Pingyao cultural park boosts nighttime tourist sector

A scene of Another Glance at Pingyao [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]

The Another Glance at Pingyao Cultural Industry Park – located in Pingyao county, North China's Shanxi province – was recently officially recognized as one of the first batch of national nighttime culture and tourism retail shopping complexes.

The cultural industry park, on the west side of the Ancient City of Pingyao, features a celebrated experiential play – Another Glance at Pingyao – that is set in an artificially constructed town, and the production has been staged since 2013. 

The 90-minute living drama reproduces Pingyao scenes in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and showcases Pingyao culture. It allows the audience to interact with performers while moving in and out of different scenes, which is said to be the drama's big draw – providing diverse sensory experiences.

Kang Qingfeng, head of the cultural industry park, explained that on Saturdays and Sundays or holidays, the theater increases the number of the productions according to the needs of tourists and sometimes the play is staged five times a day and ends at 11 pm. 

As of July 1, 2021, Another Glance at Pingyao had been performed 5,993 times and the number of viewers had reached 4.02 million, making it a must-see item for tourists in Pingyao. 

The success of the drama has helped raise the profile and expand the brand effect of the Ancient City of Pingyao. In 2018, a cultural tourism city block was opened, which is a commercial and creative extension of the play. 

The cultural tourism block recreates street scenes in the Republic of China period (1912-49). It has built eight themed hotels, seven restaurants with local features, a convention center, a large car parking facility and a street with stores offering local time-honored brands. 

As of July 1, the play had generated estimated cumulative revenue of 662 million yuan ($104.05 million), creating more than 5,000 jobs and driving the development of the night economy in the Ancient City of Pingyao. 

Moving forwards, plans are for the cultural industry park to further expand its overall brand influence, build more hotels and increase the number of nighttime products and activities that are available, providing tourists with more diverse and appealing after-dark experiences.