The entrance of Huigang village is decorated with various lights. [Photo/tianmunews.com]

The ancient village of Huigang, with a history of more than 1,300 years, welcomed over 87,000 visitors during the May Day holiday period, local media outlets reported, with the 12 surrounding homestays fully booked throughout the holiday.

The second annual Huigang Animation Festival started on April 28, and the village has been transformed into a colorful and lively canvas.

Cartoon characters such as Black Cat Detective and Monkey King have been painted on the white walls, and the mascot of the festival, Huibao and Danbao, can be seen everywhere. Twelve historical buildings, including Bowen Hall, Jiaqing Hall, and a steamed bun shop have been transformed into art exhibition spaces with a unique charm.

Many of the festival's innovative highlights come from the village's own cultural heritage. Visitors from Shanghai, such as a man surnamed Zhu and his family, came specifically to take pictures and were surprised by the variety of exhibition spaces.

"The 12 exhibition spaces are like opening a mystery box. We had so much fun with the interactive technology," Zhu said.

In addition to the animation festival, Tonglu has also created a whole set of extended industrial chains.

There are cultural and creative shops selling Huigang's mascot-themed merchandise such as figurines, canvas bags, and pillows, as well as interactive workshops for creative parent-child activities such as knitting and printmaking. Villagers have also been involved in creating colorful rice field art patterns and paper-cutting folk artists have created paper-cutting artworks featuring the Huibao mascot.

A cartoon-themed exhibition space at the Huigang village. [Photo/tianmunews.com]