On July 4, 2026, as ten thousand lanterns flickered to life across the ancient city walls, Xiangshan Film City in Ningbo launched its “Tang-Song Marvelous Night” summer event — and the response was immediate. Early-bird tickets had already sold 85,000 units before opening night, signaling the scale of anticipation surrounding this immersive night-tour experience built around two of 2026’s hottest costume dramas.
The night tour’s biggest draw is its 1:1 recreation of core settings from The First Jasmine (Mo Li) and Worry-Free Crossing (Wu You Du), the two period dramas that have dominated Chinese streaming charts this summer. The “Prince’s Palace” zone replicates the main hall and study from The First Jasmine with production-level fidelity, including original props and screen-accurate set dressing. The “Peach Blossom Palace” — opened for nighttime visits for the first time — uses warm LED ribbon lighting to outline Tang and Song palace architecture, recreating signature scenes from The First Jasmine that have become social media photo magnets.
On Xiangyang City Wall, a large-scale performance “With You, Never Part” fuses 3D projection mapping, high-altitude fireworks, wire-rigged phoenix flight effects, and live flame projections into a spectacle drawn from The First Jasmine’s storyline. Over on the Tang City water area, the ICH show “Peaceful Crossing” features water jet-flyers, iron-spark fireworks (datiehua), and fire-pot displays — a water-and-fire fusion spectacle that transforms traditional folk performance art into a cinematic experience.
Hanfu and Cosplay Visitors Enter Free
Xiangshan Film City has introduced three free-entry policies for the summer season. 2026 graduating middle-school and high-school students can enter free by presenting their exam admission tickets. Visitors wearing a complete hanfu outfit — or a full cosplay of The First Jasmine or Worry-Free Crossing character costumes — also receive complimentary night-tour admission. Content creators with 100,000-plus Douyin followers or 10,000-plus Xiaohongshu followers qualify for free entry as well.
The hanfu-free-entry policy has proven particularly popular. Staff across the park wear period costumes and have been trained in the etiquette gestures seen in The First Jasmine, creating an environment where every interaction — from ticket checks to food stall orders — unfolds within an immersive historical frame. Over one hundred period-costume NPCs roam the grounds, enacting street performances ranging from market hawking to martial-arts challenges, ensuring that the “living ancient city” atmosphere extends beyond staged shows into every corner of the visitor experience.
Summer Extras: Water Play, Ice World, and Night Market
Beyond the drama-themed core, the summer program adds family-friendly diversions. A “ancient-style water-splash arena” at the Dali Imperial Palace zone turns into a splash-battle playground. A 5,000-square-meter ice and snow entertainment zone reopened with new sled runs and a 5D theater. The classic “Peace Elite” live stunt show runs nightly, and the suspense-adventure “Living Dead Tomb” maze offers an after-dark thriller experience.
The star-music plaza has been upgraded into an ancient-style night market, where crayfish, craft beer, Song-dynasty snacks, and ICH creative merchandise share space under open skies — allowing visitors to eat, drink, and shop while watching light shows overhead. The overall effect is a layered summer night destination that pairs cultural spectacle with casual relaxation.
Period Drama Tourism Hits a New Scale
Xiangshan’s Tang-Song Marvelous Night illustrates how China’s period-drama industry is evolving from passive viewing into participatory experience. By building physical environments that let visitors step inside the worlds they watch on screen — and incentivizing hanfu and cosplay participation through free admission — the film city has turned a summer entertainment program into a cultural event that draws its energy from the intersection of streaming content, heritage fashion, and immersive tourism. The 85,000 pre-sale tickets suggest that audiences are ready to pay for exactly this kind of crossover experience.