At Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City in Kaifeng, Henan province, visitors may find themselves helping a constable solve a case, searching for a missing bundle for a fictional beggars' gang, or exchanging poetry with a scholar on the street.
More than 1,000 performers populate the attraction, where such encounters draw visitors into a world of martial arts heroes and everyday characters. A 100-yuan ($15) ticket allows entry for three days, giving guests time to wander, take on tasks, and see where the story leads.
"It's very popular with visitors," says Yao Jun, adviser and former president of the China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, who has visited the site twice.
Visitors can take part in a range of interactive experiences rooted in everyday life and folk customs, he says. Rather than relying on one grand performance, the Wansui Mountain resort draws people into a series of encounters that give them roles in the story.
That approach reflects a broader shift in the theme park business. After years of expansion, operators are looking for ways to refresh existing attractions, keep them appealing year-round, and give visitors reasons to return.
"Renewal and upgrading within the existing boundaries can also create growth, while requiring a relatively smaller investment," Yao said at a recent tourism conference in Beijing in mid-October.
The Development Conference of Theme Park and Resort, themed "Theme Parks Renew Urban Vitality", brought together government representatives, researchers and industry executives to discuss the sector's development.
Bai Fan, chairman of Beijing Tourism Group, says theme parks were evolving from one-off destinations into places where people experience a lifestyle, and from entertainment projects into engines of urban vitality.
