There is an endless stream of young people in front of the "Wang Po Marriage Wall". China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Xia Jin/photo
There were more young people who participated in the evening show of "Li Po Says Media". China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Xia Jin/photo
On April 10, the performance of "Li Po Says Media" was crowded. China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Xia Jin/photo
In March this year, the "Wang Po Talking Media" program suddenly "exploded" on the Internet, and the Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (hereinafter referred to as the "Wansui Mountain Scenic Area") in Kaifeng City, Henan Province also became a new "Internet celebrity" scenic spot. Along with the traffic boom comes controversy. The day before the Qingming holiday, the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area issued an announcement saying that Zhao Mei, the actor of "Wang Po", took a month off for health reasons, and the role of "Wang Po" will be played by Li Li. Later, the reporter found that the program list silently changed "Wang Po said the matchmaker" to "Li Po said the matchmaker".
"Wang Po" has become "Li Po", is the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area still "on fire"? With such questions, the reporter came to the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area on one working day.
The heat has dropped a bit, but the demand is still there
There is still a plaque above the stage of "Wang Po Says Matchmaking", and a rectangular open space directly in front of the stage is surrounded by a guardrail. The maximum number of people registered for each session is 50. The person in charge of the registration office told the reporter of China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that the number of people who registered this morning was relatively small, only more than 20 people, and most of them were men.
Forty-five minutes before the start of the performance, a large audience had gathered in the small square in front of the stage. The best spot in front of the guardrail was occupied by dozens of early-arriving short-form video bloggers and livestream streamers, who set up tripods and selfie sticks just to get to work. The stands, which have seats high on the left side of the stage, are filled with onlookers. The security guard of the scenic spot told reporters that these tourists came to occupy their seats at least an hour and a half in advance. As the performance time approached, the open space around the stage, the entrance of the hotel next door, and the second-floor balcony of the tea house were full of people standing everywhere they could see the stage.
Jia Luming, who came from Xinyang, Henan Province, also crowded into the crowd, and he told reporters that the performance started at 10 o'clock, and he came to register at 8 o'clock. He showed the reporter his voucher: a small square piece of paper with the date and his name written on it.
Jia Luming was born in 1992, and he came to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area specifically to find a partner. At 3 o'clock in the morning on March 29, after he got off the train at Kaifeng Station, he directly took an online taxi to the scenic spot, "At that time, there were already many people queuing at the entrance of the scenic spot." As soon as the door opened at 8 o'clock, everyone rushed in to grab the position. By the time the show started, the stage was full of people, and they couldn't move it, so they didn't have a chance to go on stage. Jia Luming bought an annual pass for the scenic spot, and before the Qingming holiday, he queued up at the gate of the scenic spot at two or three o'clock in the morning every day, "There are not so many people now, but if you sign up, you may not have the opportunity to come to the stage. ”
At the scene, a 27-year-old girl Li Shanshan (pseudonym) from Liaoning was called to the stage by "Li Po", and many men immediately raised their hands after reporting the conditions for choosing a mate. There was also an aunt in the crowd who raised her hand, saying that she had come to find a partner for her son, who worked in Dalian. Li Shanshan told reporters that she came to Kaifeng with her friends this time, and heard that "Wang Po said that the matchmaker" was very "popular", so she came to find a partner by the way. She didn't find any "eye-to-eye" men at the scene, so she left her phone number, and immediately received more than 30 requests to add WeChat friends after stepping down.
According to the estimates of security guards near the stage, there were about 3,000 people in the audience that morning, "much less than a while ago."
In the eyes of many tourism-related practitioners, after the Qingming holiday, the popularity of the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area has indeed decreased significantly.
The clerk of the "first floor" restaurant on the opposite side of the stage has the most intuitive feeling about this. A clerk told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network: "In the past month, as long as 'Wang Po' is about to perform, the hotel is crowded with people inside and outside, upstairs and downstairs, blocking the road, and you can't get in or out." After "Wang Po" became "Li Po", the number of tourists decreased, and the number of people doing live broadcasts also decreased significantly, "The turnover of the hotel is only about 1/3 of what it used to be." Cui Xiaobin, the person in charge of the "first floor" hotel, told reporters.
A cleaner in the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area told reporters that when there were the most people, the garbage bags in the garbage cans had to be changed once an hour, and now they only need to be changed once a morning.
Master Liu, an online car-hailing driver, also felt the obvious changes in passenger flow: in the most "hot" month, judging from the navigation map, the road to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area was "red and purple", and now "basically green". Master Liu waited for an hour at Kaifeng North Station this day and came to 3 trains before receiving the first passenger. "In the past, I didn't have to wait, and I could get the order as soon as I arrived at the station. ”
Why are there fewer people in the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area? Jiang Wentao (pseudonym) explained to reporters that it is not that "Li Po" is bad, but that there is no traffic for "Wang Po". Another reason is that now the live broadcast platform has also begun to limit the flow of anchors, "In the past, when I put my mobile phone casually, there were tens of thousands of people in the live broadcast room, but now it is not possible, so most of the anchors are gone." Jiang Wentao works in a short video operation company, this time he specially came from Guangzhou to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area to shoot a short video, and after staying in the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area for 5 days, he found that "he can't make a hit", so he "plans to go back tomorrow and wait for the next outlet."
The owner of a B&B near the Qingming Shanghe Park Scenic Area in Kaifeng told reporters that some time ago, the streets and alleys of Kaifeng were full of luxury cars with banners on the hood, which read slogans such as "10 blind dates and 10 scumbags, this time will be successful", "But these people are Internet celebrities and anchors who rub traffic at a glance, not real tourists." Now "Wang Po" has been replaced by "Li Po", and these Internet celebrities and anchors who pull banners are gone.
The magic of love pokes at young people
The lack of anchors and traffic does not mean that the program is "cool". In fact, the reason why the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area can be sought after by young people all over the world is precisely because it uses the magic of "love" to poke the "heart target" of young people, and also meets the "just needs" of many young people for marriage and dating to a certain extent.
Liu Jigang, 42 years old from Heilongjiang, was originally a senior chef in a restaurant, but in order to find a partner, he quit his job and came to Kaifeng to live in a hotel. He bought an annual pass for the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area, and has been rushing to the scene for 14 consecutive days, "more tired than going to work". Before the offline reservation system was implemented for the "Wang Po Says Media" program, you needed to queue up to make friends on stage, and only by being in front of the queue did you have the opportunity to be called on stage. In order to catch up with the 10 o'clock field in the morning, Liu Jigang got up at 6 o'clock every day, came to the stage to line up as soon as the park opened at 8 o'clock, and lined up in the afternoon after the morning show, and it took four or five hours to queue up every day.
After "Wang Po" was replaced by "Li Po", Liu Jigang had two opportunities to come to power. After the first time he came to power, no one elected him, so he had to report his mobile phone number to step down, and later 13 people added his WeChat, "but it is not suitable, I fell in love with others, and people did not like me; Another time, a girl in Hanfu signaled that he was "in the photo", he was called to the stage by "Li Po", he added the other party's WeChat, but it was not passed, after getting off the stage, he wanted to find the woman to deepen his understanding, but the girl ran away directly, and he felt that he was deceived by the "Internet celebrity".
Liu Baisong is 32 years old this year, and his hometown is in a village in Chengde, Hebei Province. Before coming to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area, he worked as a chef in a restaurant in Shijingshan District, Beijing, and he told reporters that he was looking for a partner. He said that he had no idea of finding a partner to marry before, because he felt that "the conditions are not good, he is just a farmer, and he has to be rich to be qualified to find a partner." Later, when he watched the short video, he saw the interaction between "Wang Po" and the young people in the audience, and suddenly had a yearning for love, and also changed his concept, feeling that "young people should have the qualifications to find a partner regardless of whether they have money or not, and they should not look at money for everything." ”
Because "I was worried that it was an 'Internet celebrity' who came to go on a blind date with me", Liu Baisong had no intention of going on stage at first. He wrote down his situation and contact information on a sign, holding the idea of "more people, more opportunities", holding a sign near the stage. After seven or eight days of this, Liu Baisong realized that "finding a partner is not a matter of one or two days", so he decided to "fight for a long time". He rented a room in Kaifeng, and found a temporary job in the beverage kiosk in the scenic spot, selling drinks while looking for a partner, and going to the "Matchmaker" program after work to see if there was a suitable girl. "My boss is also very supportive of my finding a partner, and often urges me to go on a blind date when it's time for the show. Liu Baisong said.
On the day the reporter came to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area, more than 40 people had already made an appointment to register for the "Li Po Said Matchmaker" session at 7 p.m. at 4 p.m., and most of them were men. The staff at the registration office told reporters that there will be more young people in the evening than in the morning, "because many young people like to sleep lazily in the morning and can't get up."
Chen Yuhui (pseudonym) from Nanyang, Henan Province also signed up, and before the show started, he couldn't wait to stand in front of the stage, "If you're lucky, I'll be on stage later." Chen Yuhui was born in 1990 and is 34 years old this year, and he and his family are very anxious about finding a partner to marry. He had registered 3 times before, but he was not selected, so he also rented a house in Kaifeng, ran an annual card for the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area, and riveted his strength to find a daughter-in-law here, "Come every day, until you find it".
Near the stage of "Wang Po Says Matchmaking" stands a "Wang Po Marriage Wall" more than two meters high and four or five meters long, which is densely filled with courtship information. Chen Yuhui also posted his information and intention to choose a mate on the "Wang Po Marriage Wall".
As night fell, there were more people in the small square in front of the stage than during the day, and the proportion of young people increased significantly. Zhang Xin (not her real name) hurried into the crowd, and she told reporters that she had just come from work in Kaifeng County. She has a Long Live Mountain Scenic Area Annual Card, and she will come over when she has time to see if she can meet a suitable male guest. Zhang Xin is 30 years old this year, and she has reached the age where her family will urge her to get married. But she was embarrassed to go on stage, and she didn't want to face those live cameras, so she waited in the crowd, and if there was a good male guest on stage, she would write down his contact information and contact him privately.
That night, Chen Yuhui was not selected, but after another female guest came to the stage, he felt that he was eligible, so he enthusiastically raised his hand. After getting the approval of the female guests, he was called to the stage by "Li Po" and added WeChat to each other with the female guests.
More traffic isn't always better
The popularity of the show has declined, the Internet celebrity anchors have left the stage, and the stage left has given people with marriage and love needs more opportunities. Huang Donghui, a staff member of the marketing department of Kaifeng Qingming Shanghe Park Scenic Area, told reporters that for the scenic spot, the most important thing is not the temporary flow, but the long-term benefits. It is good to have traffic, but too "hot" will also bring unnecessary trouble, "when the number of tourists exceeds a certain number, the experience will be bad, thereby reducing the reputation of the scenic spot and affecting the future development of the scenic spot." Huang Donghui said.
Lin Zhifen, a tourist from Beijing, specially selected a weekday with fewer tourists to come to Kaifeng to play, and she told reporters that she was a little "surprised" by the cost-effectiveness of the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area. Before entering the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area, she deliberately brought bread and water because she was worried about the expensive things inside, but she didn't expect that it was "completely unnecessary". "In the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area, you can buy a bottle of mineral water for 2 yuan, a corn for 5 yuan, and a bowl of beef noodles for 12 yuan, so you don't have to worry about 'being slaughtered' at such a price. Lin Zhifen said. In addition, she didn't expect such a large scenic spot to be clean everywhere, "There is no garbage on the ground at all, and as soon as the corn is eaten, a cleaner comes and takes away the corn cob." ”
Han Longfei, manager of the marketing department of Wansui Mountain Scenic Area, told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that the scenic spot will supplement the strength of security and cleaning personnel according to the increase in passenger flow. In mid-March this year, the number of visitors increased rapidly, and the park was replenished with nearly double the number of security and cleaning personnel. Now there are about four or five hundred security guards and one or two hundred cleaning personnel in the scenic area.
Xu Wanting (pseudonym) has often brushed up on the video of "Wang Po Says Media" recently, and feels that the scenic spot is very interesting, so she saved up her vacation and came to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area from Anhui with her friends. She is 20 years old and has no plans to find a boyfriend. After watching "Li Po Said Matchmaker" on the spot, she felt that "it doesn't seem to be as interesting as on the video" and "the interaction with the audience has become less", but the programs such as "Sanda Zhujiazhuang" and "Monkey Opera Performance" in the scenic spot are very good-looking, and what she is most looking forward to is the iron flower performance at night.
The staff of the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area Management Office told reporters that the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area usually has nearly 200 performances every day, and it may increase to 300 during holidays. The program list is different every day, and every holiday, the scenic spot will also "renovate the work", and launch a small program to interact with tourists outside the performance, so that the tourists who often come also have a sense of freshness.
It is undeniable that with the "Wang Po Saying Matchmaker" out of the circle, the number of foreign tourists coming to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area has increased significantly, which is exactly what local tourism practitioners are more willing to see. Foreign tourists generally stay longer and have stronger spending power, and they are more willing to bring back some characteristic cultural and creative products with Kaifeng cultural attributes.
Cui Xiaobin also felt the change in the tourist group. He said that the price of the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area is actually very "close to the people", but most of the tourists who came to play in the past were local and surrounding tourists in Kaifeng, and they rarely ate in the scenic area. After "Wang Po" became popular, tourists from all over the country poured here, and these foreign tourists were more willing to consume, and they would dine in the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area after watching the performance.
"The explosion of the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area has driven the cultural and tourism consumption of the entire Kaifeng City, and in this sense, all tourism practitioners are beneficiaries. Huang Donghui said.
Can the "love card" be used to maintain the heat?
Perhaps it was the "out of the circle" of "Wang Po Said Matchmaker" that allowed the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area to get a glimpse of the "traffic password" that attracts young people, and the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area continued to play the "love card" and changed its tricks to "pet fans".
On the second day when the reporter came to the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area, it was just in time for the scenic spot to launch the "Shangsi Festival" activity with the theme of "love". In addition to the traditional performances, the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area has also designed a lot of interactive games that young people like, such as single people can participate in the "Marriage Thread" activity by interacting with non-player characters (NPCs) to get a silver ticket, and leave contact information in the "Meet Love" pavilion in the Water Margin Camp to take away a marriage ball of the opposite sex...... Those with a partner can not only get souvenirs by interacting with NPCs, but also enjoy special tickets for two, take photos at the couple's check-in point, and feel the beauty of love in the romantic atmosphere of the park.
At the same time, the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area issued an announcement on March 31 that it will hold the Banzai Mountain National Matchmaking Competition, and issue invitations to people from all over the country who are good at hosting and talented, regardless of gender, age, and no registration fee.
At the end of the competition, 60 winners will be selected, the first place will receive a prize of 1 million yuan, and the 60th place will receive a prize of 100,000 yuan. As of April 7, 1,726 people have signed up for the competition.
On the small stage of "Wang Po Says Matchmaker Independent Check-in Experience", Yaya (full name Zhang Jinya), dressed as "Wang Po", is pulling passers-by to take a group photo, she said that she is "half of the staff of the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area, volunteering to shine for the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area".
Yaya is 36 years old this year, and she signed up for the Banzai Mountain National Matchmaking Competition. She told reporters that her signing up for the competition was a "coincidence". That day, Yaya came to see the "Wang Po Talking Matchmaker" program, there was a young man from Luoyang in the crowd, claiming to "go out on behalf of the dormitory", Yaya on a whim, learning the appearance of "Wang Po" and shouting in the crowd, "Is there a girl in Luoyang", but many people responded "Yes", and immediately made a couple. This scene happened to be filmed by the media present at the time, edited into a video and posted on the official account. When family and friends saw it, they forwarded it to her one after another, jokingly calling her "Wang Po's mother-in-law". When she learned that the Banzai Mountain Scenic Area was going to hold a matchmaker contest, she signed up without thinking. She said that she hopes to stay and work in the Wansui Mountain Scenic Area after winning.
On April 18, the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area issued an announcement that Zhao Mei, the actor of "Wang Po", will return to the scenic spot during the "May Day" holiday and host the "Wang Po Talking Matchmaker" program from May 2. Whether the Long Live Mountain Scenic Area can maintain the popularity of "Wang Po Says Matchmaking", and whether the interactive blind date in other regions following the example of "Wang Po" can create a phenomenal hit is still up to young people.
Source: China Youth Daily