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22 | Thursday, July 25, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Ancient allure seen through a screen The popularity of a recent online Popular tour sites drama staged in Top scenic areas in Xi’an in the Tang Dynasty summer 1. Emperor Qinshihuang’s has translated into Mausoleum Site Museum a surge of visitors 2. Xi’an City Walls 3. Tang Paradise Theme Park to Xi’an, 4. Shaanxi History Museum 5. Muslim Street Xu Lin reports. 6. Huaqing Palace 7. North Square of Giant Wild he hit thriller series, The Goose Pagoda Longest Day in Chang’an, 8. Daming Palace National takes viewers to the heyday Heritage Park of the Tang Dynasty (618­ 9. Yongxing Fang T907). And since its premiere on June 10. Sleepless City of Tang 27, it has been creating a new heyday for Xi’an’s travel sector and interest SOURCE: MAFENGWO in its past. In the online drama, a death­row Top domestic filming spots as inmate, played by actor Lei Jiayin, summer destinations accepts a mission from a govern­ 1. Xi’an, Shaanxi province ment official, played by singer­actor 2. Suzhou, Jiangsu province Yi Yangqianxi, during Lantern Festi­ 3. Chongqing val. The condemned criminal must 4. Zhangjiajie, Hunan province save the national capital, Chang’an, 5. Nanjing, Jiangsu province from a secret enemy attack within 24 6. Shanghai hours. Chang’an is today Shaanxi’s 7. Qingdao, Shandong province provincial capital, Xi’an. 8. Dongyang, Zhejiang province The show’s extreme popularity 9. Bayanbulak Grassland, Xinji­ has intensified interest in travel to ang Uygur autonomous region Xi’an. It demonstrates a new model 10. Puzhehei, Yunnan province for marketing destinations in the mobile­internet era. SOURCE: CTRIP Major online travel agency Ctrip says searches for flights to the city increased 130 percent from July 2 to appeal most to audiences and, con­ 8 compared with the previous week. sequently, tourists. “Xi’an” searches on Chinese travel It will also organize cultural activ­ website Mafengwo increased 22 per­ ities for inbound travelers, such as cent week­on­week from the series’ opportunities to wear Tang clothing debut on June 27. and participate in ancient ceremo­ “It’s rare for such an already­popu­ nies. lar destination like Xi’an to suddenly The bureau is also creating new experience a surge of visitors,” says itineraries based on scenes and food Feng Rao, head of Mafengwo’s travel from the series. research center. “The drama vividly showcases “It’s because the online series has intangible cultural heritage, such as gone viral. More tourists will travel traditional papermaking and Lan­ to the city during the summer vaca­ Clockwise from top: The Sleepless City of Tang, a major destination in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, attracts tourists with its colorful lighting on tern Festival customs,” says Wang tion.” ancient­style architecture at night; Xi’an is well­known for its variety of noodles; young singer­actor Yi Yangqianxi plays a wise government Zhi, deputy director of Xi’an’s intan­ Shao Jihong, a senior director in official in the TV series, The Longest Day in Chang’an; the Terracotta Warriors, a famous attraction in the city. gible cultural heritage protection charge of Ctrip’s air­ticket business, PHOTOS BY WANG XIN / FOR CHINA DAILY AND PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY center. agrees. “The thriller has sparked hot “The beautiful scenery in films debate among young people about and television, and the celebrity When it released its finale in May, Xi’an Museum to identify terracotta recalls that few people in Xi’an paid before Aug 31. comparisons between various effect are the major drivers behind Chinese travelers paid great atten­ figurines that resemble characters much attention when a hit TV series “It shows how an ancient city can aspects of life now and in the Tang the trend of traveling to filming loca­ tion to its filming locations, includ­ from the series by their hairstyles featured the city two years ago. delve into its rich history and trans­ era, such as military­alarm systems tions. Ctrip’s data shows that those ing Northern Ireland, Spain and and attire. “But this time, government bodies, late its intangible cultural wealth and timekeeping methods.” who were born in the 1980s and Croatia. “Young visitors prefer better trav­ cultural sites and museums have into robust tourism,” Yan says. He says the online drama focuses 1990s are the main demographic of Viewers of The Longest Day in el experiences and make holiday increased their awareness and are Xi’an’s culture and tourism on historical accuracy and the such travelers this summer.” Chang’an are particularly interested plans suddenly. So, a short video or a taking the opportunity to market bureau has called upon the city’s authentic portrayal of daily life dur­ Chinese travelers are also inter­ in Xi’an’s museums, as they look to hit drama may move them,” says Liu themselves on social media,” he says. cultural sites and museums to pro­ ing the era, showing young people ested in the locations used in their learn more about the culture of the Chunlin, who heads online travel For example, after The Longest mote Tang culture, as it specifically the magnificence and prosperity of favorite foreign movies and televi­ city featured in the online drama. agency Fliggy’s new media market­ Day in Chang’an mentioned the relates to them, through traditional Chang’an at the time. sion shows, she says. The most pop­ This prompted Ctrip to develop ing section. Tang’s imperial palace that was and new media. And, apparently, many of them ular ones this summer are Thailand, several in­depth travel products to “It’s the power of quality content destroyed by war at the end of the The bureau plans to develop more are interested enough to explore it Japan, the United Kingdom, the specific museums related to The and communication in the mobile­ dynasty, the national heritage park creative cultural products since for themselves. Czech Republic and Iceland. Longest Day in Chang’an. internet era.” hosting the site offered free tickets ancient costumes, etiquette and She takes HBO’s hit TV series Ctrip tour guide Liu Guoyang, a Shaanxi Festival Cultural Promo­ on weekends to anyone showing smaller props that appear in the Contact the writer at Game of Thrones as an example. Xi’an native, takes visitors to the tion Society president Yan Jianbin up in traditional Chinese attire series are among the elements that [email protected] Sets to become the star attraction among period drama fans By XU LIN The Return of the Condor Heroes. The current site of the studio used Hit online thriller The Longest to be one of the most impoverished Day in Chang’an has overwhelmed regions of Xiangshan county. When audiences, not just with its gripping they were mapping out a plan for the storyline, but through the beauty of studio in 2003, they chose the spot its depiction of Chang’an — mainly because of its remoteness. because of the show’s spectacular “It was an excellent idea to estab­ opening scene. lish sets for period dramas in a place Known today as Xi’an, Shaanxi where there is no modern architec­ province, Chang’an was the nation’s ture or overhead wires. After all, you capital during the Tang Dynasty don’t want to see such anachronistic (618­907). gaffes on­screen,” he says. The replica of the ancient city, Now, accessibility by road has which has moved audiences with its improved greatly, with highways authenticity, is a film set named the linking the studio to more populated City of Tang and is located at the areas. It’s one hour’s drive from the Xiangshan Movie and Television The popularity of period dramas has drawn visitors to the City of Tang located at the Xiangshan Movie and Television City in Xiangshan airports in Ningbo and Taizhou, and City in Zhejiang province. It faithful­ county, Zhejiang province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY two hours’ drive from the airports in ly recreates the symmetrical layout Hangzhou and Wenzhou. of Chang’an and demonstrates typi­ The studio’s rapid development cal Tang Dynasty­style architecture. The studio’s sets cover many of mittee of Film Culture, which is in as the City of Tang, others are areas with old architecture and meet ven­ has boosted a series of related indus­ The production company behind China’s dynasties, spanning the charge of the studio. that are mainly open to travelers, dors in period costume hawking tries such as cleaning, security and the TV series consulted historical Spring and Autumn Period (770­476 “It also draws more interest from and are sometimes used for filming,” goods. They can enjoy activities ran­ property management, and created records, such as maps of Chang’an BC) all the way through to the 1930s. film and television crews,” Chen he says. ging from intangible cultural heri­ numerous job opportunities. during the design process, before These locations have welcomed adds, noting that industry insiders However, as more tourists become tage craftsmanship to acrobatics Also, the local farmers have boost­ investing 50 million yuan ($ 7.3 mil­ over 1,200 film and television crews will be more familiar with the studio, interested in the City of Tang after performances and magic shows. ed their income considerably by lion) in the construction of the site in to date, including 162 crews in 2018. such as their facilities and services, watching The Longest Day in They can also try their hand at opening restaurants, homestays, car the county of Xiangshan.

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