Tourism's technological transformation

As digital technology has restructured social production methods, ways of thinking and modes of communication, culture and art are increasingly manifesting in digital forms. Pioneers and experts in the fields of digital technology applications, art, culture and tourism gathered at the 21st China Forum on International Cultural Industries in Beijing in early January to share experiences and explore opportunities to promote the in-depth integration of related sectors, with travel as a major focal point.

The forum was hosted by Peking University under the theme of developing a strong socialist culture and a modern Chinese civilization.

In Langfang, Hebei province, digital innovations have been intertwined with traditional Chinese culture at the Unique Dream of Red Mansion, a theme park based on the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novel Dream of the Red Chamber, which recounts aspects of ancient China, such as its social life and customs, Yu Feng, general manager of the park's operation company, told the forum.

The company has developed the digital travel platform, Xiaowa. "It can seamlessly accompany travelers throughout their visits," Yu says.

Before a trip, Xiaowa acts as a travel planner and creates intelligent itineraries. During the trip, Xiaowa provides real-time insights and smart recommendations.

"Every visitor can get a personalized schedule and conduct their activities accordingly," Yu says.

For example, once the schedule is confirmed, visitors can compare it with the current conditions, including continuously updated information about lines for various performances at the Unique Dream of Red Mansion park. That's not to mention dining, shopping and special events.

"Throughout the entire visit, our mini program features a powerful set of functions, including live broadcasts, ticket reservations and, more importantly, interactive functions like navigation," Yu says, adding that a massive data platform supports these capabilities.

This is related to the scheduling system that not only integrates with the front-end display but also provides a clear layout for back-end tasks related to personnel situations like work shifts and duties, emergencies and related adjustments.

The application enables visitors to better immerse themselves in traditional Chinese culture at the park and has helped to draw in many patrons since it launched in July. More than 10,000 travelers flocked to the attraction on New Year's Eve.

Virtual visits

Qiu Wenzhong, director of the administration of Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, says the Qing Dynasty emperors' seasonal resort has been undergoing digitalization since 2009.

"In the digital age, due to reasons such as distance, time constraints and other factors … digitization provides us with an excellent supplement and a great alternative," Qiu says. But he says he believes real-life immersion still provides the best experience.

"We scanned the site, studied various relics and combined historical documents, samples and Qing Dynasty engineering practices to digitally restore a large number of buildings," Qiu recalls.

"It is precisely because of this extensive foundational and cultural research that Yuanmingyuan now has rich cultural content. Based on this research foundation, we have developed cultural and creative digital products and re-creations of certain scenes."

The park now offers a 720-degree "time-travel" experience, which takes travelers back to the historical glory of Yuanmingyuan through digital technology. Visitors can witness the past and present of Yuanmingyuan, which is presented not only in its entirety, including its former architectural appearance, but also through interesting anecdotes and re-enactments of past scenes. The goal is to ensure the experiential project is not just about observation but truly immerses visitors so that they feel like active participants.

Such tech-powered operations have enhanced traveler experience at Yuanmingyuan.

The time-travel experience has produced great results, Qiu says. Over 1,000 people — about 80 percent of its capacity — visited per day on most days during last year's school summer vacation period, he says.

"The market is the best touchstone," Qiu says.

"The ultimate success of our projects lies in how well they are presented and ultimately contribute to cultural communication."

Yuanmingyuan is also planning to run a mixed-reality electric tour bus.

"In the digital age, embracing new technologies to create new cultural and tourism (experiences) … is inevitable," Qiu says.

Tang Jinnan, Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication's Party secretary, says that this is an era of convergence and transformation, and it's crucial to reconfigure and stabilize existing structures.

Tang says he regards successful innovative cultural and tourism experiences, including Unique Dream of Red Mansion, as endeavors to present past traditions through new technologies.

"Whether it was drawing by hand in the past, using a computer now or incorporating artificial intelligence, the essence remains unchanged. Therefore, the logic of how we empower these cultural elements has not changed," Tang says.

"We have already explored some aspects in this regard. And when artificial intelligence truly pays large-scale and significant dividends, new successes will undoubtedly emerge in China."

Central Academy of Fine Arts' School of Design professor Fei Jun highlights technology's role in content creation. He believes AI's full extended perception capabilities are yet to be fully unlocked.

Fei has been working with a mathematician and a psychologist over the past four years to create an "emotional geometry" series.

"We visualize human emotions through a combination of mathematics, psychology and an empathetic artistic approach," he says.

Through internet technology, the emotional geometry has been translated into "emotional cuisine" served in a bar. "When a visitor places their hands on the bar, we collect data about their heart rates to display their current emotional state on a screen in front of them," Fei says.

Then a robotic arm to the left of the screen mixes a beverage or cocktail tailored to their respective emotional state. Additionally, a seven-course banquet was developed, with each dish customized according to the emotions of each diner.

"We've integrated art, dining and mixed-reality experiences to create an immersive culinary journey that not only provides a contextualized dining experience but also serves as a multisensory and artistic therapeutic encounter," Fei says.

In December, Fei and his team established an "emotional theater "at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

"The audience uses the interactive devices we provide to experience performances featuring music and visuals generated specifically according to their emotions," Fei says.

Fei believes these projects may offer practical approaches for exploring the collaborative relationship between human and machine creators.

"We can see that AI serves as a provider of materials used by human creators. In this role, AI is more like a sous chef preparing ingredients, while human creators act as the head chefs, using the materials provided by the sous chefs for the creative process," Fei says.

Xiang Yong, Peking University's Institute for Cultural Industries head, says all parties need to continually unleash cultural development's vitality through institutional innovation and showcase the character of the human-oriented economy.

This involves promoting the digital transformation of cultural production, empowering cultural creativity for rural vitalization and urban renewal, achieving cross-disciplinary innovation and industrial integration in cultural creativity, and making cultural inheritance and development a strategic focus for value creation.