"Ancient Pingyao Once Again" becomes culture brand of Shanxi

Updated:2015-12-14 08:45
( chinadaily.com.cn)

Actors on stage, Nov 5. It is a scene of "Ancient Pingyao Once Again". [Photo/Xinhua]

Since its debut on Feb 18, 2013, the indoor experiential play "Ancient Pingyao Once Again" has ran nearly 1800 performances, with more than 1,040,000 people in the audience. Now it has been considered as an important brand of cultural tourism industry in Shanxi province, according to reports of Shanxi Evening News.

"Ancient Pingyao Once Again" presents the provincial unique culture including Shanxi Merchants culture, escort culture, clan culture and the diet culture in Shanxi to the audience in a theatrical way.

Zhao Yishuo, the lead actor of the play was the boss of an escort agency in Pingyao during late Qing Dynasty. He spent all his fortune just for saving a son of his employee, who was kidnapped in Russia. After they rescue the boy seven years later, at the end of the story, Zhao and his 232 escorts all die on the way back to Pingyao.

The reports also say that the indoor experiential play has exerted a positive influence in Pingyao’s development. Visitors to Pingyao have extended their stay in the city for an extra of 1.5 hours on average and the city’s tourism economic benefits got enhanced significantly.