Guangzhou's Pearl River night cruise has launched a series of cultural and technological activities during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, creating a multidimensional cultural tourism experience for citizens and visitors.
Despite the typhoon, the Pearl River cruise in Guangzhou attracted 153,800 tourists from October 1 to 5, highlighting its popularity and brand influence.
During the holiday period, Guangzhou's port authorities and cruise companies organized various themed events and terminal activities focused on "intangible cultural heritage revitalization, Chinese style immersion, anime collaborations, and brand co-creation."
Photo: Nanfang Plus
Cultural events bring new vitality
Multiple cruise ships offered immersive cultural experiences. The "China Everbright Bank" cruise by Blue Dolphin featured a "Dolphin Mid-Autumn Wonderful Night," with professional models in Hanfu costumes interacting with visitors.
The South Seas God cruise collaborated with Luo Minxin, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, to showcase over 30 Cantonese-style red wooden palace lanterns. It also recreated Ming Dynasty Lingnan lantern scenes with Hanfu NPCs holding lanterns.
Other highlights included the Pearl Water Century's National Day program, which combined traditional lion dance with street flash mobs, while the Pearl River cruise ships, including the "Pearl River Princess," "Pearl River Prince," and "Red Boat," presented Cantonese pop music performances and Hanfu shows.
Photo: Xiyujiang
Cross-cultural collaborations emerged as a standout feature of the holiday season. The "Guangzhou Fortune" cruise partnered with "Zanye (Li Shen)," a character from the popular immersive 3D interactive game "Love and Deepspace," to launch its "Sunset Rendezvous" themed voyage. Boarding guests received exclusive branded gifts, while cosplayers interacting with passengers drew large crowds of gaming enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, the "E'tan Impression" cruise created a playful "E'tan 'Mischievous' Journey," featuring character actors bringing Sun Wukong to life and engaging visitors in treasure hunt activities, which proved particularly popular among younger guests.
Technology enhances tourist experience
The Guangzhou Harbor Bureau has been promoting the integration of technology with Pearl River tourism, encouraging the use of new energy ships and artificial intelligence technologies.
During the holiday, the "Pearl River Jadeite" and "Pearl River Crystal" cruise ships by Jinhang Cruise offered an MR time-travel experience, allowing visitors to "travel" to the digital Guangzhou of 2125 or the 2010 Asian Games scene through MR glasses.
The city is currently investing 400 million RMB to add 10 pure electric cruise ships, with the total capacity expected to reach 20 ships by the end of 2026.
Photo: Nanfang Plus
Sports culture integration
As an important competition area for the 15th National Games, Guangzhou has effectively integrated sports elements into the Pearl River cruise experience.
The Canton Tower Fortune Pier introduced two 3-meter-high mascots, "Xi Yangyang" and "Le Rongrong," for the National Games, which have become popular photo spots for visitors. These mascots feature rotating and night-light functions, making them particularly eye-catching along the river at night.
"Blue Dolphin" cruise ships have also established National Games cultural exhibition areas with display boards and stamp collection activities.
Author | Jiang Chang
Editor | Wei Shen, James Campion, Shen He
