Impression Putuo show (Cao Bao)

The 12 hills are lit by different colors. Their light is reflected in a river, illuminating the fishing boats that begin to gather. The lights on the boats form different patterns as hundreds of girls in local costume appear aalong the riverbank. This spectacular display is a performance on the famous Lijiang River in Guilin City, the most popular tourist destination in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Since its premiere on March 20, 2004, the Impression Liu Sanjie show has been a must-see for visitors to Guilin. The performance is directed by Zhang Yimou, the world-famous movie director who also directed the spectacular opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. But what makes the performance more special is that, instead of taking place in a theater and on a stage, it uses an actual river and mountains as its backdrop, and was the first show in China to do so.

After the Impression Liu Sanjie show's great success, similar performances emerged at other tourist destinations in China. Some of them have become well known, such as the Impression Lijiang show in Yunnan Province, the Impression West Lake show in Zhejiang Province, and a fairytale-based drama show Fox Spirit in Tianmen, which is performed in Hunan Province.

Fox Spirit in Tianmen

Unique in the entertainment and tourism industries, the stories told in virtual landscape shows are often based on local history, legends and folk music, with the natural landscape and hi-tech special effects acting as the performance's background. 

Such shows integrate China's natural resources and culture, blending performance art, cultural promotion and entertainment to give audiences a fully immersive experience.

Fox Spirit in Tianmen, being particularly popular among South Korean and Southeast Asian tourists, has become an important attraction in Zhangjiajie's booming tourism industry in Hunan. "Those in tourism circle, think highly of Fox Spirit in Tianmen," Xie Guoquan, the performance's producer told ChinAfrica. "The Ministry of Culture named it the most influential performance during our tourism festival."  

The success of virtual landscape performances has promoted local tourism, and such shows have become a major attraction in Zhangjiajie. "Tourism in Hunan is growing, and our virtual landscape show has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists," said Zhou Zemeng, Deputy Director of the Zhangjiajie Tourism Bureau. "In the future, we will focus more on the fusion of tourism and culture."

He said many countries around the world share similar cultural features. For example, there are many South Korean and Southeast Asian legends about fox spirits as well, so they are able to understand our story. "Every year the performance attracts a considerable number of foreign tourists," he added.