Virtuality and Reality Coexisting, Returning to the Prosperous Tang Dynasty: An Analysis of Immersive Narrative of Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty in Large-Space VR

With the continuous iteration of metaverse technologies, the offline immersive entertainment industry has undergone profound changes. Differentiated from traditional single-user head-mounted VR and fixed-viewing VR, large-space full-sensory virtual reality technology breaks the shackles of screens and spatial boundaries, evolving into a core track for cultural-tourism integration and IP digital transformation. Boasting advantages such as unrestricted free-walking areas, two-way integration of physical and virtual scenes, multi-dimensional sensory feedback, and real-time multi-user interaction, large-space VR reshapes the creation logic and experience mode of immersive content compared with conventional VR characterized by fragmented experience, passive reception and monotonous scenarios. Based on its blockbuster film and television IP, iQiyi launched Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey, a national-style large-space VR theater. It combines eerie detective stories set in the prosperous Tang Dynasty with cutting-edge full-sensory VR technologies. Adopting film-level virtual scene construction, dynamic interactive narration and all-round sensory simulation, the project enables audiences to step out of the role of bystanders, act as detectives in the Tang Dynasty, and immerse themselves in investigating paranormal mysteries hidden beneath the prosperity of the ancient empire. As a benchmark digital derivative of domestic film and television IP, this project also provides an innovative paradigm for the digital expression of traditional culture and the upgrading of immersive cultural and tourism formats. Taking this large-space VR project as the research object, this paper analyzes its technical architecture, experience logic, narrative characteristics and cultural connotation, and explores the development path and industrial value of domestic-style immersive VR content.

I. Industry Context: Large-Space VR Reshaping the Immersive Content Ecosystem

In the early stage of the immersive cultural and entertainment industry, VR content mainly focused on single-user static experiences. After wearing head-mounted devices, users could only watch virtual images and perform simple interactive commands at fixed positions. The limited moving range and monotonous interaction modes easily caused visual fatigue and vertigo, making in-depth immersion unattainable. Meanwhile, early VR content mostly covered pan-entertainment themes including science fiction, horror and racing, suffering from severe homogenization. The lack of long-term content with profound cultural connotations and complete narrative systems hindered the cultivation of stable user groups and plunged the industry into a development bottleneck.

The emergence of large-space VR technology has completely transformed the landscape of the immersive industry. A large-space VR system refers to an innovative immersive experience form built on full-domain spatial positioning technology. It integrates cloud rendering, six-axis dynamic platforms, full-sensory environmental simulation devices and real-life NPC linkage systems, and is equipped with lightweight dedicated VR headsets. The system allows multiple users to walk and run freely and collaborate with each other in a physical space spanning hundreds of square meters. It outperforms traditional VR products in three core aspects: spatially, it offers an unrestricted extensive walking area that conforms to human movement habits; sensorially, it integrates multiple special effects such as wind, fog, temperature feedback and vibration, realizing synchronized simulation of five human senses; interactively, it supports human-computer interaction, multiplayer online collaboration, virtual-physical interaction and real-life NPC interaction, breaking the dimensional barrier between the virtual and real worlds.

In recent years, the domestic immersive track has gradually trended toward national style, high-quality production and cultural orientation. Mere sensory stimulation can no longer meet audience demands, and immersive content that balances entertainment value and cultural significance has become a market necessity. The TV series Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty has accumulated massive fan bases thanks to its bizarre detective plots, exquisite depiction of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, elaborate costumes and props, and unique Chinese ghost aesthetics. Its storyline, world outlook and character system are inherently suitable for narrative creation based on large-space VR, laying a solid foundation for the offline digital implementation of the IP. Against such an industrial backdrop, Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey was launched. Selected as an innovative demonstration project for large-space VR at the Digital China Science and Technology Week, it has become a representative full-sensory VR product featuring traditional Chinese culture.

II. Technology Empowerment: Building a Virtual Tang World with Multi-Dimensional Architecture

Adopting a two-tier experience architecture of “preliminary physical scene + in-depth virtual scenario + full-sensory empowerment”, Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey divides the entire experience into a physical reception preheating area and a full-sensory VR detective area. The progressive design guides users to travel across time and space, weakens the sense of fragmentation brought by technologies, maximizes the immersive effect, and achieves seamless integration between physical atmosphere and virtual scenarios.

The preliminary physical scene takes Qinchuan Post Station, a typical post station in the Tang Dynasty, as the prototype and adopts film-level ancient-style scene crafting techniques to reproduce the architectural features of urban areas in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The walls are painted with traditional Tang landscape murals, and the interior is furnished with antique tables and chairs, bronze utensils, lanterns and scrolls. Equipped with antique lattice windows and bluestone pavements, the area fully recreates the earthly ambiance of a Tang-dynasty post station. Additionally, professional ancient-costumed NPCs are arranged in the area. Playing roles such as post station administrators, Chang’an patrol officers and street vendors, they interact with users in real time, introduce local customs and cultures of Chang’an, lay the groundwork for the core water monster mystery case, assign detective identities to users and help them get familiar with basic interaction rules. Abandoning the rigid direct access mode of traditional VR products, the preheating session lowers the entry threshold via high-atmosphere physical interaction, helping users integrate into the historical background and relieve discomfort caused by wearing VR devices for the first time.

The core VR experience area adopts cutting-edge immersive technologies to construct a highly realistic virtual Tang world from three dimensions: scenario reproduction, sensory feedback and computing power support. In terms of scenario creation, the production team reproduces core scenes from the original TV series at a 1:1 scale based on authentic art assets, including the night market of Chang’an City, river waterside pavilions, Zhaoling Underground Palace, Lingyan Pavilion and Qinling Mountain cloud sea. The scenes not only present the bustling prosperity of Zhuque Avenue with endless streams of people and brightly lit night markets, but also depict the eerie and mysterious atmosphere of dark underground palaces and fog-shrouded water alleys, covering both the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the suspense of paranormal stories. Supported by real-time cloud rendering technology, virtual scenarios feature dynamic light and shadow changes such as day-night alternation, flowing clouds and rippling water, solving the common defects of traditional VR including blurry images and dynamic stuttering.

In terms of sensory feedback, the project is equipped with a six-axis dynamic motion platform and a full-domain full-sensory special effect system, combined with 5.1-channel spatial stereo audio to deliver a five-sense immersive experience. When users chase the water monster by boat, the dynamic platform synchronously executes bumping, diving and sharp turning movements; the environmental device releases cold wind and water mist simultaneously. Coupled with the roaring of rapid currents, monster growls and oar collision sounds, users can truly feel the thrill of the water chase. When exploring the underground palace, the regional temperature drops slightly, matched with low-frequency environmental sounds and floating virtual smoke and dust to create a gloomy and oppressive detective atmosphere. Furthermore, customized lightweight VR headsets with optimized ergonomic design are adopted to reduce long-term wearing burden and vertigo, making the experience accessible to users of all age groups.

In terms of interactive technology, the large-space millimeter-level full-domain positioning technology can capture subtle user movements including walking, raising hands, touching objects and running in real time, supporting team detective gameplay for 8 to 12 participants. Users are allowed to touch virtual props freely, solve mechanism puzzles and collect case clues, and cooperate with teammates to arrest criminals and unravel paranormal mysteries. They can also engage in real-time dialogues with virtual characters portrayed by the original cast of the TV series such as Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng to unlock side storylines, thoroughly transforming users from story spectators to active participants.

III. Narrative Innovation: Redefining the Experience of Paranormal Stories via Interactive Detective Gameplay

Traditional film and television works adopt linear narration, where the plot development, character fates and story endings are predetermined by producers, leaving audiences no access to interfere with the storyline. Breaking the fixed narrative framework of traditional media, Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey establishes a dynamic interactive narrative system featuring “fixed main plot, diverse side plots and differentiated endings”, reinventing the experience logic of domestic paranormal content.

The story is set in the Kaiyuan period of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, an era when the Tang Empire boasted national strength and prosperous business across Chang’an City. Beneath the thriving surface, however, hidden crises prevailed. Paranormal phenomena such as water monster rampages and abnormal underground palace incidents triggered frequent bizarre murders. Users take on the role of apprentices of Di Renjie, recruited by the imperial government to cooperate with core characters Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng. They need to explore urban streets and hidden secret realms across Chang’an to investigate human conspiracies behind paranormal cases and uncover the dark side of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Consistent with the core concept of the original TV series, the VR project adheres to the theme that “all supernatural incidents stem from human evils rather than ghosts”, rejects vulgar thriller elements, and wraps humanistic speculation and social reality under the outer shell of paranormal legends.

Different from linear traditional stories, the VR project endows users with high plot decision-making power. Every choice made during the detective process affects the development of side plots and character favorability: prioritizing street clue investigation unlocks urban folk anecdotes, while exploring imperial secret realms reveals hidden court secrets. When interrogating suspects, two questioning modes—gentle inquiry and rigorous interrogation—can trigger different dialogues and yield differentiated case clues. Team collaboration further enriches the narrative dimension. In multiplayer mode, team members can independently allocate tasks including clue collection, perimeter alert and puzzle solving, and different task allocations generate exclusive story segments, enabling every user to obtain a one-of-a-kind detective experience.

To balance interactive freedom and plot integrity, the production team adopts a creation strategy of “fixed main plot, unrestricted side plots and tiered endings”. Core case truths and key main plot nodes are locked to maintain the original IP tone; side plots are fully open, and unlocking different side stories can reward users with exclusive costumes, props and character easter eggs. The final ending is divided into perfect, ordinary and unsatisfactory versions based on users’ detective efficiency, clue completeness and key decisions, encouraging users to devote themselves to the storyline and experience the project repeatedly to unlock all contents. This narrative mode avoids fragmented plots caused by excessive openness and breaks the experience limitations of traditional media, realizing the unification of entertainment, fun and storytelling value.

IV. Cultural Connotation: Empowering the Popularization of Traditional Chinese Culture via Technology

High-quality immersive content is more than mere sensory entertainment; it also undertakes the mission of disseminating and inheriting culture. Beyond superficial technological display, Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey integrates Tang-dynasty history, folk aesthetics and humanistic spirits into its scenarios, plots and props. Taking immersive experience as a carrier, the project turns obscure traditional culture into tangible and perceptible content, facilitating the popularization of traditional Chinese culture among young groups.

In terms of visual aesthetics, the project fully reproduces the exclusive aesthetic system of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In virtual scenarios, the layout of Chang’an City and the operation mode of night markets strictly follow the Fangshi system of the Tang Dynasty; character costumes are designed in accordance with historical materials, distinguishing dressing characteristics of officials, civilians, vendors and court ladies; props including bronze wine vessels, Tang-dynasty lanterns, calligraphy scrolls and ingenious mechanisms are reproduced based on unearthed cultural relics and ancient documents. Meanwhile, the project incorporates characteristic cultural scenes such as the portrait gallery of Lingyan Pavilion meritorious officials, relief sculptures of the Six Steeds of Zhaoling and Tang poetry feasts, allowing users to appreciate the peak charm of sculpture, calligraphy and poetry art of the Tang Dynasty during detective sessions.

In terms of spiritual connotation, the work inherits the humanistic essence of the original IP and reflects various social conditions of the Tang Dynasty through paranormal cases. The storyline analyzes class contradictions, official corruption and human nature behind supernatural events, presenting the sufferings of grassroots civilians trapped by paranormal rumors, the sincerity of upright low-ranking officials who dare to confront powerful forces, and the persistent truth-seeking spirit of detectives represented by Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng who fear no ghosts but focus solely on human nature. This connotation enables users to step beyond pure entertainment, perceive the complex social features of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and comprehend the core philosophy of Chinese paranormal culture—expressing views on human nature via supernatural legends.

Compared with traditional cultural communication carriers such as books, films and exhibitions, large-space VR immersive experience boasts stronger attractiveness and communication potential. For young audiences, tedious historical documents and static cultural relic exhibitions are hard to arouse exploration interest, while interactive detective gameplay motivates young people to take the initiative to learn Tang-dynasty culture in an entertaining way. For the cultural and tourism industry, the project creates an innovative cultural-tourism integration model of “film and television IP + large-space VR + traditional Chinese culture”. This model can be implemented in urban business districts without relying on physical historical scenic spots, enriching the supply of urban cultural and tourism products and promoting the high-quality development of domestic-style immersive cultural tourism.

V. Industrial Reflections and Future Prospects

At present, most small and medium-sized large-space VR projects prioritize technology over content and sensory stimulation over cultural connotation. Blind stacking of special effects and homogeneous replication of horror-themed escape room content lead to shallow storylines and insufficient cultural depth, resulting in short service life and difficulty in accumulating loyal users. The success of Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey verifies that the optimal development model for domestic large-space VR content lies in the combination of premium IP, cutting-edge technologies and profound cultural connotations, providing three replicable development experiences for the industry.

First, prioritize high-quality content and balance the relationship between technology and storytelling. As a carrier for content presentation, technology should always serve plot expression and cultural dissemination rather than becoming the core selling point. Creators should abandon the misconception of overemphasizing special effects and attach importance to script creation to endow works with unique spiritual connotations. Second, deepen the layout of domestic-style tracks and explore innovative expression forms of traditional culture. China’s 5,000-year history has nurtured abundant creation materials. Themes such as ancient paranormal legends and historical stories are inherently compatible with immersive experience. Creators can dig into ancient classics, folk customs and historical tales to develop differentiated domestic-style immersive content and avoid homogeneous competition. Third, optimize the overall experience system to balance professionalism and universality. On the one hand, continuously upgrade core technologies including spatial positioning and dynamic rendering to reduce user vertigo; on the other hand, simplify operation thresholds to cover users of all age groups and expand the audience scope.

In the long run, with the upgrading of metaverse, artificial intelligence and XR technologies, large-space VR content will evolve toward intellectualization, long-term serialization and diversification. Fixed-script NPCs will be replaced by AI-powered virtual NPCs capable of personalized dialogues for different users; serialized long-term storylines will become mainstream to extend project lifecycle via continuous content updates based on mature IPs. Additionally, large-space VR technology will be deeply integrated with cultural tourism, education and cultural relic protection, deriving diversified products such as historical research and study tours, virtual cultural relic reproduction and immersive teaching tools.

In conclusion, Supernatural Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Westward Journey reproduces the elegance of the prosperous Tang Dynasty with top-tier technologies, revitalizes paranormal culture via interactive narration, and empowers the immersive entertainment industry with profound domestic cultural connotations. It serves as an outstanding model for the digital transformation of film and television IP as well as the modern inheritance of traditional culture. Amid the era of two-way empowerment between technology and culture, more high-quality domestic VR works with technological sophistication, cultural depth and entertainment value are expected to emerge, enabling time-honored traditional Chinese culture to shine brightly in the new digital era.