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Tonglu Enhances Regional Tourism Strategy Through Immersive Experiences and Infrastructure Upgrades
The exchange spread quickly on Chinese social media. For visitors, the character has become more than a photo opportunity: people stop to trade lines, ask questions and play along. Some have traveled specifically to meet the performer.
The small scene reflects a larger change underway in Tonglu, a county in Zhejiang province in eastern China. Long known for its scenery along the Fuchun River, Tonglu is adding performers, interactive storylines, water activities and even unexpected roadside attractions to encourage visitors to take part rather than simply look on.
A cave tour with characters
The “Turtle Immortal” is played by Zhang Yunbin, a 26-year-old opera performer who studied in Russia and speaks English and Russian. His setting is not a conventional theater but a river route winding through limestone caves.
At Chuiyun Tongtian River, Zhang is one of a rotating cast inspired by Journey to the West, the classic Chinese novel. Visitors may encounter Zhu Bajie, also known as Pigsy, as well as the Bull Demon King and Taishang Laojun, a Taoist deity.
More than 120 performers take part in the program. Rather than delivering a fixed show from a stage, they improvise with visitors, pose for photos and pull travelers into short scenes along the route.
The approach is part of what tourism marketers call immersive travel, though the experience is fairly straightforward: visitors are invited to respond, joke back and become part of the moment.
Similar experiments are appearing elsewhere in the county. At Yaolin Wonderland and Yan Ziling Fishing Platform in Tonglu, performers appear among caves, riverbanks and mountain paths as characters drawn from folklore, history and local life. A visit might include a brief role-playing exchange, a story about the site or an encounter that changes the pace of an otherwise standard tour.
The goal is to give visitors a reason to linger.
An aquarium at a highway rest stop
Tonglu’s most unusual tourism experiment may not be in a scenic area at all.
During China’s May Day holiday this year, travelers stopping at the Tonglu service area on the G25 Changchun–Shenzhen Expressway found more than fuel, snacks and restrooms. The rest area featured a large aquarium, mermaid performances and crowds pausing to take photos.
The attraction turned a routine highway break into a destination in its own right. According to figures released by local authorities, the service area received more than 80,000 visitors a day during the holiday.
The idea is to capture some of the spending that would otherwise pass through the county without stopping. A traveler who pulls over for coffee may stay for a show, buy a meal or decide to explore nearby attractions.
County data show that Tonglu received 1.61 million visits during the May Day holiday, up 13.2% from a year earlier.
Tourism revenue reached 958 million yuan, or roughly $132 million, a 12.4% increase, according to authorities.
Those numbers do not prove that a single aquarium or character program drove the growth. But they point to the value Tonglu sees in making travel stops more memorable — and in turning short visits into longer ones.
More ways to spend a summer day
In late July, Tonglu launched a summer tourism campaign “Water Play Kingdom: Tonglu Is Wild.” The branding is aimed at visitors looking for a mix of rafting, family activities, village stays and outdoor recreation.
The county’s tourism offerings now range from river rafting and mountain-stream activities to the family resort, rural walks and evening events. The strategy is less about promoting a single landmark than about creating enough options for visitors to spend a full weekend — or return in another season.
That broader approach matters in a destination with no shortage of natural scenery. Tonglu’s rivers, caves and hills remain the foundation of its appeal. But local planners are increasingly treating those landscapes as settings for activities, stories and encounters rather than as backdrops for a quick stop and a photo.
Making travel easier for overseas visitors
Tonglu is also preparing for more international travelers.
The multilingual “Turtle Immortal” has become a lighthearted symbol of that effort. When the performer chats with overseas visitors in English, Chinese social-media users joke that “the Heavenly Palace has opened an international branch.”
Behind the joke is a more practical effort to improve the visitor experience. Yaolin township in Tonglu has been selected as a provincial pilot area for inbound-tourism innovation, with work underway on multilingual signs, international payment options and other services for overseas guests.
For international visitors, those details can matter as much as the attractions themselves. A cave performance or rafting trip may be memorable, but clear directions, workable payment systems and accessible information determine whether a trip feels easy or frustrating.
The county’s tourism push is still rooted in the things that first drew people there: water, mountains and caves. What is changing is the role of the visitor.
In Tonglu, tourists may still come for the view. But they may also find themselves joking with a cave character, watching mermaids at a highway rest stop or joining an activity that asks them to do more than pose for a photo.
Hashtag: #Tonglu
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Phancy 2026 Interim Results: Revenue Up 43.4%, API Revenue Up 860.8%, Turnaround to Profit
During the period, the Group achieved revenue of RMB3,765 million, representing a 43.4% year-on-year increase. Gross profit amounted to RMB1,233 million, with an overall gross profit margin of 32.8%. Profit attributable to owners of the parent company amounted to RMB119 million, while adjusted profit attributable to owners of the parent company amounted to RMB150 million. Both measures turned profitable, reflecting continued improvement in operational efficiency and profitability alongside the expansion of the Group’s business scale.
The Group’s three major business segments developed in synergy. The API business recorded revenue of RMB464 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 860.8%, and became a key growth driver for the Group. The AI Platform business recorded revenue of RMB3,088 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 30.0%. The Agentic AI business recorded revenue of RMB214 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.9%.
Dr. Dai Wenyuan, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phancy, said: “In the first half of 2026, the Group accelerated revenue growth and further improved profitability, supported by the coordinated development of our AI Platform, API and Agentic AI businesses. The AI Platform continued to strengthen our core business foundation, while the API business delivered breakthrough growth by leveraging the capabilities of the Token Factory, becoming an important growth engine for the Group.
Looking ahead, we will capitalize on the opportunities arising from the large-scale adoption of enterprise AI, apply our technological and operational strengths to deepen synergies between the AI Platform and API businesses, and focus our Agentic AI business on high-value industry applications. We remain committed to maintaining high-quality growth and operational efficiency while creating long-term, sustainable value for our clients and shareholders.”
Token Factory Drives Breakthrough Growth in the API Business
During the period, the API business sustained its strong growth momentum and recorded revenue of RMB464 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 860.8%, supported by enhanced Token service capabilities and growing client demand. In the first half of 2026, Token consumption grew by approximately 620% year on year. As of the end of the period, the Group’s available computing power resources increased to 28,000 PFLOPS, supporting the expansion of Token service capacity and future development of the API business.
In the first half of 2026, the Group continued to enhance its API service capabilities. As one of the Group’s core technology platforms, ModelHub has accumulated more than 200,000 “model x chip” adaptation combinations, creating an increasingly significant scale advantage and enabling the Group to meet growing demand for AI model calls from enterprises and developers in Mainland China and overseas markets.
The “Token Factory” is not a standalone product, but an integrated production and operational framework connecting heterogeneous computing resources, models and enterprise applications. Leveraging core technologies including HAMi vGPU and ModelHub, the Group has established end-to-end capabilities spanning computing resource scheduling, model adaptation, and Token production and delivery, creating a complete value chain from computing resources to Token services and enabling clients to use AI services with greater stability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
The Group will continue to optimize the allocation of computing power resources in line with business needs and enhance the production and delivery capabilities of its Token services. As AI adoption expands across a broader range of use cases, the API business is expected to further unlock its growth potential and create increasing commercial value as it scales.
Enterprise Private Deployments Strengthen the AI Platform’s Core Business Foundation
During the period, the AI Platform business achieved revenue of RMB3,088 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 30.0%. The Group’s orders on hand amounted to approximately RMB7 billion. Supported by broader client coverage, a steady increase in the number of paying clients and growing revenue contributions from major high-quality clients, the AI Platform business maintained steady growth and remained a stable contributor to the Group’s revenue.
During the period, the number of paying clients with RISE vGPU, the commercial version of HAMi vGPU, as their primary requirement increased approximately 5-fold year on year. As the adoption of heterogeneous computing resources continues to expand, enterprises’ needs for more effective computing power and higher resource utilization efficiency are also increasing, creating further growth opportunities for the Group’s related products and services.
As AI applications become increasingly integrated into enterprises’ core business processes, clients’ requirements for data security, operational autonomy and control, flexible integration and long-term operations continue to increase, highlighting the importance of private deployment of enterprise AI. The Group continues to provide clients across the energy, manufacturing, financial services, retail and telecommunications sectors with full-stack capabilities encompassing unified heterogeneous computing resource management, model adaptation and optimization, and the deployment and operation of enterprise AI applications, supporting clients in expanding AI applications from individual projects to a broader range of business scenarios.
Agentic AI Focuses on High-Value Applications and Explores Result-as-a-Service Model
During the period, the Agentic AI business continued to operate steadily, recording revenue of RMB214 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.9%. The Group continued to pursue a focused development strategy, prioritizing investment in industry applications with significant strategic value and the potential to accumulate high-quality, industry-specific data, thereby supporting the long-term development of its business value and industry capabilities.
In terms of its business model, the Group further promoted its result-as-a-service (RaaS) cooperation model in high-value industry applications, including energy and entertainment industries. Rather than simply selling standardized products, the Group works closely with clients throughout their business processes, using AI to reduce costs, improve efficiency and generate incremental revenue. Commercial arrangements are linked to the value actually delivered. As the relevant projects continue to progress, the Group aims to further deepen these client relationships while accumulating real-world industry experience and know-how, creating favorable conditions to further scale the relevant capabilities.
Looking ahead, the Group will continue to maintain a focused approach to investment and prioritize business areas capable of creating long-term client value and economies of scale.
Operational Efficiency and Resource Support Enable Business Expansion
During the period, the Group’s research and development (R&D) expenses amounted to RMB1,208 million, up 35.2% year on year, and R&D expense stood at 32.1%. As of the end of the period, the Group had accumulated more than 500 invention patents. The Group continued to focus on strengthening core AI infrastructure capabilities, including HAMi and ModelHub, and further enhanced its capabilities in heterogeneous computing power management, model adaptation and enterprise AI services, supporting the coordinated development of the AI Platform, API and Agentic AI businesses while further enhancing product iteration, client delivery and operational efficiency.
In the first half of the year, the Group strategically increased its computing power resource reserves to support the continued capacity expansion of Token service capacity and meet growing client demand. Capital expenditures amounted to RMB2,237 million. At the same time, the Group had aggregate credit facilities of approximately RMB6,616 million and total borrowings of RMB1,660 million, providing financial support for the deployment of computing power assets and business development. The Group will continue to allocate resources in line with its business development needs and balance capital investment, business growth and profitability.
The Group’s selling and marketing expenses amounted to RMB28 million, representing a year-on-year decrease of 85.0%, while selling and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased to 0.75%, primarily due to increased client recognition and enhanced product capabilities. While maintaining investment in core technologies, the Group will continue to optimize resource allocation and operational efficiency and enhance the quality of business growth.
Dual Growth Engines Driving Long-Term Value Creation
Looking ahead, enterprise AI applications are gradually moving from pilot programs toward large-scale adoption and continuing to expand into a broader range of core business areas. Enterprises’ requirements for data security, operational autonomy and control, and deep integration with business processes will continue to drive the development of the private AI Platform deployment market. At the same time, the wider adoption of Agentic AI applications and rapid growth in Token demand are expected to drive continued demand for efficient, stable and scalable Token services.
Leveraging its neutral, full-stack AI capabilities and extensive experience serving enterprise clients, the Group will continue to enhance its technology, delivery and operational capabilities. While maintaining a disciplined approach to operations, the Group will support the steady growth of the AI Platform business, steadily advance the development of the Token Factory and the API business, and focus the Agentic AI business on industry applications with long-term value, creating sustainable value for clients and shareholders.
Hashtag: #Phancy
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Phancy Group
Phancy Group (6682.HK) is a leading full-stack AI cloud services platform, providing comprehensive solutions for the AI 2.0 era. Our offerings include 4ParadigmSage AIOS, HAMi vGPU and ModelHub XC, delivering efficient and scalable AI infrastructure with end-to-end capabilities. We provide a complete solution from heterogeneous compute resource management and optimization to the deployment of intelligent agent models. These solutions empower digital transformation across a wide range of industries, supporting our vision of building a large-scale and efficient “Token Factory.”
Guided by the mission of “AI for Everyone” and positioned as the “Navigator of AI,” Phancy Group is committed to becoming a global leader in Artificial General Intelligence.
Local Franchise Model to Enhance Operational Efficiency and Support Sustainable Growth
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 August 2026 – International Housewares Retail Company Limited (“IH Retail” or the “Group”, stock code: 1373), the parent company and owner of the “Japan Home” brand in Singapore, is pleased to announce that all “Japan Home” stores in Singapore have resumed operations and are open for business.
Following the completion of the transition arrangements, all relevant stores have reopened on 20 August 2026.
On 13 August 2026, an indirect subsidiary of the Group entered into a three-year master franchise agreement with the Singapore master franchisee, Radha Export Pte. Ltd (“Radha”), the company which is the engine behind the ABC and Valu$ stores in Singapore, and completed the handover of the existing stores on 19 August 2026. The agreement grants the master franchisee the exclusive right to operate the “Japan Home” business in Singapore, including through sub-franchisees, and to establish additional outlets at suitable locations.
Radha combines extensive experience in consumer goods and wholesale distribution with strong local operational expertise and a well-established supply chain network. By leveraging the Radha’s local capabilities, the Group expects to enhance store operating efficiency, improve its responsiveness to market demand and maintain strong brand awareness in Singapore. The local franchise model is also expected to support the continued expansion of the “Japan Home” brand’s reach and influence in Singapore and across the Southeast Asian market over the next three years.
This strategic restructuring represents an important step in optimizing the Group’s regional business structure, improving operational quality and enhancing efficiency. The Group remains confident in the long-term development of the Singapore market and is committed to ensuring customers continue to enjoy shopping at “Japan Home” stores in Singapore.
Hashtag: #JapanHome
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Olymptrade partners with HOPE Worldwide Malaysia for a charitable mission in Kuala Lumpur
HOPE Worldwide Malaysia is a non-profit organization founded in 2000. It supports urban low-income households and marginalized communities through food assistance, healthcare access and community wellbeing programs across the country.
On August 15, the partners held a food distribution event near the Sentul Free Clinic, handing out 180 care boxes to impoverished families. Each box contained 10 kg of rice, flour, cooking oil, dried noodles, canned food, a choco malt drink, biscuits, potatoes and vegetables.
Olymptrade also contributed to HOPE’s Health & Wellbeing Program, which supports both the Sentul Free Clinic of HOPE and mental wellness training for community members.
The Sentul clinic, one of the NGO’s major projects, has been offering free, high-quality healthcare to local marginalized communities since 2000, treating more than 80,000 patients, including children and the elderly. Olymptrade’s donation will cover two months of the clinic’s operations, covering doctors’ salaries, medical supplies, program allowances and facility upkeep.
Olymptrade’s donation will also fund three months of wellness training for 25 women, led by a qualified mental wellness facilitator. The program is designed to help mothers build emotional resilience, so they’re better equipped to support and guide their own children.
This isn’t Olymptrade’s first charity campaign. The company has run similar missions in other countries where it operates, including Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, India and others, partnering with well-known local charities each time.
The Kuala Lumpur campaign follows the same model, pairing immediate relief with a longer-term investment in healthcare and wellness.
Olymptrade sees this combination as key to helping communities not just today, but for years to come. It also hopes the initiative will raise broader awareness of the food security challenges many Malaysian families continue to face.
Hashtag: #Olymptrade
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