Nowadays, young audiences are increasingly dissatisfied with the traditional format of "passive viewing." They are looking forward to more interaction, and thus immersive performing arts spaces have emerged. Located at the Wangjing Jiarui Cultural Center in the Chaoyang District, "Hua Hua Land" is such a space project co-founded by Mahua FunAge and the Chaoyang Cultural and Tourism Group. Coming here is like being in a small theater town. In a compact space, there are several areas including the A66 Theatre, Game Drama Space, Stage One Music Drama Bar, and Mahua FunAge Drama Creation Center, covering a range of functions from play creation and immersive viewing to game interaction and dining socializing.
"Hua Hua Land" has become a successful attempt in Beijing to advance the construction of distinctive performing arts spaces and create a new landmark for one-stop immersive experiences. The space uses theatrical culture as a beacon, exploring new paths for the supply-side reform of cultural and tourism consumption, and also provides a new check-in spot for tourists from other places.
Immersive performances invite the audience to feast
"Thank you all for attending our master's birthday banquet, please come inside!" "Butler Xiao Wang' warmly greets the visitors arriving at 'Hua Hua Land," inviting them to enter. Stepping into this new space signifies the start of the performance. Even the most basic act of entering becomes part of the show, as the actors are already in character—this is the charm of immersive theater. Currently, the interactive comedy "The Hustle Dinner" is being performed at the "Mahua FunAge · Hua Hua World" A66 Theater. The actors interact closely with the audience, showcasing enticing songs and dances along with impressive acting, allowing the audience to fully indulge in the drama.
Stepping into the A66 Theater, one is transported to Shanghai in the 1930s with its Moon Gate, red velvet curtains, vintage colored lights, and old-fashioned telephones—elements that resemble the historic Paramount dance hall. Rows of long tables and dining chairs are neatly arranged, clearly setting the scene of a banquet hall. Unlike traditional theaters with a clear separation between stage and audience seating, this space breaks down the barriers between performers and spectators. The audience feels less like they are watching a play and more like they are attending a banquet, complete with food and drinks.
This distinctive performing arts space revolutionizes the traditional viewing model, enhancing interaction between actors and the audience and creating a new cultural and entertainment experience that combines auditory and visual pleasure with social leisure. It moves the experience of theater from a small, single setting into a large-scale, one-stop consumption scene that encompasses eating, drinking, and entertainment, forming a "Drama+" product model.
"Hua Hua World" combines performance with Beijing cultural elements. For instance, it collaborates with dining brands to offer special performances featuring "Douzhi" (fermented bean drink), allowing the audience to enjoy authentic Beijing snacks right in the theater. During traditional festivals or seasonal changes, foods such as dumplings and zongzi (rice dumplings) are also served in the theater.
Since its debut on December 24, 2022, "Hua Hua World" has hosted approximately 800 performances, becoming one of the first fifteen performing arts space projects cultivated in Beijing. The resident show "The Hustle Dinner" has been nominated for the national list of outstanding tourism and performing arts productions.
Exploring the deep integration of culture, commerce, and travel
As the plot twists unfold in the small theater, next door in "Imaginable Land – Bao Lai House," a light and shadow drama amusement park is in full swing. This script-based entertainment space includes 10 different style rooms for light and shadow games, accommodating nearly a hundred players. Players can choose a princess to support in her quest for the throne, or they may switch allegiances mid-game, offering a high degree of freedom. Various games allow players to earn "gold coins." When tired, players can visit the bar for a drink or head to the "Fairy Clothes Shop" to change outfits and take photos...
Staff explain that the use of performances and games linked through interaction distinguishes "Imaginable Land" from traditional script murder games. Depending on the players' choices, different endings are generated, enticing players to play repeatedly, either individually or in groups, with a fresh experience each time.
Just a few dozen meters along the drama block is the Stage One Music Drama Bar. This bar is divided into two levels: the upper level is a 1000 square meter city-view rooftop bar, which has become a "must-visit rooftop" in Beijing; the lower level is a nearly 400 square meter indoor music and drama performance space with a streamlined, irregularly shaped stage interspersed among the booths, allowing the audience to watch the performances up close. This place is both a bar and a venue for drama and pop music performances.
Mr. Hu, a patron of Stage One, frequently visits whenever he has friends from out of town in Beijing. He brings them here to enjoy a drink while watching a show. "I've seen the pub shows "Burning" and "Chicago Nights" here; the live band has a lot of improvisation, and each performance is unique."
"Hua Hua World" has provided a "one-stop" solution to the comprehensive cultural and entertainment consumption needs of urban dwellers. A representative from the Chaoyang District Culture and Tourism Bureau explained that as an exploration of the crossover between the performing arts entertainment industry and commerce, the new performing arts space has effectively driven the development of surrounding businesses and related industries. Small theaters and new spaces not only promote the integration of commerce, travel, culture, and sports, thereby injecting new vitality into the industry, but they also develop into a 'complete' form that combines performances, dining, and leisure entertainment. This development connects the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry, as well as the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) aspects, forming a more complete industrial chain. This not only creates new cultural and social consumption scenes but also allows for intersections between performing arts entertainment and commercial retail, achieving a symbiotic and mutually beneficial outcome.
Integration of performing arts with urban spaces
Last year, Chaoyang District identified the first batch of 12 spaces that are leading in innovation in aspects such as performance settings, forms of performance, audience engagement, experiential quality, spatial content, and consumption models. This year, the Chaoyang District introduced policies to support the development of the 'Capital of Performing Arts' which includes 27 measures to aid this initiative, with about 8 new performing arts spaces currently in the process of being recognized.
Additionally, the Chaoyang District Culture and Tourism Bureau has planned and conducted a series of cultural activities that offer performing arts experiences. Since this year, the 2024 Beijing Chaoyang City Walk International Garden City Stroll Weekend Concert and the 2024 Beijing Forest Festival have been held consecutively. "Street performers" have conducted small band performances in parks, business districts, and other areas, allowing the public to watch, listen, and relax while on the move.
Entering a new phase in building the "Capital of Performing Arts", Chaoyang District is continuously refining the performing arts market system, promoting the healthy and prosperous development of the performing arts industry. "We will also encourage the flourishing of large, medium, and small performing arts events and create internationally renowned concert brands. A key focus will be to build the "Sanlitun-Liangma River International Cultural and Performing Arts District" and develop the "Sanlitun, Chaowai, and Liangma River" three major distinctive performing arts communities. Through introducing and nurturing performing arts agencies and promoting the aggregation of related business types within the performing arts industry chain, we aim to enhance and upgrade the quality of the performing arts industry," said the official. Chaoyang District aims to achieve over 20,000 commercial performances annually by 2025, with an audience of 4 million and performance revenues of 800 million yuan.
Translator: JIANG Yuanqin
Reviewer: BAI Jing
