Hangzhou Songcheng: You've Been Warned (Spoiler: It's a Trap!)
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Hello everyone, I am here to share my genuine feelings and help you "avoid falling into pitfalls" (i.e., avoiding detours and making fewer mistakes). If you have different opinions, that's okay. You can experience it yourself without any restrictions. For business owners who are displeased with my comments and want to file complaints or verbally lash out, that's also fine; after all, I spend my own money.
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Brilliant at Marketing but Questionable on Quality
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Advertisements for this place flood the internet, and if you see enough of them, you'll notice they don't even bother changing the writing style or filming techniques. The same actors keep popping up over and over again. Apart from being aggressive in their marketing campaigns, nothing else impresses.
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Forget about the 'Song Dynasty' Flavor
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It allegedly offers 'Song Dynasty' cultural experiences (the Song Dynasty was a famous historical period in China known for its prosperity in culture and economy), but I wouldn't take this claim too seriously.
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This park is quite tiny, measuring perhaps less than 400 meters long and wide, and more than one-third of the area is a parking lot! If you just walk around without paying extra for specific events, you could probably circle the entire park in 15 minutes.
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The so-called "market street" is simply a short replica ancient lane that is only dozens of meters long. The scenery looks a bit cheap, and the cosplay characters, which mix various historical periods and anime characters, seem out of place.
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There are few interactive projects, and most of them feel very childish, which might appeal only to young children. The staff (NPCs) are not well-dressed either, making the scene somewhat unrealistic.
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The Shows: Be Realistic About Your Expectations
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Only one of them, named "Songcheng Millennium", is decent enough to recommend. However, other performances... I can be frank—they have a 'country charm' similar to those open-air festival shows in rural areas.
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Some performances appear too frivolous, not suitable for taking little kids along, and the performers aren't well-trained in their craft; dances consist mostly of simple moves that seem a bit negligent.
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One has a water performance where the water is distinctly greenish, indicating the poor quality of it. During the performances, splashing water hits you; the water spray is impossible to avoid.
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Caution: The volume of the sound system is so high that it makes your ears ring; people who are sensitive to loud noises should exercise caution.
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Free of Charge, Crowded: Experience Quality Decreases
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Multiple projects in this park require you to pay extra fees.
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Apart from performances on the main stage, other small shows (such as flash mobs) often lack large venues, making it hard to watch clearly if not in a crowd! It's frustrating to be unable to see things and have to deal with others blocking your view.
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This park appears to have numerous visitors mainly due to several mass-tour groups brought there by travel agencies. With so many attractions available in Hangzhou, single tourists might find visiting this place less meaningful.
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The Bottom Line: Value for Money?
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Warning: the price is really not worth it! Ticket prices during weekdays cost around 300-400 yuan. Frankly, at such high prices, it would be more worthwhile to visit the Hengdian Film Studio, which is another large ancient cultural film set containing many scenes of different dynasties. Why not take fantastic photos of yourself in ancient costumes while visiting the Xixi Wetland (a picturesque natural wetland park in Hangzhou)?
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Moreover, they offer significant discounts during certain seasons, such as summer holidays, where tickets only cost 99 yuan. If you spend double that price to enjoy the place, it'll seem... kind of 'kicked' (a nickname meaning 'being cheated big time').
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My previous post got hundreds of likes but was taken down after a complaint from an interested party. Reposting it now.
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Spot on. To sum it up: it's tacky and low-quality. I experienced it myself during the May Day holiday.
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I was there on May Day too. It was truly awful and super expensive.
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Not worth the ticket price.
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All the criticisms mentioned really hit home. I initially thought it was an amusement park like Universal Studios or Disneyland. In reality, it's more of a venue with outdoor and indoor theater-style performances. You should plan your time carefully to catch as many shows as possible. The main 'Romance of the Song Dynasty' show even has a part where actresses in bikinis serve tea. As a family of three in the VIP section, that was a bit awkward. Overall, it was unremarkable – nothing terrible, but no pleasant surprises either. I wouldn't say I was disappointed; when you're traveling, you tend to check out the famous spots. The funniest thing was, halfway through, my wife remembered she'd actually been there before!
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For families, the 'Romance of the Song Dynasty' show isn't great unless you're in VIP. But in VIP, when the bikini-clad performers came close, my survival instincts kicked in and I sensed... danger.
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I was thinking the same thing! Did the Songcheng attraction pay for that 'Li Manei' promotion or something...?
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And here I was, planning to go in June. Now I'm having second thoughts.
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I went and thought it was pretty good. But hey, to each their own.
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But aren't there 'Goddess Shujie' and 'Lin Chong' in a live-action setting, ready to 'frolic with you and fill your whole day with joy'?
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A whole day? More like a few minutes.
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That 'Romance of the Song Dynasty' show is the biggest rip-off. It's not even as impressive as the 'Guoxiu Langya' show in Linyi. I went today and honestly found it just average. Wouldn't recommend.
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@OsAtLi Ah, so that's how it is.
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For 99 yuan, it's actually pretty good! The 'Romance of the Song Dynasty' show alone made it worth the ticket price.
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Huh? How did you get it for 99?