Engaging with the past

Imagine you're at home, you open your laptop and start a role-playing game where you can enjoy views of the Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival as you row down the Qinhuai River, completing set tasks along the way. This is one way for video gamers to enjoy the traditional culture of East China's Jiangsu province during Spring Festival without having to travel there.

And that's not all. Perfect World Games, an online gaming company, recently invited a group of heritage experts - including Chen Haitao, a member of the design team from the Dunhuang Academy of China; Zhou Xianguang, an inheritor of Longquan sword intangible cultural heritage; and Xia Juan, a member of the Confucius Temple Cultural and Tourist Group - to join a forum in Beijing discussing new ways to promote traditional Chinese culture through online games.

According to Lu Xiaoyin, the CEO of Perfect World Games, "Game players now are in a different situation as compared to their predecessors a few years ago, because they have an abundance of choices, and will choose games that interest them the most. Games featuring traditional culture have deep connotations and attract a wider audience. So in turn, they should be promoted more."