Terraced hillsides strike a new chord with tourism

An aerial view of the concert held in Shexiang Ancient Town of Dafang county, southwest China's Guizhou province, on Oct 1. YANG WENBIN/XINHUA

GUIYANG — At first glance, the sweeping terraces carved into a hillside in Southwest China resemble farmland.

Yet no crops grow here. Instead, as night falls, the tiers fill with thousands of people singing in the rain as music and bands of light sweep across the hillside.

On Oct 1, the first day of China's weeklong National Day holiday, more than 10,000 people gathered for an open-air concert at Shexiang Ancient Town in Dafang county, Guizhou province. The show began at 7 pm in light rain, with singer Zhou Shen, a household name in China who grew up in Guizhou, performing alongside other musicians and drawing fans from across the country.

The unusual venue has emerged as a new tourist attraction in a community originally built to accommodate relocated rural residents. There is no roof or enclosed auditorium. Instead, the stage sits at the foot of a bowl-shaped hillside, with landscaped terraces serving as seats and the surrounding mountains and night sky providing a natural backdrop.

Wang Lei, the concert's stage designer and chief director, said the guiding principle is to keep the design "down to earth", with the stage appearing as though it has "grown out of the earth".

The team incorporated an existing ornamental pool and drew inspiration from Dafang's traditional bean products to shape the stage like a stone mill. With minimal decorative elements, the design aims to blend into the landscape rather than compete with it, Wang added.

Chen Hongjin, who traveled from Guiyang, the provincial capital, said the natural setting was a major part of the appeal.

"A concert in nature feels completely different from one in a stadium," Chen said. "You can hear the wind and the rustling leaves along with the music. It feels as if all your senses are heightened."

When the ancient town was developed as a relocation community in 2016, earth and rocks excavated during construction were used to reshape a low-lying hollow into the curved tiers following the natural contours of the hillside. Flowers, shrubs and other ornamental plants were later added, creating a public space for residents.

Viewed from above, the concentric curves resemble the ridges of a fingerprint, inspiring the site's name, the "Fingerprint of Earth".

The town is now home to more than 12,000 people relocated from different parts of Dafang county. Before becoming a concert venue, the terraces hosted community cultural activities, including folk-song performances and traditional Torch Festival celebrations.

This summer, a series of larger concerts brought the venue to a much wider audience. Featuring popular singers, the program is intended as a long-term, community-oriented cultural initiative that combines artistic quality with free public access. Rather than constructing a conventional auditorium, organizers have adapted the existing landscape, using the terraces as natural seating and illuminating the hillside's curves after dark.

The concerts have also driven a sharp increase in visitor numbers. According to local tourism authorities, the town recorded about 756,600 tourist visits between Aug 1 and Oct 1, up 154.7 percent year-on-year. Eight concerts held during this period attracted more than 296,000 visits.

On Oct 1 alone, Dafang recorded about 99,800 tourist visits, while Shexiang Ancient Town received around 58,000 visits, more than six times the figure recorded a year earlier.

Admission to the concerts is free, although visitors must make reservations in advance. The economic benefits come largely from spending on food, accommodation, shopping and other tourism services.

In August, consumption in Shexiang Ancient Town and nearby areas exceeded 70 million yuan ($10.4 million).

Liu Hanxun, who runs a local barbecue restaurant, said his monthly revenue climbed to more than 130,000 yuan in August, compared with about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan previously.

For residents of the relocation community, the growing influx of visitors has created more opportunities to find jobs, operate small businesses and increase their incomes without leaving home.

Since 2022, local authorities have organized markets, performances and festival activities to help residents benefit from these opportunities. The concerts have accelerated the trend.

The rise in visitor numbers has also prompted improvements to walking routes, lighting, power supplies, public toilets and medical facilities. During the National Day holiday, authorities expanded temporary parking and public transport services while strengthening traffic management, security, food safety and medical support.

Toward the end of the National Day concert, performers gathered in a circle on stage as the crowd joined them in singing the Chinese song My Motherland and Me. Fireworks lit up the valley.

Among the audience was Wang Tingting, who traveled from Chengdu city in neighboring Sichuan province, after seeing the concert promoted on social media. A fan of Zhou Shen, she secured a reservation and made her first trip to Dafang.

"Sitting on the terraces and watching a concert was very different from being in a stadium," Wang said. "With the mountains and water around you, everything felt more natural and alive."

Wang said she came for the concert but planned to spend more time exploring the surrounding area and trying local food during the holiday.

"Music brings people here, but we hope their experience goes beyond the concert," said Huang Shan, deputy director of the county's culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau. "By linking performances with local scenery, food and other attractions, we want to turn visitor flows into broader tourism consumption."