The Yongding Tulou Scenic Area is bustling with visitors at night. CHINA DAILY

The Yongding Tulou Scenic Area achieved remarkable growth in tourism during the National Day and Mid-Autum Festival holiday. Under the theme "celebrating with a hundred intangible cultural heritage performances", the site attracted a surge of visitors.

According to the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Yongding Tulou Scenic Area received 284,100 visits and generated 13.37 million yuan ($1.88 million) in ticket revenue, both of which represent new records for the same period.

As a UNESCO cultural heritage site, Yongding Tulou launched the Intangible Cultural Heritage Carnival series during the holiday, establishing a comprehensive cultural tourism offering that combined daytime performances, nighttime light shows, and interactive experiences.

Visitors prepare to release lanterns carrying their wishes. CHINA DAILY

At the scenic area, daily performances included stilt shows, pole-climbing acts, and Hakka dragon dances. 420 performances were staged over seven days and the Hakka dragon dance attracted more than 30,000 viewers in a single day. The naked-eye 3D light show of the release of a thousand lanterns made inspired visitors stop and take photos.

Fan Chaoying, a tourist from Liuzhou, a city in Guangxi province, said, "Tulou boasts not only architectural marvels but also rich culture. Traveling here to experience Hakka traditions allowed me to truly feel the community's spirit of diligence, thrift, and dedication to family and education."

Visitors pause to watch street performances. CHINA DAILY

An official of the scenic area said that tourism has stimulated broader regional development. Key sites welcomed over 20,000 visitors daily, with nearby homestays reaching 95% occupancy. The "Tulou plus rural tourism" route has become a new driver of the holiday economy.