Cinemas tap into local cultural heritage to boost National Day holiday box office

Holidaymakers have welcomed the "film-plus" initiative, which bundles cinema screenings with special discounts and promotions tied to cultural heritage during the National Day holiday.

China celebrated the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Thursday, with the annual "Golden Week" holiday running through Oct. 7.

In Yueyang City of central China's Hunan Province, a cinema has woven together film screenings and Dongting-area intangible heritage, such as fan craftsmanship, ancient kiln-firing skills and paper-cutting, bringing the lake region's rich cultural traditions to moviegoers.

"I rarely had the chance to experience traditional intangible cultural heritage crafts before. After trying one out myself today, I found the traditional craft really fascinating. I hope more activities like this will be held in the future," said moviegoer Wan Siying.

Nanxun Ancient Town, a famous historic water town located in Huzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province, rolled out a program linking sightseeing, screenings, heritage displays and shopping -- a provincial movie ticket stub unlocks dining and retail discounts for a one-stop National Day experience.

"I really didn't expect that I could get a free movie discount coupon while visiting Nanxun Ancient Town. With just one ticket, I can enjoy the ancient town during the day and then go and watch a movie with my friends in the evening," tourist Zhu Panjie said.

"I got this movie discount coupon while visiting the ancient town, and then I came here to watch a movie. I think this is a great idea. I think the policy should be promoted more widely because it makes things much more convenient for us and gives us real benefit. It's really engaging," said moviegoer Fei Liming.

China's box office during the seven-day holiday surpassed 501 million yuan, or over 74.7 million U.S. dollars, so far as of 17:06 local time on Saturday, data from Chinese box-office tracker Beacon Professional showed.

"As of now, we have distributed nearly 10,000 movie discount coupons, helping boost cinema attendance by more than 15 percent," said Wu Gaojie, deputy chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles of Nanxun District of Huzhou City.

Cinemas tap into local cultural heritage to boost National Day holiday box office

A large-scale immersive production recreates the smoky battlefield of how the Red Army secured an important victory against the Kuomintang forces at the Loushan Pass, a revolutionary site in Zunyi City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, in 1935 during the Long March, drawing younger generations closer to the historical event.

The Loushan Pass occupies an important place in the history of the Long March. Achieved in February 1935 after the historic Zunyi Conference in which late Chinese leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) rose to high-level military and political leadership, the battle at the Loushan Pass is widely remembered as the Red Army's first major victory since the start of the Long March and as a turning point that helped reverse a difficult military situation.

Today, what was once a battlefield is now a popular tourism destination. Twice a day, a live-action performance lasting nearly an hour recreates battle scenes. Visitors can take part in the performance, dressing in uniforms and playing roles as local residents, helping to transport supplies and tending to wounded soldiers.

A China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent traveled to the area and joined the immersive experience project in one episode of the special series Marching On, which retraced the original route of the Long March across several provinces to show how the enduring spirit of determination and resilience continues to inspire generations of the Chinese people as they pursue better lives through innovation and hard work.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Long March, a crucial turning point in modern Chinese history that contributed to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The Red Army soldiers, forerunners of today's People's Liberation Army, began their strategic retreat in 1934. They endured raging rivers, snow-capped mountains, and vast grasslands -- some marching as far as 12,500 kilometers -- before finally reaching Yan'an in Shaanxi Province in northwest China in 1936, where they established the CPC headquarters before the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

Immersive red cultural experience at Loushan Pass recreates key victory in Long March