Hangzhou Xixi Investment & Development Co., Ltd.: An International Tourism Complex Rooted in the Cultural Heritage of Xixi Waterways

Release time:

2019-11-08

On the afternoon of November 1, the launch event for the “Ten Years, One Moment” documentary and the official opening ceremony of the Xixi Paradise 10th Anniversary Celebration took place. Over the past decade, Xixi Paradise has evolved from a “supporting parking lot” within the Xixi Wetland Conservation Project to China’s first integrated international tourism complex—blending commercial, residential, leisure, and tourism services with visitor distribution and transfer facilities, as well as wetland education and outreach—all while working in tandem with Xixi National Wetland Park to establish Hangzhou as a globally renowned leisure and tourism destination. According to reports, from the night of November 1 to November 3, an immersive garden-themed spectacle titled “Garden Tour x Dream: A Jiangnan Dream Within the City” unfolded on the grand stage of Xixi Paradise. The multi-day program was brimming with captivating performances, including Kunqu opera, theatrical plays, dance, soundscapes, handpan drumming, innovative interpretations of ancient melodies, a cappella vocal performances, and Hanfu garden tours—each offering a feast for the eyes and ears. With no designated seating, performers moved dynamically through the grounds of Banyan Tree, Sheraton, Xixuan, the Art Center, the Wetland Museum, and the entrance to Qiyue City, allowing performing artists and audience members to engage in close, intimate encounters. Together, they sang, danced, and interacted passionately—under the flickering lights, it became hard to distinguish who was a character in everyday life and who was a performer on stage. “What good is a beautiful day when heaven itself seems so fleeting? Who among us can truly savor the joy of a cherished moment?” The highlight of the festivities was the Kunqu opera performance “Garden Tour x Dream,” held from the night of November 2 to November 3—a dreamlike production adapted and reimagined from the classic Kunqu piece “Tour of the Garden, Astartling Dream.” This enchanting show transported audiences back to a bygone era. On the waterfront terrace of the Banyan Tree Hotel, ethereal dan actors gracefully made their way across arched bridges, while handsome sheng actors sat aboard rowboats, gliding slowly beneath the bridge spans. As mist rose gently over the lake, the scene seemed straight out of a fairy tale. “A stream flows, a wisp of smoke drifts along its path”—the gentle, lively beauty of Jiangnan’s water towns was vividly brought to life at Xixi Paradise before the eyes of all who watched. “Flower-laden bridges meet emerald waters; willow branches stretch long along the lakeshore; bamboo poles lightly tap the surface as small boats glide into a painted gallery—soft strings and bamboo flutes weave a tender melody, intoxicating me with the charm of Jiangnan’s waterways.” The Jiangnan people’s approach to life is like that single boat, that single aria—free and serene. Just as the audience was lost in the sheer beauty of the scene before them, the dan and sheng actors suddenly “flew” off to the Sheraton’s floating pavilion, to Xixuan’s incense-infused Book Bar… Whether it was the vigorous, sweeping movements of water-sleeved dance, the dazzling laser light shows, the creative light-and-shadow dances, or the luminous lion dances—some were fiery and exuberant, others light and graceful, still others full of delicate elegance—the audience gathered around the dancers, reveling in the joyous celebration. In particular, “Fragmentation – Species Conservation Plan,” a work specially commissioned for Xixi by Italian choreographer Pietro Marullo, presented a one-of-a-kind local interpretation of Xixi Paradise. Held in an outdoor green space, the performance used dance to inspire environmental awareness, inviting audiences to engage deeply with nature and to experience the unique cultural essence of Xixi Paradise through firsthand interaction. The beauty of Jiangnan wafts forth from the myriad scenes showcased in “Garden Tour x Dream,” carrying with it the gentle breezes of the Han and Tang dynasties, the soft rains of the Song dynasty, the lingering moonlight of the Ming and Qing periods—and the heartfelt concerns of our modern age. The entire Xixi Paradise campus became the most luxurious of grand stages, while the hotel complexes provided the most dazzling of backdrops. It was culture that shaped Xixi Paradise; it was art that deepened Xixi Paradise; it was emotion that perfected Xixi Paradise. “The stage at the Xixi Paradise Art Center’s Grand Theater is ‘framed’—actors perform on stage, while audiences watch from below. But at the Xixi Paradise 10th Anniversary Celebration, we dismantled that ‘frame,’ inviting everyone to step outside, to leave behind the cold concrete structures and walk into nature, to let real landscapes enter the scene, to place pools of genuine water and trees of true substance at the very heart of the stage. Through this intimate dialogue with nature, we explored the harmonious coexistence between humans and the natural world. Audiences watched plays from atop bridges; those watching the plays looked back at you from the bridges. Before we knew it, each audience member had become a performing artist, and the entire Xixi Paradise transformed into a grand theater, a vast stage,” said the person in charge. Amidst the dreamlike autumn nights of Jiangnan, the cluster of grand hotels—including Banyan Tree, Sheraton, and Xixuan—became brilliant backdrops for the grand stage. Point-like installations with interactive elements seamlessly connected the hotels’ outdoor spaces and indoor venues, while artists engaged in roaming, improvisational performances within non‑fixed spaces. These installations and artistic performances suddenly merged into a wondrous fusion, where once-solidified spaces began to feel entirely new—and individual, everyday hotels blended together to form a single, colossal hotel complex. “Garden Tour x Dream” created a ‘Jiangnan Dream Within the City,’ but the people of Xixi Paradise have their own true dreams: to cultivate the “full-scene garden tour experience and interactive engagement” as the core of a “brand asset rooted in tourism destination characteristics,” and to build Xixi Paradise into an internationally recognized tourist destination.

Keywords: