1. Don’t underestimate the public’s aesthetic standards
Twenty years ago, travel was a luxury for the wealthy few; ten years ago, it was a leisure activity for the elderly; today, it has become a universal pursuit across all age groups. In this process, although a small minority of audiences still have outdated tastes and enjoy sensational or vulgar visual stimulation, an increasing number of viewers seek emotional, intellectual, and value-driven resonance from programs. Program producers should respect their audiences, show sincerity, and deliver high-quality artistic works that not only entertain but also strengthen beliefs, uplift spirits, and shape character. Producers should not rely on outdated mindsets and continue to believe in the old notion that Chinese audiences are wealthy yet easily fooled.
2. Don’t forget that content is still king in the arts
All performances that are both critically acclaimed and commercially successful invariably combine spectacle with substance—and neither can be missing. While technologies such as sound, light, and electricity may vary, the principle that “content is king” remains unchanged, as do the laws of artistic creation. Currently, the rapid, low-cost replication of “Songcheng Impression” has led to uniformly lukewarm reviews across all review sites, described as “same old, same old.” The 80 million audience members who have already seen it represent both the legacy and the burden of Impression shows, because those who have been to one won’t watch another in a different location. Visitors who have seen two or more Impression shows online overwhelmingly report, “The plot is almost the same, just with a different place name.” Zhangjiajie is China’s top tourist destination—a place where even major productions like “Impression” and “Another Encounter” dare not open branches. For Impression shows to survive here, the current quality of the production needs to improve many times over.
3. Don’t try to fool the government with a light-asset model
“Tanshui Impression” is the only light-asset project under the Impression series. By selling its brand and management services, Impression offloads the heavy investment of performance venues onto local governments eager to develop tourism. For Impression, this is undoubtedly a risk-reducing, guaranteed-income business strategy. But tourists visit a place to experience different cultures, not to repeatedly experience the same one. On one hand, the faster Impression replicates itself, the quicker it dies; on the other, not every government is as accommodating as Tanshui. Don’t forget that projects in Wuyishan, Mount Emei, Tai’an, and Stone Forest all quietly withdrew after being approved. Calling it “one of the world’s top three shows” is an overstatement—it simply wins by quantity.
4. Don’t let Zhangjiajie become Impression’s Waterloo
Based on data from the first three days since opening on June 28, Zhangjiajie may very well become Impression’s Waterloo. According to on-site counts by several tour guides (incomplete statistics), the number of paying visitors were: Day 1 (Friday, June 28) no more than 400 people; Day 2 (Saturday, June 29) within 300 people; Day 3 (Sunday, June 30) estimated around 200 people. In contrast, according to data from the Zhangjiajie government website, during the same period, the ticket sales for “Charming Western Hunan” were: Day 1 (Friday, June 28) 3,968 people; Day 2 (Saturday, June 29) 4,249 people; Day 3 (Sunday, June 30) 4,791 people. The outcome of the commercial battle between Songcheng Impression and Charming Western Hunan seems to have already been decided.