CHINA. Hainan Development Holdings’ Global Premium Duty Free (GDF) Plaza has celebrated its ‘Poetry and Wine Garden’ fair with various promotional online and in-store activities on 30 November.
The campaign integrated cultural and tourism elements with diversified entertainment and shopping experiences to drive consumption while promoting high-quality economic and cultural development across Hainan Province.
The campaign is part of the three Su Dongpo culture-themed activities hosted by the travel retailer to mark the 2024 2nd China (Hainan) Su Dongpo Culture and Tourism Conference and the 14th Su Dongpo Culture Festival.
The event honours renowned Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) poet Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo.
Su is considered one of China’s most recognisable cultural figures, acclaimed for his outstanding artistic achievements. He lived in Hainan for three years, leaving behind a vibrant cultural heritage.
This campaign underlines GDF Plaza’s commitment to deeply integrating Su Dongpo culture with the duty-free industry, fostering cultural preservation and enhancing cultural tourism consumption.
The theme was inspired by lines from a Su Dongpo poem – “Let’s make a fresh fire raising the new tea for a toast. How fine to spend our best years on wine and poems.”
The immersive shopping campaign featured a Song Dynasty-inspired setting, with recreated ancient street scenes, interactive Su Dongpo poetry displays, Song-style music and dance performances. Other highlights included traditional makeovers, sampling traditional foods, drinks and artisanal creations, and lucky draws.
Since February, GDF Plaza has been integrating Su Dongpo-themed activities into its year-long promotional campaign, hosting various shopping events.
As reported, the travel retailer hosted the GDF Poetry and Wine Garden Party at Mova Mall in Haikou on 19 February.
As part of the National Day festivities, the retailer also held a promotional event themed ‘A Rendezvous with Dongpo’ as a tribute to the life and work of the poet.
GDF Plaza issued nearly CNY10 million (US$1.38 million) in duty-free vouchers, a +43% year-on-year increase in total distribution.
The retailer has collaborated with online travel agencies, hotels and local lifestyle platforms to diversify its offerings and create innovative shopping experiences, further unlocking consumer potential and boosting growth in offshore duty-free sales.
Other standout elements of the shopping campaign included the launch of the Gucci Alchemist Garden Pop-Up Store at GDF Plaza, featuring popular actress Wang Churan.
The pop-up showcased the latest Gucci fragrance, Flora Gorgeous Orchid, and incorporated Su Dongpo culture with contemporary aesthetics to create a visually striking fusion of tradition and modernity. 🏝️
