Anyang’s Cultural and Tourism Market Booms in Horse Year Spring Festival

Exploring the profoundness of civilization through oracle bones, encountering the romance of an ancient capital in the dim light, and feeling the warmth of folk customs from intangible cultural heritage (ICH) performances — during the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, Anyang City in Henan Province launched 236 characteristic cultural and tourism activities. A total of 68 A-level scenic spots in the city received nearly 2.8 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 26.74%, achieving a "good start" for cultural and tourism in the new year.

As a world-famous historical and cultural city, Anyang boasts numerous historical relics and cultural sites. Coinciding with the Year of the Horse this year, various cultural and museum venues in Anyang launched a series of exhibitions and interactive activities centered on the Horse Year theme.

The National Museum of Chinese Writing held two special exhibitions, namely "The Last Song of Yirong — Life Story of Wang Yirong" and "Splendor Recorded on Bamboo Slips — Warring States Bamboo Slips Collected by Anhui University". It also launched supporting activities such as the fantasy popular science musical "Museum Adventure: Where Are the Chinese Characters", which boosted the popularity of the exhibitions.

The Yinxu Museum organized the special exhibition "Oracle Bones Shocking the World, National Territory Flourishing — Calligraphy and Epigraphic Collections of Wang Yirong", along with interactive educational activities including "Finding ‘Horse’ Traces in Oracle Bones" puzzle game and "Lego Chariot and Horse Formation" building. These activities allowed young people to explore the origin of Chinese characters through games. The Anyang Museum held the "Ancient Ye Horse Charm · Qiji Presents Auspiciousness" exhibition of collected cultural relics for the Bingwu Year of the Horse and a special exhibition of Nanyang Han Dynasty stone carvings, enabling tourists to appreciate the diverse regional culture. The Caocao’s Gaoling Ruins Museum launched seven characteristic activities such as lantern shows and scripted tours, creating an immersive Three Kingdoms culture experience that integrates ancient and modern elements and combines dynamic and static experiences.

A series of immersive performances have brought the 3,000-year-old Yin-Shang civilization out of books, turning it into tangible cultural and tourism experiences for tourists. Premium performances such as "Reappearance · Great Shang Capital", "Oracle Bone Feathers" and "Mulberry Forest Prayer" took tourists back in time to experience the grandeur of the Yin-Shang period. The interesting "Qiji Gallop · Welcome the New Year" chariot experience became a must-visit activity for parent-child families.