Young readers explore authors' real worlds

Reconnecting with roots

On a deeper level, many young people today are developing a growing appreciation for China's history and cultural heritage. Literature-inspired travel is not only an aesthetic experience but also a journey to reconnect with their cultural roots, says Xia Xuemin, a researcher at the Institute for Public Policy of Zhejiang University.

Macheng Road in the Xihu district of Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, was once home to Li Qingzhao, one of China's most celebrated poets from nearly 1,000 years ago. Fang Jiayi, a visitor passionate about classical poetry, came all the way to take a look at the road after learning about its history.

"Despite the passage of time, the name Macheng Road has endured," she says. "Walking through a place where Li Qingzhao once lived makes history feel more tangible and alive."

Fiction becomes destination

Some localities have been quick to tap into the newfound enthusiasm. Even once-obscure towns that rarely featured on tourists' itineraries are now seeing opportunities. Shendang township in Haiyan county, Zhejiang, is a case in point.

"A sputtering boat carried us along an extended river toward the town called Sundang," wrote Yu Hua, a popular contemporary novelist native to Haiyan, in his novel Cries in the Drizzle. The fictional town Sundang was inspired by the real-world town of Shendang.

In recent years, Shendang has launched a "Yu Hua Literary Map" that turns locations from the writer's works into real-world destinations, with reenacted scenes where visitors can even sit down at the dinner depicted in the novel and order a portion of stir-fried pork liver and yellow rice wine, just like Yu Hua's hero does.

"By giving literary IP a physical presence, our once little-known town has been winning over more and more young visitors," says Pang Weihua, deputy general manager of Haiyan Shendang Brewing Co.

Similar destinations include the Changbai Mountain scenic area in China's northeast, which has created themed spaces, concerts and interactive events that allow fans of The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, a contemporary Chinese novel series, to relive key moments from the story.

Changbai Mountain serves as the setting for the story's famous "10-year promise", in which two protagonists agree to reunite there after a decade. Every August, thousands of readers make the pilgrimage to Changbai Mountain to "keep the appointment", turning a fictional promise into a real-world gathering.

As literary tourism continues to gain momentum, Xia believes its long-term success will depend on more than viral attractions and social media buzz. Destinations should take a more systematic approach to uncovering and showcasing their literary resources while cultivating a distinctive cultural identity, allowing literature to become more organically and deeply woven into the fabric of the city, Xia says.