Who would have thought that binge-watching dramas could literally bring the experience to your doorstep? On February 8, the world's first iQiyi theme park officially opened its doors to visitors along the banks of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Yangzhou. This indoor theme park, centered on "domestically created IP and cutting-edge technology," brings classic film and TV IPs such as "The Knockout," "Love Between Fairy and Devil," and "Mysterious Lotus Casebook" from the screen into reality. Inside the park, a replica of Gao Qiqiang's old residence from "The Knockout" was crowded with visitors taking photos, while long, winding queues formed outside the full-sensory theater waiting to experience "Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty." The enthusiasm of young audiences underscores the growing demand for offline entertainment experiences. iQiyi Founder and CEO Gong Yu stated in an exclusive interview that the launch of the park is not accidental but an inevitable choice as the film and television industry evolves. It represents a new exploration into upgrading the tourism industry and innovating cultural sectors.
Standing in the immersive stage performance area of "Mysterious Lotus Casebook," audiences gasped in amazement at scenes of suspended raindrops and fluttering costumes on stage. In Gong Yu's view, film and television and theme parks are naturally intertwined. The concept of a "park" was part of iQiyi's development framework as early as 2009 during its preparatory phase. The realization of the Yangzhou park reflects a deep consideration of the value of film and TV IP. Over the past decades, the exploitation of IP value in China's film and television industry has largely remained at the level of online streaming and copyright transactions. The emergence of the iQiyi park transforms IP from "content on a screen" into "tangible, experiential encounters."
How are film and TV IPs transformed into real-world experiences? Gong Yu explained that they integrate diverse content from films, animations, and variety shows through formats like full-sensory theaters and interactive light-and-shadow spaces, allowing visitors to step into the ghost market of Chang'an from "Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty" or the vast grasslands of "To the Wonder," becoming participants in the storyline. This experience not only extends the emotional value of the IP but also adds a new dimension to film and television creation. iQiyi plans ahead during the content development phase, converting props and sets into digital assets and reserving entry points for offline experiences, enabling mutual empowerment between online content and offline engagement. Simultaneously, the park opens up a new commercial track for the film and television industry, extending IP value from memberships and advertising to offline experiences and derivative product consumption, fully activating the entire lifecycle value of film and TV IP. As Gong Yu noted, Disney's parks and consumer products business has become a core segment accounting for over 70% of its profits, demonstrating the immense potential of offline experiences for film and TV IP. iQiyi's asset-light model makes this exploration more suitable for China's market environment.
Why was Yangzhou chosen as the location? On opening day, many young people traveled by high-speed rail to visit in groups, while local families came for the experience—this perhaps serves as the best answer. Gong Yu indicated that selecting Yangzhou was a rational decision based on multiple considerations: the city has a sufficient population and GDP scale, ample tourist traffic, and a relative scarcity of immersive entertainment options, meaning market demand is not yet fully met. The scale of a mid-sized city also provides an ideal testing ground for refining this new model.
Unlike the heavy-asset, large-footprint models of Disney and Universal Studios, the Yangzhou park focuses on being "compact, rapidly iterative, and highly interactive." Its 10,000 to 20,000 square meters of indoor space enables year-round operation, avoiding seasonal fluctuations in visitor numbers. The use of VR, AR, and XR technologies allows for极致 immersive experiences even within smaller spaces. The experiential IPs within the park will be continuously updated to keep pace with changing public tastes, ensuring the park's ongoing appeal.
On opening day, visitors completed a full cycle of experiential consumption—from photographing film and TV scenes, to engaging with technological interactions, purchasing IP merchandise, and enjoying themed dining. iQiyi's operational logic is to create a closed loop of "online discovery—offline experience—social sharing." It attracts visitors through the traffic effect of film and TV IPs, then drives secondary consumption through immersive experiences, transforming tourism consumption from mere "sightseeing" into emotionally valuable "experiences."
Gong Yu revealed that future theme parks are planned for cities like Kaifeng and Beijing. This model provides cultural destinations with distinct cultural identities and offers a replicable template for the tourism industry's transition from "check-in economy" to "experience economy."
In the future, over 1,000 virtual characters from the Tao Dou World will "arrive" beside audiences. People will be able to extend their online interaction records to offline experiences via their smartphones. This plan embodies Gong Yu's vision of "technology empowering cultural dissemination." He stated that the park's core lies in "domestically created IP plus cutting-edge technology." Using advanced technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, Chinese stories can be传播 in more vivid ways. Whether it's the traditional suspense of "Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty," the ethnic charm of "To the Wonder," or the martial arts spirit of "Mysterious Lotus Casebook," these IPs rooted in Chinese culture are restored and interpreted through technology, allowing visitors to appreciate the charm of Chinese culture during immersive experiences. This method of dissemination is more impactful than mere content output and brings cultural传播 closer to the public.
Gong Yu believes that although this is just the beginning, experiential businesses like theme parks will inevitably become a major trend and represent another growth curve for iQiyi following its overseas operations. For the entire cultural industry, the exploration of new theme parks demonstrates that the cultural sector can break away from traditional models, achieving deep integration of culture, technology, and entertainment through asset-light, rapidly iterative approaches, making the cultural industry a new driver for consumption upgrade.