CITY GATEWAY
Ding'an
After the old-city walk, leave time for Ding’an’s local culture. Qiong opera features in county public programmes, while vegetable-wrapped rice and zongzi making are recognised local food traditions. A performance or a meal offers another way into the town.
Ding’an: opera and local food beyond the gateway
After the old-city walk, leave time for Ding’an’s local culture. Qiong opera features in county public programmes, while vegetable-wrapped rice and zongzi making are recognised local food traditions. A performance or a meal offers another way into the town.
- Recognise the setting in which culture actually occurs — If an opera performance coincides with your visit, listen to the singing and accompaniment and watch the exchanges on stage. Costumes and movement offer clues without fluency in the dialect. A past yamen presentation wa…
- Participate only where the setting clearly allows it — Choose performances from the current programme. At an open food shop, ask about the preparation, fillings and portion sizes of vegetable-wrapped rice or zongzi. Mention dietary restrictions; one shop’s version need not …
- Separate residents’ lives, ritual and performance — Follow seating and photography rules at performances and keep other people’s view clear. Ask before filming food preparation. Do not touch ingredients or hold up a working shop for a photograph.
City sources
Use the original publishers to verify city context, local culture and scope.
- Dingcheng Town — Ding’an County Government
- State Council notice announcing the eighth national heritage list — State Council, original notice reproduced by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration
- Ding’an County 2023 statistical bulletin — Ding’an County Statistics Bureau
- Advance allocation of the 2023 national heritage protection budget — Hainan Department of Finance
- Discussion and on-site review of Ding’an Old City conservation and use — Hainan Daily / Hainan Daily Press Group
- Ming-period main-hall remains uncovered at the Ding’an yamen — Hainan Daily / Hainan Daily Press Group
Understand the city
Ding’an: opera and local food beyond the gateway
Region: Hainan
Places to visit
- Ding’an Old City — Ding'an Old City stands beside the Nandu River in Dingcheng, Hainan. Gates, lanes and the former county yamen sit within a neighb…