China is revitalizing its cultural heritage through immersive experiences which enable tourists to explore traditions in an innovative and interactive manner.
In Xiamen, Fujian Province, China's first Minnan fantasy-themed scenic area, "Yu Jian Minnan: A Journey Through Time," is drawing crowds of tourists. By engaging with actors and exploring 83 representative intangible cultural heritage projects, visitors can gain a deeper appreciation of Minnan, or Hokkien, culture - an ethnic culture with unique origins and great historical importance.
"Kids do not really know much about our intangible cultural heritage, which makes this a great experience," said a tourist.
In Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, an immersive project featuring the XR exhibition 'Tang Gong Ye Yan' (Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace) has officially opened to the public, blending extended reality with cultural storytelling.
Through virtual and digital display, cultural relics have come 'alive,' enabling viewers to immerse in the lives of ancient people in Tang Dynasty (618-907).
"It's extremely stunning! The scenery on both sides of the river is particularly beautiful. Technology brings us a different and brand-new experience," said a visitor.
"Enterprises are not merely using their equipment and facilities on culture itself, but are actively engaging in the creation of new scenarios. They are also addressing their previous deficiencies in operational capabilities and cultural exploration, allowing them to take an integrated approach on exploring and marketing cultural contents," said Song Yangyang, Deputy Director of the Creative Industry Technology Research Institute of Renmin University of China.
In addition to immersive scenarios, the modernization of performance equipment plays a crucial role in driving the transformation of digital cultural consumption.
Guo Hao, the technical director of Zhejiang Dafeng Industry, an enterprise with extensive experience in the development of performance equipment, pointed out that the company is developing cutting-edge artistic installations, like drone-like stage apparatus to further enhance the audience's immersive experience during shows.
"We conducted more than 300 flight simulation experiments and more than 1,500 code-writing computational analyses on flight angles and attitudes, ultimately achieving the current effect that can be perfectly integrated with virtual backgrounds, audio, lighting and other multimedia equipment," said Guo.
Immersive experiences breathe new life into China's cultural heritage, relics
Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese cybersecurity giant Qihoo 360 and a member of China’s top political advisory body, has stressed the need to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to confront mounting security threats in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
As a member to the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zhou placed "AI plus” security at the core of his proposals to this year's "two sessions," which convene this week, framing it as China's frontline strategy for strengthening cybersecurity.
The "two sessions" are the yearly meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the CPPCC, which serve five-year terms and convene each March. The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.
Expanding on the "AI plus" security agenda, Zhou said it would enable China to simulate cyberattacks, uncover weaknesses, and deploy digital agents across industries, measures he sees as vital to safeguarding enterprises in the AI era.
"This year I would like to first focus on 'AI plus' security, which means we must use AI's abilities to solve traditional security issues. For example we can simulate an attack to an enterprise's network, identifying its vulnerabilities and then fix them. Secondly, I think AI agents would be a key factor for 'AI plus' to be truly implemented into various industries, because large models have their own limits. Only by transforming large models into AI agents, and into digital experts and digital interns, can it be integrated with the business of enterprises," Zhou said.
Turning to the humanoid robots showcased at this year's Spring Festival Gala, Zhou said their appearance highlighted China's rapid progress in robotics and signaled that the era of intelligent machines is approaching.
"I am not surprised. I feel quite lucky I didn't do boxing with those robots on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, because I don't think I can hit them. I think China's robots manufacturing industry has seen huge progress over the past year. On the other hand, I think that show also reflects our country's industrial strategy, which is sending us a signal that an era of robots is coming. How shall we empower our enterprises through AI? That's a question our entrepreneurs and investors need to think about," he said.
As China embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan in 2026, Zhou projects that the continued development of AI will drive substantial demand in key sectors, such as energy, raw materials, and chips.
"First I think energy, as well as some of the raw materials that can align with the development of computing power would see huge progress. The chips industry will also be developed. I think China needs more inference chips. And there would also be a huge demand for electricity," he said.
This year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, spanning from 2026 to 2030, a period widely seen as pivotal for the country's long-term development. The plan is expected to be formally endorsed by the NPC during the "two sessions" with more detailed targets released later.
CPPCC member calls for AI-driven defenses to safeguard enterprises amid rising cyber threats
