Illustration: Xia Qing/GT
The past five-day May Day holiday has seen a tourism boom in China. Sales of cultural and creative products, such as ice cream, have ushered an explosive growth. Many tourist attractions have rolled out ice cream bars in the shape of cultural relics, including the temple-like ones at the Temple of Heaven, and even bronze mask-shaped ice cream at Sanxingdui Ruins. Taking a photo with an ice cream bar and corresponding cultural relic seems to be a new popular trend for tourists. Many tourist attractions have rolled out numerous cultural and creative products for several years, but these were unsuccessful. To make a hit, such products should be not only pragmatic and eye-catching, but are also related to the scenic spots, and appeal to visitors. Cultural relic-shaped ice cream bars match these features, which explains their popularity. Hopefully, local tourist attraction staff can continue this innovation. After all, when sales boom, these scenic spots can gain more funds to better protect cultural relics.
