By Xue Lingqiao
(ECNS) -- Within the vast desert, the majestic mountains and rivers, the Hexi Corridor has nurtured profound historical and cultural heritage. As the westernmost starting point of the Great Wall, Jiayu Pass is the best-preserved ancient military fortress along the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The ancient pass, widely referred to as the "First and Greatest Pass under Heaven", has become a prime destination for many tourists to experience the frontier ambiance of China's Northwest and witness the majestic grandeur of the Great Wall.
"Despite being located along the popular Northwest travel line, Jiayuguan City in Gansu serves as a transit zone where tourists seldom choose to stay," explained a director from the Jiayu Pass scenic area.
Contrary to the perceived cultural tourism boom in the Northwest, the official noted that compared to other provincial cities like Dunhuang, Jiayuguan's tourism development still needs to break through encirclement.
How can the ancient Silk Road civilization rejuvenate itself? To answer this, in 2024, the Jiayu Pass scenic area launched a night tour program, presenting a new form of ancient Silk Road culture through digital technology to enrich the tourism experience.
"We live in a vast world, while our humanity is a small part of the universe. For over two thousand years, countless individuals have left their stories in Jiayuguan, which greatly influenced the development of the Chinese civilization. From the historically renowned envoy Zhang Qian, general Huo Qubing, and Buddhist monk Xuanzang, to the common Great Wall craftsmen, ordinary soldiers, and merchants, the night tour drew inspiration from the people, using light to bring their stories to life. It takes advantage of figures to get us through history," introduced the director.
Ascending the pass by day, understanding the Great Wall by night. Since 2024, the Jiayu Pass scenic area has created a dual cultural presentation at both day and night, forming a new model of cultural and tourism integration where technology and history empower each other.
"The walls of the Jiayu Pass are natural projection canvases for cultural digital creativity. We hope that the stories, figures, emotions, and culture rooted in Jiayuguan will make Great Wall culture visible, memorable, and inheritable," the director added.
Data from the Gansu Provincial Government shows that the Jiayu Pass scenic area received around 3.79 million tourist visits in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 34.74%. The night tour program helped the scenic area reach a single-day peak of 53,000 visitors.
Transitioning from "check-in style" to "experiential style", the "night economy" along the ancient Silk Road enjoys sound arrival bases. New scenes and experiences have turned passers-by into long-stayers.
Dunhuang in Gansu represents the pinnacle of East-West cultural convergence. Following the breakout success of the ethnic dance drama Flower Rains Along the Silk Road, the grotto-themed immersive drama Ancient Sound of Dunhuang has become a sensation, allowing visitors to experience the charm of Dunhuang art, including dance, music, poetry, and painting.
As introduced, while the Mogao Caves originally comprised 735 grottoes, the drama's creation team has created Cave No. 736, replicating the unique forms inside the Mogao Grottoes and bringing the vibrant musical and dancing scenes from ancient murals to life. This provides tourists with an interactive immersive cave theater experience.
Visiting the Mogao Caves by day and entering the theater by night has become another explosively popular tourism option in Dunhuang City. Data shows that since its premiere in June, 2023, Ancient Sound of Dunhuang has received over 700,000 visitors.
Flying Apsaras emerging from the walls, Silk Road merchants and travelers evoked through multi-sensory interaction, the whirling dance, the five-stringed Pipa..., Thanks to the aid of digital technology, the vividness of Dunhuang art unfolds before visitors' eyes.
The 2024 Night Economy Development Report released by the China Tourism Academy indicates that domestic nighttime tourism spending in China is projected to reach 1.91 trillion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%. Demand for nighttime tourism continues to grow, and supply is responding actively.
In recent years, merchandise like badges and cards, which are also known as "goods" (or "gu zi" in Chinese, derived from the English word), have gained popularity among many young people both online and offline. The rise of domestic Chinese IPs has further fueled the surging popularity of domestically-designed merchandise.
At the Dunhuang Bookstore, offline sales channels for domestically produced merchandise like badges and collectible cards incorporate a range of highly distinctive Dunhuang artistic elements.
"Given the increasingly diversified demands of the cultural tourism market and tourists' growing interest in Dunhuang culture, traditional cultural presentations are somewhat monotonous. The 'goods economy' is deeply loved by young people and possesses strong social and collectible attributes. We also hope that through carriers favored by the youth, artistic symbols like the Flying Apsaras, caisson ceilings, and the Nine-Colored Deer can become tangible and accessible," said a relevant director from the bookstore.
Owing to their unique designs and portability, the current sales of Dunhuang's domestically-designed merchandise lead the store. The primary consumers of these products are young people aged 18 to 35. They enthusiastically collect various types of distinctive "merchandise" and enjoy sharing them on social platforms, thereby promoting cultural dissemination.
Data shows that the scale of China's “guzi economy” market hit 168.9 billion yuan in 2024 and is projected to exceed 300 billion yuan by 2029. The consumption trend represented by the "guzi economy" is also a vivid reflection of culture empowering the economy.
From the flourishing arts market to the burgeoning "goods economy," the prosperity of the cultural tourism market manifests goes beyond dining scenes. As the main engine of economic growth, consumption serves as the barometer of people's well-being.
With the continuous emergence of new business formats and scenes, riding this consumption wave, the cultural tourism economy will inject new momentum and vitality into the domestic consumption market.
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