This National Day holiday, Tonglu reworked its mountains and rivers into immersive experiences by blending them with technology and traditional Chinese aesthetics—a shift from selling resources to selling content. Preliminary figures show Tonglu welcomed 1.1557 million visitors over the holiday, averaging 165,100 a day, up 4.68% year on year, with daily tourism revenue reaching 107 million yuan, up 3.6%.

At the Yaolin Wonderland, a “tech meets tradition” crossover show saw a robot named Yaoyao dance alongside a “fairy from the heavenly palace” inside the karst cave, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that drew about 40,000 visitors over the holiday. Yan Ziling’s Fishing Terrace, built around Song dynasty culture, upgraded its new-energy cruise boat and launched an immersive mini-theatre at the Terrace Academy, alongside poetry stele corridors and interactive historical figures—drawing more than 30,000 visitors. At the Tianmu Creek Rafting, a 2.5-kilometre waterway links green hills and ancient villages, where “flower fairies” in hanfu (Han-style costumes) scatter blossoms from flower boats, paired with riverside coffee—a scene straight out of a Jiang’nan poem, drawing over a thousand visitors a day.

Rural areas remain a key element for Tonglu’s cultural tourism. This holiday, ancient villages got a facelift, creative businesses added new energy, and new formats kept upgrading—releasing a steady stream of vitality from the “beauty economy.”

Shen’ao Ancient Village, buoyed by its popularity as a film and TV location, drew visitors eager to check out the same scenes they’d seen on screen. Guesthouses and craft experience shops were packed, and immersive activities like paper-cutting and traditional hairpin-making kept the crowds coming, turning screen traffic into tourism growth. Shishe Village in Fuchunjiang Town leaned into “slow-paced artistic living,” with 27 distinctive guesthouses and a café called Saxiu that regularly hosts art exhibitions and hands-on workshops. Over the holiday, core businesses there saw daily revenue nearly triple compared with ordinary days. In Meirong Village, Tongjun Subdistrict, “rice-field cafés” became the holiday’s new internet sensation—Mohist Four Seasons and HOYI, both tucked among the rice paddies, drew nearby visitors on self-drive day trips.