Summer Changsha Must-Visit | Tanhe Ancient City, Family Fun with Kids, Electric Music Flash Mob, Non-stop Excitement!

Struggling with where to take the kids this summer? Today I recommend a great place near Changsha: Tanhe Ancient City, reachable in about a 2-hour drive! Here you and your kids can change into Hanfu or vintage costumes to take photos — it looks great. You can also try archery together and learn about Western Zhou culture! The free Children's Paradise is a favorite for kids: outdoor sand play, indoor rides and various facilities are all free! Non-stop fun, and you can watch all kinds of shows and performances throughout the day. The highlight is the 'Eternal Love of Tanhe' show. You won't get bored even after a whole day! It's known as a living Western Zhou ancient city.

Let me introduce the origin of Songcheng Tanhe Ancient City. It is located in Ningxiang County, Changsha City, Hunan Province. The city is named after the Tanheli ruins and is China's first Zhou culture theme park. The Zhou Dynasty was the origin and peak of Chinese civilization, creating brilliant cultural wonders. Ningxiang is known as the 'Hometown of Southern Chinese Bronze Ware,' having unearthed national treasures like the Four-goat Square Zun and the Human-face Square Ding. It is also the center of Chinese ritual and music culture, with its Zhou cultural genes passed down through generations and still influential today.

In the ancient city, buildings you can visit with your kids include the Western Zhou Palace, Ancient City Wall, Western Zhou Emperor Corridor, Military Hall, Six Arts Education, and Harem — great for learning history. Free experiences suitable for adults include Jiang Taigong's Weather Magic Hall, Daji's Ghost House, and the Crown Prince's Ghost Story. For children, the Children's Paradise offers outdoor rides that adults and kids can enjoy together, plus indoor facilities like a carousel, small train, and play castle — all free!

Nowadays, it's not just about ancient culture; there are also many modern tech-based entertainment facilities, performances, and flash mobs. Especially 'Eternal Love of Tanhe' — a must-see show in a lifetime! The show is divided into five parts: 'On the River Islet,' 'Tanhe Eternal Love,' 'Daji's Temptation Dance,' 'The Battle of Muye,' and 'Love in Ningxiang.' Through high-tech methods, it creates dreamy song-and-dance scenes in a three-dimensional space of water, land, and air, telling the rise and fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the legend of the Four-goat Square Zun. I personally found the performance breathtaking. Below, I'll introduce what we did and saw in Tanhe Ancient City.

In the ancient city, you can always see people in various costumes walking through the streets. Tourists can interact and take photos with them, and they are very cooperative. My child and I couldn't resist either — we changed into ancient costumes and went to the Western Zhou Palace to practice archery and learn about Western Zhou culture. Even though my little one didn't fully understand, they listened very earnestly.

Every day in the Eternal Love Book Bar, there are many wonderful activities suitable for children. Just look at my expression — I had a great time too!

We made pottery by hand and colored a ding together. It seemed simple, but it improved the child's hands-on skills, and they loved it. Honestly, this is a great place to cool off, and adults can rest a bit.

Seeing my child so focused made my heart bloom. It felt like my mischievous little one suddenly became so quiet. Even when leaving, they didn't forget to take the colored ding home.

Inside the book bar, there was a display stand with many alpacas. My child chose their favorite color and asked me to take a photo, saying they really liked it.

Meanwhile, the colorful tower outside started the son-in-law selection show — a stage play where a lady tosses a silk ball. This is one of the traditional classic folk activities, and it was surrounded by crowds. It's said to be very popular among tourists. The wedding performance vividly presents the joy and excitement of classical Chinese weddings in front of tourists, allowing full participation. During the selection, tourists can compete for the silk ball; whoever catches it goes upstairs to perform the wedding ceremony with the daughter of the wealthy family, truly experiencing the charm of a 'classical wedding.' Interested tourists can also visit the Yue Lao Temple to pray for blessings.

While playing, my child and I watched two performances, and they were so exciting that the area was packed. Among the outdoor shows in Tanhe Ancient City, I really liked this one. It's a distinctive and iconic activity of Tanhe. Flash mobs are becoming increasingly popular — at a fixed location, lively or attention-grabbing actions resonate with people and get everyone involved. You can see people of all costumes in the flash mob.

There's a two-story children's amusement park — an all-indoor parent-child interactive space with dozens of rides and high-tech experiential projects, all free!

On the first floor: monster-busting, boat rides, stunt car shows, roller coaster, carousel, small train, and various facilities.

On the second floor: rainbow gate, pirate ship, bumper cars, aerial slide, play castle, and more. Let children's laughter echo through the park!

Besides that, there are many exciting activities on the first floor, like a magical bubble show. Kids love it. What does it feel like to be wrapped in bubbles? Want to try?

Outdoor children's facilities feel like team-building training. Suitable for both adults and kids to play together. Overall, I feel it tests your balance and, secondly, your courage. At first, my child was hesitant to go up, but after my encouragement and companionship, they happily climbed up and went through three different obstacles: a single-log bridge, a swinging bridge, and a steel wire bridge. In the end, they didn't want to come down! For outdoor activities, be careful about heatstroke due to weather.

Most importantly, you must go watch it — fulfill a date across three thousand years! A must-see show in a lifetime!

The show is divided into five parts: 'On the River Islet,' 'Tanhe Eternal Love,' 'Daji's Temptation Dance,' 'The Battle of Muye,' and 'Love in Ningxiang.' Let me introduce each part:

First part: On the River Islet. 'Guan guan the ospreys, on the river islet. A graceful lady, a gentleman's good match.' The osprey's call takes us through a thousand years back to the beautiful Tanhe River, where the ancient Book of Songs is sung. A group of maidens dance and sing among green mulberries and grass. The young King Wu and the beautiful Ning'er meet and fall in love here.

Second part: Tanhe Eternal Love. At Daji's instigation, King Zhou killed King Wu's elder brother and, using the existence of the Zhou state as leverage, forced King Wu to cast the Four-goat Square Zun. To save her lover and the people of Zhou, Ning'er offers herself for the sacrifice in King Wu's place, enacting a poignant and tragic love story.

Third part: Daji's Temptation Dance. 'Delicate as a fairy from the ninth heaven, yet actually the fox that doomed the Shang dynasty.' Daji, the foremost of China's four femme fatales, came from the Youhu clan, which revered the nine-tailed fox. After King Zhou's conquest, the Youhu clan offered the peerless beauty Daji. From then on, King Zhou was utterly infatuated, following Daji's every word, heading down the path to ruin. Daji's beauty was unparalleled; her fox-like charm was innate; her enchantment, even after a thousand years, still captivates.

Fifth part: Love in Ningxiang. The gentle Tanhe River has flowed for three thousand years, and the story of the hero and beauty is sung here. Truth, goodness, beauty, persistence, dedication, and great love — these still influence generations of Ningxiang people. This is the legendary land, the hometown of Concubine Ning: Ningxiang.

Each part uses high-tech methods to create dreamy song-and-dance scenes for modern audiences. In a three-dimensional space of water, land, and air, the rise and fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the legend of the Four-goat Square Zun are presented. I personally found the performance very stunning, with front-row seats offering a great visual effect.

This is also one of the must-see performances in Tanhe Ancient City. It faithfully and comprehensively reproduces the devastation of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and the post-disaster rescue process in a three-dimensional format. This is free to watch and is performed in all Songcheng scenic spots! Actors are recruited on the spot, making the interaction very real. For those who participate, it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Become part of the show, a small actor in Songcheng.

This makes it feel more real and increases interactivity. The phalanxes of firefighters, nurses, tourists, and PLA soldiers, formed by the live audience, give us a unique visual experience!

The Electric Music Water Splashing Carnival is the highlight of summer at Tanhe Ancient City. It's also very suitable for taking kids in the summer. The atmosphere is super lively, the lights are super cool, and with the professional DJ, it truly opens a new travel mode for the ancient city. People dance and party in the water, splash water wildly, and indulge in celebration. There are also free beer and crawfish to taste. This is what summer should be like!

Besides the activities that impressed me mentioned above, there are many other wonderful experiences in the scenic area. Here are some tips I've compiled:

1. When booking tickets, make sure to get a seat. You can reserve online in advance.

2. Plan your itinerary according to your own schedule. I recommend the Eternal Love show as a must-see, along with the Earthquake show, and then various interactive programs in the scenic area, including street flash mobs. For specific details, follow the scenic area's official WeChat account to check the day's activities. Don't miss the exciting events!

3. If there are outdoor activities or experiential projects, be careful about heatstroke due to weather.

4. Transportation: I think driving by navigation is the best way. If you take a bus to Ningxiang and then to Tanhe Ancient City, I suggest staying at a nearby homestay.

Travel recommendation for Changsha | Tanhe Ancient City, a great summer destination for family trips!