Splendid China to stage new shows for Chinese New Year

With the Chinese New Year approaching, the Splendid China • China Folk Culture Villages theme park will present an “Intangible Heritage Chinese New Year” festival from Feb. 15 to March 3, featuring immersive performances, folk displays and a large-scale lantern event.

A view of Emerald Lake Fantasy, the park’s new large-scale water spectacle. Courtesy of Splendid China.

The festival’s centerpiece is a new large-scale water spectacle, Emerald Lake Fantasy, staged on the park’s Cuihu (Emerald Lake). Set across a 20,000-square-meter water stage with a 360-degree immersive viewing area, the production combines a 100-meter water dragon, floating island stages, water-blast effects, lasers and aerial wirework. Traditional performance forms — including iron-flower and fire-pot displays, the Dong people’s grand chorus and the Nuo dance — are fused with modern technology and stagecraft.

Visitors explore the Impression China: Peking Opera Immersive Block.

Also debuting is Impression China: Peking Opera Immersive Block, which brings Peking Opera out of the theater and into an interactive, street-style zone. Visitors can learn about the art’s origins, watch classic excerpts, try creative face-painting and take part in motion-sensing digital learning experiences.

A new intangible-heritage program will showcase traditional mounted archery through live performances, an immersive archery experience and a dedicated museum. The project recreates ancient mounted-archery rituals and techniques while adding interactive elements for visitors.

During the festival, more than 100 intangible heritage performances and folk activities will be presented, including dragon and lion dances, Yingge and Fish-Lantern dances, Wing Chun demonstrations and Peking Opera. Special highlights include the Chaoshan Cloth-horse dance and the daring single-log rafting act, noted for their technical difficulty and strong visual appeal.

Visitors admire a series of large-scale, horse-shaped lanterns.

At night, a 530,000-square-meter lantern festival will illuminate the park. More than 40 themed, large-scale lantern installations will transform the grounds into a dynamic nighttime walking experience.

To welcome the Year of the Horse, the park has launched a range of special offers from Feb. 15 to March 3. Visitors surnamed Ma or born in the Year of the Horse can buy half-price tickets for 110 yuan (US$16); those who are both surnamed Ma and born in the Year of the Horse will receive free admission. Seniors aged 60 and above can also buy half-price tickets for 110 yuan; those aged 70 and above are admitted free. In addition, male seniors aged 60 and above and female seniors aged 55 and above can purchase an annual pass at a discounted price of 199 yuan.