Game players interact with the NPC Photo: Sina Weibo

Hidden Battlefront Hero Hall, an escape room venue, has become a major tourist attraction since it was recently launched in Shaanxi Province's Yan'an, a city considered the land of the Chinese Revolution and the heart of the country's red tourism. Opening in the city's newly opened cultural and red tourism street, known as the "Red Street," the venue has mainly gained popularity through its new escape room experience Hidden Battlefront, which it claims is China's first spy-themed live action role-playing (LARP) experience based on red history. 

The role-playing experience brings players back to the year 1947 in Yan'an and has them play as spies who must complete certain tasks to reach the city safely and keep it protected. These tasks involve searching for clues, interacting with NPCs and also learning to write confidential telegrams. 

"There is probably more than one red culture-themed experiences across the country, but we are the first in the spy genre. We use a model that combines murder mystery and escape room experiences and designed some special training such as teaching visitors how to send telegrams. The experience is more suitable for adults," Bai, the venue's manager, told the Global Times on Monday. 

Unlike other LARP experiences that are traditionally more appealing to younger players, this one has proven particularly intriguing for middle-age adults, and has become to a place for large groups to learn about the spirit of red culture together. 

"Most of our customers are middle-age adults, and there are also groups that choose us for team building activities because they think a historically based experience is meaningful," Bai explained. 

"I never tried such a young kid game before, but I loved trying this one because this story is close to my upbringing. I'd feel proud and like a hero if I was given a role to safeguard Yan'an's red region," Wang Mingjing, a 57-year-old man, told the Global Times on Monday. 

First debuting in mid-July, the new experience has attracted many visitors, among whom 60 percent have been tourists. Outside Yan'an, this new model combining culture and history with leisure entertainment and tourism has become a popular pastime boosting the local economy and the image of many Chinese cities. 

"Enjoying a 'cultural' experience has become an increasingly popular activity for Chinese tourists. People are choosing to travel for culture but not treating the local things they see as a byproduct. This trend is providing places like Yan'an, a center for red culture, a great opportunity to develop the local tourism economy," Ma Xiaoguang, a cultural creative researcher told the Global Times.

"Some other cities with a younger vibe, like Chengdu and Chongqing, are also coming up with key branding to promote local culture such as 'Panda Hometown' and 'Cyberpunk City' to boost tourism," Ma added.

Besides the popular spy experience, Red Street is introducing more than 10 other projects such as a technology exhibition and training courses that focus on promoting local red culture. 

"Our goal is to become a creative educational platform to bring red culture to the public," Bai said.