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“Shocking Marketing at Jigong Mountain: Visitors Born in the Year of the Rooster or Surnamed Ji Can Enter at Half Price.” For days, news that Henan’s Jigong Mountain Scenic Area was offering half-price tickets to visitors born in the Year of the Rooster or surnamed Ji has gone viral online, drawing public attention. On the 29th, a person in charge at the scenic area confirmed that the online reports were true, and that the area is currently collaborating with national “12 Zodiac Scenic Areas” to offer free entry to visitors.
On the evening of May 25, a netizen named “Xiao Cha” revealed on Weibo: “Jigong Mountain Scenic Area will launch a new ‘kin-seeking’ discount campaign. From now until June 21, visitors born in the Year of the Rooster or surnamed Ji can enjoy half-price entry with valid ID!! Don’t miss out, this chance won’t come again!”
The post drew considerable attention from netizens. One user named “Yuting” commented: “Just hype.” “Are those born in the Year of the Rooster and those surnamed Ji all relatives of Jigong Mountain? How strange.” Some netizens joked about it. “Free entry is the real deal. This time, the ‘chickens’ are lucky.” Others expressed appreciation for the scenic area’s move.
On the 29th, a person in charge at China CYTS Tours Holding (Xinyang) Jigong Mountain Scenic Area confirmed to reporters that the online rumors were indeed true. The person in charge explained that Jigong Mountain’s connection with the rooster is not unfounded—the mountain is named after the rooster, and its summit peak, Baoxiao Peak, resembles a rooster, earning it the reputation of “the world’s number one rooster.”
Jigong Mountain, located in Xinyang City, Henan Province, was designated as a national nature reserve in 1988. It boasts eight major natural landscapes: “Buddha’s Halo, Sea of Clouds, Rime Frost, Glazed Frost, Sunset Glow, Exotic Flowers and Plants, Unique Peaks and Rocks, and Waterfalls and Springs.” The mountain preserves buildings from the Republican era in various styles and nationalities, making it one of China’s four great summer resorts.
According to local mountain residents, legend has it that when locust plagues ravaged the Central Plains, no heavenly deities intervened. The God of the Dawn decided to help the people and eliminate the plague but violated heavenly laws and could not return to heaven, so he turned into the stone of a rooster. The miraculous work of nature gave Jigong Mountain its form, while beautiful legends endowed it with soul.
“The ‘12 Zodiac Tour’ and ‘Surname Tour’ are our flagship brands for this year, aiming to change the habit of tourists following the crowd and make travel a more regular activity,” the person in charge also revealed to reporters. The scenic area plans to expand the discount to include other surnames such as “Ji (季),” “Ji (纪),” and “Ji (姬),” and intends to collaborate with other 12 Zodiac-related scenic areas nationwide. The discount will also be increased from half-price to full exemption.
Industry insiders believe that Jigong Mountain’s move is not the first of its kind in China. Previously, Laojun Mountain in Luanchuan, Henan, offered free entry to visitors surnamed Li. This practice is related to the growing popularity of root-seeking culture in recent years, but the fundamental reason is the increasingly fierce competition in the tourism market. To attract visitors, scenic areas have had to adopt unconventional promotional tactics. While Jigong Mountain’s discount for those born in the Year of the Rooster or surnamed Ji may seem like a publicity stunt, against the backdrop of inflated ticket prices across the country, it is still a welcome move for some tourists.
This post has been synced to Akihito Akimoto’s Weibo