A new trend of blending tourism with performing arts has added a new dimension to the cultural and tourism industries. For example, after watching a music performance in a small theater, young people visit surrounding shopping areas and night markets. Some audiences may appreciate the vocal concerts when buying local cultural products. Other tourists enjoy visiting scenic spots while immersing themselves in intangible cultural heritage.
The Chinese government has issued a series of policies to aid the tourism market integrating with performing arts. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan calls for cultivating distinctive themed-tourism routes and high-quality performance projects. A work plan released by the General Office of the State Council to accelerate the cultivation of new growth drivers in service consumption also highlights the potential of the service industry including performing arts, sports events, and immersive emotional and experiential activities.
Tourists enjoy watching an immersive drama performed along the river bank in Chongqing’s Hong’an Ancient Town on March 25, 2026.
Extending the Consumption Chain
In the Hunan Flower Drum Opera Theater, a small theater converted from a warehouse is now popular among audiences. A new immersive fantasy show that weaves in a traditional Flower Drum Opera captivates the audience with its exciting plot and visual effects. “After the show, I plan to take my child to the nearby night market to experience the nightlife in Changsha (provincial capital of Hunan Province),” said a female visitor surnamed Li.
Data shows that the after-dark consumption in Changsha accounts for about 60 percent of total daily expenditure, with small theaters emerging as a new driver of the nighttime economy. At Jinxiu Shiguang, a former textile factory reborn as a commercial complex, live music performances and late-night snacks blend to create a vibrant nighttime ecosystem. The nighttime consumption chain now stretches to night markets, attracting flocks of young concertgoers. Another popular immersive night tour performance at the ancient Tianxin Pavilion in Changsha draws more than 10,000 visitors to a single event, boosting business at the nearby late-night snack market and cultural items sales. Daytime sightseeing, paired with evening small-scale performances, has become Changsha’s new cultural-tourism trend.
The trend is also showing up in Changsha’s Wuyi Business District, where small theaters now serve as a new attraction for visitors. For example, Changsha Yuefang ID MALL houses six small theaters with a collective box office of RMB 7.5 million in 2025. This small theater cluster has formed an integrated consumption chain of performances, dining, shopping, and accommodation. The dining consumption within a three-kilometer radius has increased by 62 percent due to theater audience flow.
The integration between theaters and tourist attractions is also fueling cultural-tourism consumption. Several scenic areas in the city now commission site-specific performances in small theaters, allowing natural scenery and cultural performances to empower each other. For example, in one immersive drama tracing the history of the Communist Party of China, audiences step into the roles of young students and engage in dialogue with Hunan’s revolutionary pioneers from a century ago in real-life scenes.
Numerous performances are also emerging in stand-up comedy in streets, immersive drama in scenic spots, and interactive dramas in commercial districts. This integration model of theaters with shopping malls, tourist sites, and nighttime economy is undoubtedly a viable new trend of cultural and tourism consumption. In 2025, Changsha’s 71 new performance spaces hosted more than 17,000 performances, drawing a collective audience of over 4.5 million and generating over RMB 366 million in ticket sales. “By leveraging performances to draw visitors to Changsha, we are turning cultural attraction into increased consumption,” said Yi Ying, director of the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, and Television.
Booming Urban Market
In Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a mixed concert in Guangxi Sports Center attracted many fans from across China. “I heard about the fan gift package, so I arrived two days early and stayed near the Three Streets and Two Alleys (a historical and cultural block in Nanning). I enjoyed many discounts in restaurants with my concert ticket and tasted many local foods,” said Huang Shi, a tourist from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
In collaboration with local restaurants and hotels, the Nanning Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism has launched multiple discounts covering dining, accommodation, and scenic spot tickets. In order to accommodate people movement, the transportation department has also extended subway hours and added bus routes to provide public transport after the night performances.
Nanning has showcased its appeal through a series of concerts. Themed promotions such as the Nanning Old Friends Music Season went viral among tourists. Outside the concert venue, a bustling market has sprung up, with stalls selling cultural and creative products, specialty agricultural products, and intangible cultural heritage handicrafts.
“I run two stalls here. Whenever there is a concert, I set up another stall near the stadium. I normally earn over RMB 1,000 every night,” said vendor Zhou Lihua. Through the market, local specialties such as the Nanning Laoyou rice noodles are reaching tourists nationwide.
In Nanning, the economic effect of the performing arts keeps gaining momentum. “The mixed concert had an attendance rate of 90 percent, with more than half of the audience coming from out of town. It has become a business card for Nanning,” said chief director Wang Keya. “We weave together stage performance, Nanning’s local culture, and distinctive consumer scenes, while also spotlighting famous scenic spots across Guangxi. During the concert, singers also promote Nanning’s food and scenery and interact with the audience.”
In recent years, Nanning has issued a series of policies to support small and medium-sized music festivals and other commercial performances. It has optimized the concert market environment and expanded the Guangxi Sports Center to hold 50,000 people. Meanwhile, the approval process for large-scale events from application to permit has been shortened to five days.
From 2023 to 2025, the annual number of Nanning’s concerts increased from 21 to nearly 40. In 2025, it attracted 646,300 people and generated over RMB 3.6 billion. Traveling to concerts has become the city’s latest trend.
An upgraded version of Kaifeng Menghua, a large-scale acrobatic performance that recreates the grandeur of the capital Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty, is staged at the Millennium City Park in Kaifeng, Henan Province on January 23, 2026.
Upgrading Immersive Experiences
In the theater at Millennium City Park in Kaifeng, Henan Province, the stands were fully packed with tourists who had come to watch a performance of a classic horse battle. Zhao Ji was invited onto the battlefield on the stage and mounted the horse. “The interactive parts of the show are interesting, I would like to try it again,” he said.
Following the warm-up session, the show began with warhorses charging onto the stage to sounds of thunderous drumbeats. “We have designed a series of interactive sections to turn visitors from spectators into participants,” said Zhang Xinyue, a staff member at the park.
Inspired by the famous painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, the Millennium City Park brings to life sites of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It features several interactive performances designed to create a multi-layered and immersive experience for visitors.
At a Hanfu clothing workshop, visitors can rent Song costumes for free by using jiaozi (currency in the Northern Song Dynasty). Visitors can earn jiaozi by playing interactive games across the park and then redeem them as credit for services including amusement programs, dining, and boat rides. “Wearing Song costumes and paying with jiaozi at the park gives a sense of traveling back in time,” said Zhao.
Next to the Shangshan Gate in the park, a Song feast unfolds along a long table. Each local dish is paired with corresponding performances on the stage. “We have integrated performance with technology to create an immersive Song-style dining show, allowing visitors to experience the elegance of the ancient time,” said Zhang.
The cultural and tourism sectors of Kaifeng, the ancient capital of eight dynasties, have undergone innovation in recent years. Many spots in the city now offer all-day experiences, with combined tickets, multi-entry passes, and discounts to attract more visitors.
When night falls, a large-scale acrobatics show, Kaifeng Menghua, takes place on a vast lake in the park. New installations, such as the moon suspended over the water and a movable arched bridge, along with immersive visual scenes, create a poetic landscape. Visitors gaze out at boats and lanterns from their windows, feeling as if they are living inside a painting. “Visitors’ aesthetic awareness is improving, so the classic programs need to be refreshed to connect with audiences in more vivid ways,” said director Mei Shuaiyuan.
Zhang Xiangyu, director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural and Tourism Planning, said that by upgrading cultural scenes, reconstructing consumption models, and enhancing experiences with technology, many tourist attractions in Henan have developed new business models in the cultural and tourism industry. Here tourists can watch daytime performances, enjoy night scenes, explore the Bianjing (Kaifeng’s ancient name) diet, and stay in Song-style accommodations. In 2025, Kaifeng welcomed a total of 116 million tourists and earned nearly RMB 87.1 billion in cultural and tourism revenue. 
YANG XUN, ZHU JIAQI, & ZHANG WENHAO are reporters at People’s Daily.
