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2024 China (Zhengzhou) Tourism, Leisure and Entertainment Industry Expo
(and China Zhengzhou Amusement Facilities and Equipment Expo)
500+ leading cultural and tourism equipment and creative enterprises to help you create a one-stop shop,
upgrade the new scenes and experiences of cultural and entertainment tourism!
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Editor-in-chief | Yang Ming
Editor | Jing Xiangyuan
Source | Dadi Landscape
This year marks the concentrated explosion of NPC businesses. From Snow Cake Monkey to Wang Po's Matchmaking and the Beggar Brother, more and more scenic areas are introducing NPCs. Frequently appearing on hot searches, NPCs have become an important part of the integration of culture and tourism. Between reality and imagination, tourists have gained surprise and immersive experiences, opening up new ideas for scenic area development and becoming another traffic code for local cultural tourism to break out.
Origin and Cases of NPCs
The term NPC comes from games, originally meaning "Non-Player Character." It refers to characters that appear randomly in games and are not controlled by players. Some are unrelated to quests, only enriching the experience; others can interact, opening up new storylines.
Tourists like NPCs because they exist between reality and imagination, originating from fantasy yet blending into daily life. Wuzhen in Zhejiang is affectionately called by netizens as "a theme park more suitable for Chinese people." In this scenic area, upgraded from an ancient town, from the scullers to the cooks, from the riverside families to the elderly by the water, most of the local people are NPCs with "roles." Such an ancient town creates jobs for residents, preserves nostalgia, brings considerate service and authentic experiences to tourists, and makes the scenic area a living museum of folk culture. With culture taking root downwards and experiences growing upwards, such "all-staff NPCs" are hard not to be moved by.
The popularity of Wang Po's matchmaking in Kaifeng, Henan, directly alarmed the central media. "Wang Po's Matchmaking" is a dating program in the Wansui Mountain and Song Dynasty Wuxia City scenic area in Kaifeng, Henan. When the program begins, "Wang Po," dressed in red and green ancient costumes and wearing a red flower, makes a grand entrance to the enthusiastic calls of the audience. Her festive attire, combined with her witty language, excellent eloquence, and performing skills, has won the love of many viewers and netizens.
The "Beggar Brother" in Qingming Shanghe Garden, despite his ragged clothes and dirty braids, every move is a play, making everyone laugh. This internet-famous beggar, "Beggar Brother," whose real name is Li Gang, is a situational actor in the Qingming Shanghe Garden scenic area. He can sing and dance, and is skilled in storytelling and cross-talk, bringing the role of "beggar" to life.
The "Snow Cake Monkey" in the Changchun Botanical Garden became popular on Douyin, directly boosting the Changchun Botanical Garden. The "Sun Wukong" suppressed under the "Five Elements Mountain" accepts tourists' offerings and chats with them. With his humorous and witty remarks, he has won the favor of many tourists. Data shows that in the first two months of this year, the total online commodity transaction volume of the Changchun Botanical Garden increased by nearly 200% year-on-year. Many tourists, after seeing videos of the "Snow Cake Monkey," bought tickets to the scenic area on Douyin and came to "feed Wukong" in person.
In the Huangshan scenic area, a female tourist sought help from the "Li Bai who solves worries," asking how to deal with her inner confusion. This NPC "Li Bai" not only gave constructive answers but also presented a blessing character, bringing warmth and comfort to the tourist. Through this interaction, the Huangshan scenic area not only enriched the tourists' experience but also integrated ancient culture into modern life, strengthening tourists' sense of identity with traditional culture.
The "Tang Monk" in Chengdu Happy Valley attracted the attention of many tourists with his similar appearance and demeanor. Not only does he look alike, but he also complements the Tang Monk in our memories, creating an emotional resonance with tourists. This NPC character, which is both in form and spirit, greatly enhances the tourists' immersion and satisfaction.
In the Jiayuguan scenic area, as long as you leave your hometown's clan name, the gate-guarding man wearing 80 kilograms of iron armor will write a "pass" for you; in the Tengwang Pavilion scenic area, you can encounter "Wang Bo" and sing a verse of "Tengwang Pavilion Preface," appreciating the dual charm of architecture and literature; from the beautiful "unbreakable doll girl" to the mighty Tang Dynasty warriors, the brightly lit and bustling night city evokes a feeling of "sharing elegance with the ancients"; the "mermaid" in Qingdao Mingyue Mountain and Sea Night City draws heart-shaped circles for tourists; Xuzhou Amusement Park uses a "demon lord" to give a face-touching kill; Changlong Happy World hires hundreds of actors as NPCs to attract tourists, with high-quality IPs such as Young and Dangerous and the Investiture of the Gods' hostage group attracting countless tourists to check in. In today's world of extremely developed social media, where you can see everything without leaving home, the delicate and unique experience brought by NPCs has become a powerful reason for on-site experiences.
The Inner Logic of NPC Popularity
The popularity of scenic area NPCs reflects the upgrading and transformation of cultural tourism.
Increase cultural experience and emotional resonance: NPC characters usually play representative roles such as historical or literary figures. Tourists can gain a deeper understanding of the destination's history and culture through interaction, enhancing their cultural experience and participation. The emotional value conveyed by the scenic area NPCs creates a joyful emotional resonance through interaction with tourists.
Increase fun and interactivity: The appearance of NPC characters adds fun and vitality to the destination. Tourists can interact with NPCs, participate in various interesting activities and games, enhancing the fun and interactivity of the tour.
Improve tourist satisfaction and word-of-mouth effect: Excellent NPC characters usually have rich performance experience and good image-building abilities. They can establish good interactive relationships with tourists, improving tourist satisfaction and loyalty, and bringing good word-of-mouth effects, attracting more tourists to experience.
Guide tourist behavior and provide service guidance: NPC characters can not only interact with tourists but also act as guides and service staff, providing information consultation, guided tours, and other services, guiding tourist behavior and improving tourist satisfaction. For example, if tourists engage in uncivilized behavior while queuing, NPCs can use humorous methods to stop them promptly, making it easier for tourists to accept.
How can a destination create its own NPCs?
Cultural and tourism destinations can create their own NPCs by focusing on the following aspects:
Select NPC characters based on the destination's characteristics and positioning: Chen Xianghong, the chief planner of Wuzhen, believes that the commonality of ancient towns lies in their small bridges and flowing water, but their cultures are distinct. Destinations should select NPC characters that align with their own unique characteristics and positioning. It is necessary to deeply explore one's unique culture to create differentiated characteristics. For example, unique NPC characters and interactive experiences can be designed by incorporating local historical stories, legends, and cultural elements. Through interaction with tourists, the cultural connotations of the destination can be conveyed, enhancing tourists' cultural identity.
Conduct professional role training and image creation: Destinations should provide professional training and image creation for NPC characters, including role-playing skills, language expression, and image shaping. NPC characters should have a good image and temperament to attract tourists' attention and affection. To allow NPCs to settle in the scenic area and allow the scenic area and NPCs to grow together requires careful consideration in exploring cultural resources to stand out; it also requires exploring operational models to form a virtuous cycle.
Design rich and diverse interactive activities and performances: Destinations should design rich and diverse interactive activities and performances, allowing NPC characters to participate and interact with tourists to enhance the tourists' sense of experience and participation. For example, the "Li Bai who solves worries" program in Huangshan Scenic Area and the "Tang Dynasty Secret Box" program in Datang Never Sleeps City, through interaction with tourists, NPCs humorously discuss the past and present, quote classics, and clever interaction methods have won the praise and widespread dissemination of tourists.
Create intelligent NPCs using modern technology: With the development of technology, destinations can combine modern technology to create intelligent NPCs, using artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other technological means to provide tourists with richer and more interactive experiences.
Conclusion
Currently, various new scenes and needs are emerging in destinations. Immersion has become a hot topic in cultural tourism creativity. The pursuit of immersive experiences does not only stop at creating colorful scenes, but more importantly, it should launch creative and themed fun gameplay. Connecting tourists, themed gameplay, and NPCs can attract people of all ages to participate, empowering the scene and allowing tourists to experience the cultural charm of different scenes.
For tourists, distant ancient buildings and rigid new scenes have limited appeal, while creative and warm scenic area NPCs, using interactive, immersive, and creative methods, often give tourists a reason to "want to come if they haven't been" and a desire to "come again if they have been." Bringing characters from thousands of years ago to the present day and organically combining profound culture with light-hearted expression is perhaps the charm of humanistic tourism.
2024 China (Zhengzhou) Tourism, Leisure and Entertainment Industry Expo
(and China Zhengzhou Amusement Facilities and Equipment Expo)
Will be held at the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center
500+ leading cultural and tourism equipment and creative enterprises to help you create a one-stop shop,
upgrade the new scenes and experiences of cultural and entertainment tourism!
Click the poster below to view details↓↓↓
