Dishing up dynasties
From the Tang to the Song, immersive restaurant performances turn Chinese history into a multisensory feast, Yang Feiyue reports.
In the neighboring Twelve Hours of Chang'an street, another Tang-themed dining performance, Joyful Banquet — Flourishing Tang, has staged over 1,000 performances and welcomed more than 100,000 domestic and international visitors since its debut in early 2024.
"We have consistently sold out tickets up to 10 days in advance during peak holidays, maintaining an average occupancy rate of 85-90 percent," says Han Ying, who is in charge of catering operations for the street.
Its customer base is varied, from out-of-town tourists drawn by its reputation to local culture enthusiasts fascinated by the Tang era, and Xi'an residents who choose it as a premier venue to host visiting friends and family, Han observes.
"Our guests aren't just coming for a meal, they are actually purchasing a cultural experience, the chance to cross time and spend a day as a resident in the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang'an," she explains.
These novel dining projects have been at the forefront of a shift in Chinese cultural consumption, where a meal is transformed into a multisensory portal to the past.
Data from earlier last year (2025) from the on-demand service platform Meituan show that searches for immersive shows and dining experiences have more than tripled year-on-year, with keen interest in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, and Beijing.
