Lollipop sparks tourism debate

The new economy

China's tourism market continues to expand. During the five-day May Day holiday, domestic trips reached 325 million, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Tourism spending rose 2.9 percent to 185.5 billion yuan ($27.1 billion).

At the same time, travelers are increasingly seeking interactive and emotionally engaging experiences rather than traditional sightseeing alone.

According to market consultancy iiMedia Research, China's "emotion economy" — consumer spending driven by emotional connection, social interaction and immersive participation — reached 2.31 trillion yuan in 2024 and is projected to grow to 4.5 trillion yuan by 2029.

NPC performers have emerged at the center of that trend. Scenic areas across China now employ actors portraying historical, literary or fictional characters who interact directly with tourists. A successful NPC can generate repeat visits and, in some cases, nationwide online attention.

The rapid growth of the industry has produced sharply different styles.

Some performances rely heavily on exaggerated physical interaction and short-video appeal. Others focus more on storytelling and cultural interpretation.

In Tangshan, in North China's Hebei province, for example, an NPC portraying the Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai has become a popular attraction by improvising classical poetry, exchanging couplets with visitors and offering humorous advice to young tourists. The character has drawn repeat family visitors without relying on controversy or provocative interactions.

The commercial impact of successful NPC performances has been significant.

In Kaifeng, in Central China's Henan province, Wansui Mountain resort introduced a matchmaking character based on Wang Po from the classic Chinese novel Outlaws of the Marsh, also known as The Water Margin. The elderly matchmaker character became a viral sensation online. According to the resort, annual revenue reached 1.27 billion yuan in 2025, up sharply from three years earlier. The resort now stages more than 2,000 performances daily and employs over 1,000 NPC performers.

In Changchun Zoological and Botanical Park, in Northeast China's Jilin province, a performer portraying the Monkey King from Journey to the West gained national attention after joking during a performance that snacks, including dry rice crackers thrown by visitors, were "too dry". The clip spread widely online, and the performer later became known as "Snow Cake Monkey" after those crackers. The park authorities expect annual attendance to reach 3 million visitors in 2025, compared with around 700,000 previously.

For Zeng Bowei, director of the research center for China's tourism economy and policy at Beijing Union University, the NPC boom reflects broader changes within China's tourism market.

"About 80 to 90 percent of China's roughly 16,000 A-grade scenic spots face a certain degree of homogenization," Zeng says. "Not every destination has world-famous natural scenery. In a highly competitive market, relying only on landscapes is no longer enough."

He points out that demand for immersive participation accelerated after the pandemic.

"Tourists no longer simply want to sightsee, they want interaction and participation. NPCs meet that demand," he explains.

At the same time, growing competition among scenic areas has increased pressure on operators to attract online attention.

"Trip numbers are increasing, but per capita spending is declining. Operators are under pressure to find lower-cost ways to generate visibility," he adds.