Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s Henan province, opened the largest immersive theatre complex in the world on June 6, 2021, known as Unique Henan – Land of Drama. It is designed as a self-guided maze and comprises 56 courtyards, 21 theatres, 800 actors, 700 show minutes, a hotel, and a themed F&B. The attraction, which took four years to complete, covers an area of 41 hectares and received an investment of 6 billion yuan ($926 million).
Unique Henan is designed as a self-guided maze and comprises 56 courtyards, 21 theatres, 800 actors, 700 show minutes, a hotel, and a themed F&B
It is one of the largest and longest performing theater complexes in China, with 21 theaters of various sizes and nearly 1,000 actors, divided into 3 main plays and 18 smaller plays, with a total play length of nearly 700 minutes. According to Where Zhengzhou, the complex is “based on the Yellow River civilization, it is to showcase the charm of drama culture through immersive performances themed on land, food and inheritance”.
‘As long as you walk into the “Land of Dramas”, after 3 minutes, it will control your feet; after 13 minutes, it will control your eyes; after 23 minutes, it will control your emotions; and when you walk out of the theater, it will control your heart’
Land of Dramas’ Chief Conceptualist, Chief Director, and Chief Scriptwriter Wang Chaoge, a leading figure in China’s cultural industry, has created the “Seeing” and “Impressions” series, which are evergreen productions in Pingyao, Dunhuang, West Lake, and other tourist destinations in China. But the effort it took to create “Land of Dramas” was unprecedented for her, because it is not just a play, but a whole theater kingdom. She had the audacity to say, as long as you walk into the “Land of Dramas”, after 3 minutes, it will control your feet; after 13 minutes, it will control your eyes; after 23 minutes, it will control your emotions; and when you walk out of the theater, it will control your heart.
Photography by ArchExist
