Wukong, the black Monkey King, Becomes the Best Cultural Ambassador of Shanxi

Black Myth: Wukong, the game based on a piece of literature known by every Chinese, has become an instant global hit since its release on 19 August 2024, and its popularity continues to grow.

According to Video Game Insights, the sales of Black Myth: Wukong are still stepping up. More than 16 million units have been sold, with a total revenue of more than $760 million (approximately 5.3 billion RMB).

As China’s first AAA (triple-A) game, Black Myth: Wukong is an action role-playing game based on the story of Journey to the West – an classical Chinese legendary novel.

In the game, players take on the role of the “Destined One” and embark on an adventure through a fantasy Eastern world. The game features temples, buildings, and sculptures that have been meticulously recreated using panoramic 3D scanning techniques of 36 real-world ancient structures in China.

The collision between the AAA game and AAAAA (5A) tourist attractions in China has ignited sparks

Kang Jinloong (亢金龙), an NPC in the game, is created based on the 28 constellations from the Yuhuang Temple (玉皇庙) in Jin Cheng, Shanxi. And real-world ancient sites such as the Xiaoxi Tian in Xixian (隰县小西天), the Yungang Grottoes in Datong (大同云冈石窟), and the Wooden Pagoda in Shuozhou (朔州应县木塔) are just some of the hidden surprises for the players to discover, and when they found these places in the game, they commented “it’s hard to distinguish between reality and the game.”

Of the 36 locations featured in the game, 27 are in Shanxi (山西) province, China, which has gained immediate popularity among game players.

At the day the game was released, ticket sales at the Xiaoxi Tian in Xixian increased by 300% compared to the same period of previous year, according to Ctrip. Similarly, the number of daily visitors at the Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian reached new highs.

Even Shanxi’s official tourism bureau has seen rapid growth of followers on their social media channels. From August 19 to 25, Shanxi’s official Douyin account has published 31 new posts, but has acquired 86,800 new followers in 6 days, and has received 1.2654 million likes. The performance of its Douyin profile make it rank in the top 3 on the overall travel industry index.

Tourism Industry’s Rapid Reaction to the Huge Momentum

Chinese OTAs quickly launched “Black Myth: Wukong” themed campaigns

Ctrip developed several “game-inspired” itineraries, such as a 12-day Shanxi tour and a 3-day Datong tour. These trips cover several locations filmed in the game, like the Yungang Grottoes, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, and Hanging Temple.

Meituan launched a set of hotel vouchers focused on Shanxi locations that are showcased in the game. The campaign titled Scenic Tour: Appreciate the Majestic Ancient Architecture with Wukong (取景地巡礼: 跟着悟空欣赏华彩古建) currently ranks the 4th nationwide on Meituan’s hotel trendy list. Furthermore, the promotion page even offers different types of travel guides for people who want to “Visit Temples,” “Worship Buddha,” or “Explore Natural Scenery,” and also strongly promoted hotels near Yungang Grottoes and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.

Behind the Scene: Why does Wukong, the black Monkey King work?

The Monkey King has brought thousands of tourists to Shanxi overnight. The success is partially driven by the influence of Journey to the West, a piece of classical literature known by every Chinese from their childhood, and also partially attribute to the rich history of Shanxi.

Shanxi boasts 421 out of 2,165 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in China. This number is the highest among all provinces or municipalities in the country. In the 3rd nationwide surveys of cultural heritage, Shanxi also has 28,640 architectures made to the list, also the highest in the country.

But for a long time, Shanxi, and its ancient architectures, are like deeply buried gold that does not shine.

Previously, most of Shanxi’s ancient architectures are only known by enthusiasts of history. As the game gained immediate popularity, these ancient architecture were also pushed into the spotlight; but this time, they are not only attracting fans of ancient architectures, but also worshiped by gamer players, travelers and millions of netizens.

On Douyin and Xiaohongshu, an increasing number of videos about Black Myth: Wukong are being added every day. Some vloggers showed how they followed the game to visit all these locations filmed in the game. These videos cover various aspects about Shanxi, such as its history, culture, geography, cuisine, and architectural style. And many viewers have commented that they have developed an interest in ancient architectures because of the game and are eager to visit these places.

However, it takes more than just internet popularity

In fact, Shanxi’s actions began much earlier than expected.

Two years ago, Shanxi Provincial Department Of Culture and Tourism (山西省文化和旅游厅) had already started collaboration with the Black Myth: Wukong‘s development team.

Qing Zhang, Director of the Promotion and Marketing Department of Shanxi Provincial Department Of Culture and Tourism, mentioned in an interview that the cooperation with the Black Myth: Wukong game developer began as early as July 2022.

Under the premise of protecting cultural relics and historical sites, Shanxi’s tourism department teamed up with the game developer to select filming locations during the game production, and also collaborated in the game’s promotion, releasing promo videos featuring Shanxi’s cultural heritage resources in alignment with the game’s promotion schedule.

On 1 July, 2022, Shanxi Provincial Department Of Culture and Tourism‘s official Bilibili account released its first video related to Black Myth: Wukong, providing an in-depth explanation of Shuanglin Temple (双林寺), one of the filming locations, alongside the game footage. They also launched a video series titled Tour Shanxi with Wukong (跟着悟空游山西). Before the game’s release, six videos had already been published in the series.

These video series had received huge amounts of attention and many viewers left comments, seeking for suggestions on travel itineraries, travel guides, game-themed souvenirs and etc. They immediately took actions and developed game-themed travel guides and itineraries.

Meanwhile, after the game release, a campaign A Summons to the Destined Ones (天命人集结令) was also launched by Shanxi Provincial Department Of Culture and Tourism, inviting the first batch of players who completed the game to travel for free, aiming to convert game players into tourists in real-life.

They even went extra miles rather than just targeting game players. Starting from August 24, Shanxi Provincial Department Of Culture and Tourism gradually opened previously inaccessible cultural heritage sites to the public, such as the Iron Buddha Temple (铁佛寺), the Twelve Zodiac Pavilion (十二元辰殿) and the Thirteen Star Pavilion (十三耀星殿) at the Jade Emperor Temple (玉皇庙), and the Fencheng ancient architecture complex (汾城古建筑群). Through limited access and online reservations, they aimed to protect the heritage sites while accommodating public demand for visits.

Game + cultural experiences: an isolated case or an innovative business model?

While there are definitely some strong chemical reactions between this game “Black Myth: Wukong” and Shanxi’s cultural experiences, there hasn’t been any phenomenal case yet. How can the tourism industry innovate leveraging the popularity of a successful game IP? How should the formula ‘game + cultural experience’ develop in the future?

Through digital technology, real-world cultural relics are brought to life, preserved in visual works, and can potentially reach an even broader audience. This approach stirs up game players’ interest in interacting with the real-world, by paying a visit to the places filmed in the games, thereby promoting local tourism market and creating synergy among different industries.

From game-themed travel itineraries in real-world, to embedded cultural elements in the games, the business model of ‘games + cultural experiences’ is becoming more diverse.

In addition, marketing efforts are crucial too. On one hand, collaborations with OTAs like Ctrip, Qunar, and Meituan Hotels can directly boost the tourism market, as these OTAs will develop game-themed itineraries, offer in-depth travel services, and cater the diversified needs of travelers. On the other hand, partnering with internet influencers can further explore opportunities in the entire travel industry landscape, covering related industries like food and transportation.

Equally important are the tourism services in reality. When a popular game brought thousands of tourists into a place overnight, can the local tourism experiences meet the expectation of these tourists? If local tourism sector is only chasing short-term interest without a well developed long-term vision, it is likely that these tourists may come for one visit only. After all, all trends will fade one day.

No one knows if the successful model of “Black Myth: Wukong + Cultural Experiences in Shanxi” can be replicated in future, but what is certain is, despite the popularity of visiting photogenic spots in social media, tourists will always need good quality services and unique experiences.

Have a question?