TV drama draws visitors to Hangzhou

Stories of a lesser-known, tumultuous era in Chinese history told in the latest hit TV series are bringing a number of curious fans to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where many of the exciting plots played out.

Though its Chinese name translates into "Peaceful Years", its stories depict emperors being overthrown one after another, bones strewn across battlefield ruins, and starving soldiers eating human flesh.

With the English name Swords into Plowshares, it has been referred to as the Chinese version of the popular drama series Game of Thrones by some netizens.

The show delves into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) period after the glorious Tang Dynasty (618-907), during which five short dynasties replaced each other on the Central Plains and 10 kingdoms controlled the southern parts, to form an unstable, multilateral power structure.

Hangzhou used to be the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom, one of the 10 kingdoms. Its emperors' surname was Qian. Recently, several attractions related to Wuyue culture welcomed numerous visitors; these included Qianwang Temple, which honors the five Wuyue kings, and Liuhe Pagoda, which was built by Qian Hongchu, the last Wuyue king, with the hope of calming the tides of the Qiantang River and protecting the local people.

The TV drama chronicles the story of Qian Hongchu, from his days as a carefree prince to being a ruler whose reign was marked by the surrender of the Wuyue territory to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), which unified China peacefully.

The Hangzhou government collaborated with the show's producer to release a stamp collection activity at six attractions, an immersive exhibition of Swords into Plowshares, as well as five travel routes connecting its Wuyue relics.

Man Man, who is avidly following the series, brought her friend to join in the stamp collection activity. She was deeply impressed by the plum blossom-covered Qianwang Temple. "The interior has been completely redecorated — fresh, festive, and full of the new year spirit, matching the drama scenes perfectly."

She said the activity has collected scattered knowledge about the Wuyue Kingdom into a complete cultural experience that combines education with tourism. At the same time, she said it becomes easier to understand a line from the opera, "If I could once again drink a cup of warm wine in peace, I would want for nothing."

"Against today's global context, we understand more deeply: we do not live in a peaceful world, but we are fortunate to live in a peaceful country. We must cherish the peace we have today," she added.

Thanks to the hit TV drama, the number of visitors to Qianwang Temple has increased by 30 to 40 percent year-on-year, a staff member from the water area management office of the West Lake scenic area told local media. Recently, the temple recorded more than 4,000 visitors per day.

The travel routes also include the Wuyue Culture Museum, the Wuyue Kingdom archaeological site park, Zhakou White Pagoda, and Qinghefang Historic Block.

Huo Xuan said he has never seen large tourist crowds at the Wuyue Culture Museum during weekdays.

"I saw many exquisite national treasures, such as colored porcelain. Just imagine: while the Central Plains were caught in years of endless wars, with commoners' lives worth no more than grass, the Wuyue Kingdom focused on developing its economy and trade, allowing people to live in peace and stability. How truly precious that was."

He said many people don't remember the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms because of the frequent changes of power. However, Hangzhou and Zhejiang benefited a lot from the Qian family, and that history should not be forgotten.

Zhang Weijia, another young woman, said she has gained a deeper understanding of the political wisdom and integrity of the Qian regime. She likes the way the TV drama narrates stories when scenes of Wuyue and the Central Plains are shown side by side, and the stark contrast makes it clear just how fortunate it is to live in a time of peace.

Data from travel platform Ctrip showed that, during the Spring Festival holiday period, overall tourism bookings to Hangzhou rose 31 percent year-on-year, and flight bookings increased by 26 percent year-on-year.

Wang Jinwei, a professor at the School of Tourism Sciences of Beijing International Studies University, said today's tourists want more than just sightseeing. They seek both emotional experiences and knowledge expansion. Hangzhou does a great job of riding the wave of the hit TV drama to develop tourism and promote traditional culture, he added.