The popular video game Black Myth: Wukong has ignited a surge in tourism for Shanxi during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, drawing visitors eager to experience the cultural landmarks featured in the game.
At Xiaoxitian or the Little Western Paradise in Linfen City, where the intricate hanging sculptures of Buddhas have been digitally recreated in the game, the number of visitors hiked by a whopping 326 percent on the first day of the holiday on Sunday.
This unique blend of traditional architecture and modern gaming has breathed new life into Shanxi's tourism sector.
"I think it's absolutely necessary to come here. The ancient artisans' skills in making these exquisite sculptures are truly breathtaking," said Gao Mingqi, a visitor.
Leveraging the game's popularity, local attractions have introduced themed checkpoints and checkpoint pass to enhance the visitor experience.
At Chongfu Temple in Shuozhou City, visitors began lining up at 5:00 to get limited edition pass.
"As Black Myth: Wukong is super popular right now, I flew from Guangdong to Shaanxi. I began to wait in line since 5:00 just to get a checkpoint pass," said a visitor.
The provincial government has launched a themed activity related to the game, converting the global game buzz into tourism momentum.
One week before the Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on Tuesday, holiday bookings in Shanxi rose 15 percent compared with the Dragon Boat Festival in June, with international travel orders soaring by 180 percent.
Shanxi's tourism booms thanks to blockbuster game Black Myth: Wukong
The death toll in Lebanon from the ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 2,119 since last October, with 10,019 others injured, according to a statement released Monday by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Over the past 24 hours, 36 fatalities and 150 injuries were reported in various regions of Lebanon due to the Israeli attacks, said the statement.
Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli border since Oct 8, 2023, to show solidarity with Hamas.
The Israeli military has been conducting an air campaign in Lebanon, dubbed "Arrows of the North," since Sept 23, marking a significant intensification of hostilities.
Lebanese authorities said an estimated 1.2 million people have been displaced over the last year, most of them within the past two weeks.
Israel's mass forced displacement campaign in Lebanon may soon cause major disease outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned as Israel attacks health care centers in the country.
In a press briefing on Tuesday by video link from Beirut, WHO Deputy Incident Manager for Lebanon Ian Clarke warned of disease outbreaks in Lebanon due to crowded conditions in displacement shelters and hospital closures as medics have fled Israel's assault.
"WHO is deeply concerned by the impact of the recent escalation of violence on the health system in Lebanon, including the rising number of attacks on health care workers and facilities. Since September 16, attacks on health care had been recorded leaving behind 65 deaths and 40 injuries among health staff. Health facilities had been greatly impacted: more than 96 primary health care centers and health facilities had been forced to close in the south due to rising hostilities, five hospitals were reported non-functioning due to physical or infrastructural damage, and an additional four hospitals have been partially evacuated," he said.
As the number of displaced people increased and the population was left with limited access to emergency and trauma care, as well as access to essential health services, including routine vaccination and essential child and maternal health services, Lebanon was facing a situation where there was a much higher risk of disease outbreaks, such as acute watery diarrhea, hepatitis A, and a number of vaccine preventable diseases, Clarke said.
Death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks rises to 2,119
