitated briefly.

To be honest, that traditional wedding in Mingsha – the one famed for its ‘Ten Miles of Red Bridal Splendor’ in the snowy season – left a deep impression. The timing, location, and craftsmanship were all top-notch. It would be exceedingly hard to replicate.

“Wan Gong Sedan Chair? Can’t we simply use a regular floral sedan chair?”

Niu Hongchang raised an eyebrow.

“A normal sedan chair wouldn’t support a procession that long.”

“Then if an ordinary eight-car sedan won’t do, let’s use sixteen or even thirty-two platforms – whatever it takes to support the line!”

After a moment of reflection, Niu Hongchang declared, “I’ll handle the arrangements.”

“Alright!”

By evening, the lingering glow of the setting sun bathed the city walls in a golden layer, as visitors dressed in ancient costumes strolled by, adding to the picturesque scene.

At that moment, north of the city gate, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng stood behind a guesthouse on Qing Brick Avenue, casually chatting while watching the newly built canal.

To avoid disturbing the tourist experience, the portion of the canal near the guesthouse is no longer available for booking.

After nearly half a month of intense construction, about half of the canal is completed. The trench on the opposite side has been dug out; only the stone paving remains to be laid.

On either side of the canal, flat areas about fifty to sixty meters wide have been set aside for the canal guesthouses.

Once finished, the southern canal guesthouse will back onto Qing Brick Avenue, while the northern one will have the Desert – now covered in grass lattice – at its rear, similar to the guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue.

“General Zhu, what do you think about the upcoming Cultural Expo?”

Luo Peng looked over at Zhu Qiang.

After Li Jue called Xu Hao, Xu Hao relayed the news to them.

“I think it’s great. Fewer projects means less hassle. The only slight grievance is that traditional weddings have been assigned to Jinlong Ancient City. In my opinion, our traditional wedding project captures every detail of ancient ceremonies perfectly – we can simply use it as is!”

Zhu Qiang let out a soft sigh.

“Perhaps the higher-ups fear that our wedding has been overexposed and might be mimicked by H Country.”

After a pause, Luo Peng said, “That’s possible. That’s why we must keep our project plans confidential. You never know what H Country might be plotting.”

“Confidential?”

Luo Peng glanced at Zhu Qiang and continued, “Of our five projects, only traditional costumes might need to be kept under wraps. The other four – ancient architecture, traditional medicine, cuisine, and court rituals – have already been heritage-certified in H Country; they’re essentially for display.”

“Even if they’re exhibition pieces, caution is necessary. Who knows what H Country is planning? Brother Hao mentioned that soon, the triangular area between Qixia Town, Wudi City, and Langya Pavilion will be cordoned off, leaving only Qing Brick Avenue accessible to tourists.”

Zhu Qiang shook his head slightly.

“They want to block off the entire area? What project is Brother Hao planning? Weren’t we supposed to reserve that triangular zone for Mingsha Academy?”

Luo Peng looked surprised. “Since Qing Brick Avenue and the three key landmarks form a triangular shape, there aren’t any ancient buildings in that zone at present.”

During the last meeting, it was decided that the whole triangular area would be reserved for Mingsha Academy.

Hearing Xu Hao’s arrangement truly startled both Luo Peng and Zhu Qiang.

This area is enormous! The direct distance from Qixia Town to Wudi City exceeds three kilometers, and Qing Brick Avenue extends another three kilometers – totaling nearly 4.5 square kilometers.

To fill such a vast area solely with Mingsha Academy, imagine how many ancient buildings would be required!

But once the shock subsided, both men couldn’t hide their excitement.

“Only such a bold move can stun everyone. Once Mingsha Academy debuts, it will draw attention from all sides and attract students – far surpassing the impact of standard university ads.”

“I suspect Brother Hao intends to build Mingsha Academy here alongside an ancient architecture showcase. Nanzhao Ancient Kingdom might work, but once the TV series airs, there’ll be no secrets left.”

After a moment’s thought, Zhu Qiang remarked, “Regardless, our projects must be completed as soon as possible, and with the subway construction, the second half of the year will be just as demanding as last year’s end!”

Taking a deep breath, Luo Peng clenched his fists.

“Right. By the way, Brother Hao also told us to keep an eye on developments in traditional medicine and court rituals. If we find any exceptional talent in these fields, we must go all out to recruit them for Mingsha City.”

“Traditional medicine?”

Luo Peng mused, “Especially experts in traditional medicine. That project has always been controversial; many people here don’t even acknowledge it, so excelling in that area will be incredibly challenging.”

“Understood!”

Days passed like the rising and setting sun. Online, the atmosphere remained calm, with netizens discussing celebrity gossip and other routine matters.

However, around noon, a forum in Long Kingdom suddenly erupted in activity.

Both Mingsha City and Jinlong Ancient City had received internal news. With the official announcement now out, heated discussions were inevitable.

“The authorities just released a statement! The Traditional Culture Expo will be held on December 31, with two venues: the main event at Jinlong Ancient City and a branch at Mingsha City.”

“Mingsha City as the branch?”

“And, on top of that, Mingsha only gets five projects while Jinlong Ancient City will showcase twenty-five projects.”

Many netizens were visibly taken aback.

For over a year, they had grown accustomed to Mingsha City’s secretive, big moves. Now, learning that Mingsha City is merely a supporting role with only five projects, compared to Jinlong’s twenty-five, felt unsettling.

Some netizens complained, “It’s just an expo. Why split it into two venues? Why only grant five projects to Mingsha when Jinlong gets twenty-five? Five isn’t even worth mentioning!”

Others remained puzzled.

“It’s said that our expo is modeled after H Country’s year-end event – essentially a showdown for intangible cultural heritage projects.”

“A heritage project showdown? What exactly does that mean? Is it on-site certification?”

“Not exactly!”

“Then how is the competition determined?”

“It’s quite simple. Both expos invite cultural departments from around the world. If your project’s display lacks cultural depth and pales in comparison, you won’t even be considered for intangible heritage status.

Even if you shamelessly apply, your project will be dismissed by the World Intangible Cultural Heritage board. After all, how can they choose you when far more authentic ceremonies exist?”

“Understood!”

“So what did Mingsha City get then?” Some netizens eagerly wondered if Mingsha would seize the opportunity to pull off something grand, showing H Country what true ancestral heritage really is.

After some discussion, many netizens concluded,

“Mingsha City secured ancient architecture, traditional medicine, cuisine, court rituals, and traditional costumes. Out of these, the first four are for display, and only the fifth directly competes with H Country’s project.”

One calculated that almost all direct competition projects were hosted in Jinlong Ancient City.

“Why is there only one project in direct competition? Can’t the first four measure up? Ancient architecture is Mingsha City’s strength.”

“Because H Country has already applied for the Confucian Academy, Kimchi, and the Eastern Medicine Treasure as heritage projects. That leaves little excitement in those four areas!”

“Confucian Academy? Ugh! If Mingsha City had emerged a decade earlier, H Country wouldn’t even have a chance!”

Netizens vented their anger, many nearly at their boiling point.

To them, this was a deep humiliation for the people of Long Kingdom. When H Country first secured heritage status, many tried to console themselves, saying that ancestral traditions remain unchanged no matter what. Now, years later, they were utterly dumbfounded.

As the heritage projects were announced, schoolchildren around the world reading about the Confucian Academy were shocked to learn that it was H Country’s work.

Imagine – in decades or even centuries, won’t these traditions be seen as legitimately H Country’s?

“Sigh, who can argue with that.”

“Wait a minute, I just thought of something. What if Mingsha City manages to present its first four display projects even more convincingly than H Country’s heritage applications? Then how can they continue to claim those projects as part of their national identity?”

At that, one bold netizen commented,

“Is that even possible?”

“How could it not be? If H Country’s representatives don’t show up at Mingsha City, they won’t have the face to apply for the so-called ‘Great Carpenter.’ The ‘Great Carpenter’ refers to our mortise and tenon architecture, though Langya Pavilion’s underground hidden chambers have already embraced trap techniques – what’s mortise and tenon compared to such ingenuity!”

PS: Brothers, Lao Ba’s latest project is done. From now on, expect two updates – one at 2 AM and another around 4-5 PM. Each chapter is over three thousand words, totaling exactly ten thousand words!

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Farewell!