Shanghai Leverages Game Culture to Boost Tourism, Focuses on Long-Term Sustainability
Shanghai is emerging as a key hub for game culture and tourism, capitalizing on its strong content creation ecosystem and international outlook. The city’s prominence is evidenced by the recent trend of online artwork featuring Shanghai landmarks alongside popular game companies, characters, and memes, demonstrating a vibrant and dynamic cultural scene.
Currently, the majority of China’s leading “two-dimensional” (anime/manga/game) companies are based in Shanghai. This concentration, combined with a robust calendar of comic and game exhibitions, attracts both local enthusiasts and visitors from across the country. Initiatives like the dimensional culture theme blocks being developed in the Caohejing Growth zone signal a proactive approach from urban planners to foster the growth of this sector.Though,experts are also focusing on how to maximize the lasting impact of this connection between games and tourism. Zhou Peiyuan, an associate professor at Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, highlights the potential for games to drive interest in real-world locations. He points to the success of “black Myth: Wukong,” which prominently features locations in Shanxi province, leading to increased tourism interest and requests for guided tours focused on the game’s settings. Similarly, the film “Fengshen Part 1: Chaoge Fengyun” drew inspiration from murals in Shanxi’s Yongle Palace, further demonstrating the power of games and movies to promote cultural tourism.
Zhou Peiyuan emphasizes that simply directing traffic to a location isn’t enough. Sustained success requires a comprehensive approach to local cultural tourism, including improved services and increased capacity. He advocates for developing multi-day tourism routes based on in-game locations, and enriching the visitor experience through digital technology, performances, and diverse activities.
The ultimate goal, according to Zhou Peiyuan, is to build strong cultural branding around figures like “Wukong” and ”Zhong Kui” through consistent, normalized promotion. He cautions that without adequate infrastructure and long-term planning, any surge in popularity will likely be fleeting.
(Source: Shangguan News)
(Original title: Anhui and Shanxi “grabbed” zhong Kui, and games have become a new hot topic for cultural and tourism empowerment?)
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