Xixi Cai Zhizhong Art Museum opened Water Margin: Origins to the public on January 1, 2026. The multisensory VR experience occupies the museum’s second floor in Hangzhou’s Xixi National Wetland Park. It draws on Xixi’s cultural heritage and the Chinese novel Water Margin to give visitors an active role in the story.
Visitors put on VR headsets and travel back to the Northern Song dynasty as heroes. They meet characters from the novel and experience the story of how it came to be written. The Xihu District Government News Office said at launch that sessions lasted about 45 minutes and required advance booking, with groups formed on site.
November expo demonstration
The project photo published by Hangzhou Daily shows the experience at a cultural industries expo in November 2026. The newspaper reported seeing visitors reach out and turn to look around while wearing VR headsets.
