iQIYI leads agile, IP-and tech-powered offline experience with plan for second theme park in China
BEIJING, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On Apr. 18, iQIYI, China's leading online entertainment platform, announced the groundbreaking of its second comprehensive theme park, iQIYI LAND, in Kaifeng, Henan Province, Central China. This milestone follows last month's unveiling of iQIYI's plans for its first comprehensive theme park in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province in East China, marking another step in the company's strategy to extend its premium IP into the offline realm. It also showcases an innovative model that combines operational agility with enhanced interactivity powered by cutting-edge technologies.
'Through online-offline integration, viewers engage more deeply with the content, transforming from 'audience' to 'experiencer' and even 'co-creator,'' said Yu GONG, founder and CEO of iQIYI, at the launch ceremony. He added, 'iQIYI is developing a comprehensive digital entertainment solution that encompasses everything from online content to offline experiences and from virtual interactions to real-life engagement. These technological advancements and innovations will lay a strong foundation for the Kaifeng project.'
The upcoming iQIYI LAND in Kaifeng will feature seven core entertainment sectors introduced in the Yangzhou project, including immersive theater, holographic light spaces, interactive performance theaters, film set interaction areas, NPC (non-player character) experiences, MR (mixed reality) experiences, and other offline activities. The new park will also introduce IP-themed exhibition areas designed to deepen audience engagement and enrich the visitor experience.
Unlike traditional theme parks that require capital-intensive infrastructure, heavy upfront investment, and extended return cycles, iQIYI is pioneering a more agile and technology-driven model. By leveraging proprietary game engines, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI), the company delivers frequent content updates and more immersive engagement. This approach also addresses common industry challenges such as IP depreciation, high costs associated with live performers and limited interactive content capabilities.
'Since 2017, we've been exploring immersive offline storytelling experiences while building a strong portfolio of sustainable, original Chinese IPs,' said Hang ZHANG, Senior Vice President of iQIYI. 'We're committed to driving content innovation and improving operational efficiency to create long-term value for both users and the industry.' He added that bringing popular IPs into the physical world helps deepen fans' emotional connections with the content.
Currently, the immersive theater experiences have been rolled out across more than 20 cities and 40 locations nationwide and will become a core attraction at iQIYI LAND in the future.
This strategic direction aligns with the growing demand in China's theme park sector, which, according to data from China Insights Consultancy, reached RMB 60 billion (USD 8.2 billion) in 2023 and is projected to exceed RMB 110 billion (USD 15 billion) by 2028.
As with the earlier Yangzhou project, iQIYI continues to prioritize culturally rich cities with strong accessibility and market potential. Located in Central China's Henan Province, Kaifeng is one of China's eight ancient capitals and offers excellent transportation connectivity, including high-speed rail lines that connect to Zhengzhou, with a population of 13 million, in just 30 minutes and to Luoyang, with a population of 7 million, in approximately one hour.
The 960 Cultural and Creative Park, the future site of the theme park, is located near Longting Lake Park, a well-known cultural and leisure destination.
CONTACT: iQIYI Press, [email protected]
View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iqiyi-leads-agile-ip-and-tech-powered-offline-experience-with-plan-for-second-theme-park-in-china-302432414.html
SOURCE iQIYI
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
C Speed Marks Strategic Evolution with Refreshed Go-to-Market Strategy, Unveils New Website and Brand Identity
SYRACUSE, N.Y., June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- C Speed, a proven provider of advanced, 100% American-made radar and surveillance solutions, and a NewSpring Holdings platform company, today announces a refreshed go-to-market strategy, supported by unveiling a modernized brand and digital presence. The company's evolution reflects its deep commitment to solving urgent mission challenges, protecting U.S. borders and global allies, and delivering next-generation radar systems that are ready now, highly capable, and cost-effective. This strategic refresh represents more than a visual update. It is a bold step forward that aligns C Speed's identity with the cutting-edge work it has been delivering for years, across integrated surveillance systems, complex radar modernizations, and sustained mission support. "C Speed has always stood for innovation, precision, and trust," said Kevin McLaughlin, CEO of C Speed. "This evolution is about elevating our presence to match the scale and importance of what we do every day for our customers. We're already solving critical mission needs with proven, interoperable solutions—and now we have a brand and platform that fully represent our capability, agility, and commitment to national security." A Proven Mission Partner with Ready-Now Solutions C Speed's systems are engineered and manufactured entirely in the United States, delivering dependable performance across defense, homeland security, and critical infrastructure domains. The company's deep technical expertise, engineering prowess, and proven track record in operational deployment allow it to work side-by-side with customers, solving real-world mission challenges with precision and speed. C Speed's radar and surveillance technologies are already deployed and operational, demonstrating compatibility with any architecture and delivering results in the most demanding environments. These are not theoretical or experimental systems—they are battle-tested, field-proven, and built to meet today's complex threat landscape. A Modernized Go-to-Market Strategy C Speed's refined go-to-market approach is structured around four core solution areas—all powered by its modular, software-first LightWave™ Technology platform, which lowers lifecycle costs, accelerates deployment, and simplifies sustainment. Integrated Surveillance SolutionsEnd-to-end radar and sensor systems that integrate seamlessly with existing command and control architectures. Powered by LightWave, these scalable systems offer real-time situational awareness across air, land, and maritime domains. Design Engineering ServicesA world-class team of engineers, scientists, and technologists delivering full lifecycle development—from architecture and design through prototyping and testing. C Speed's team brings unmatched radar and RF expertise, helping defense and commercial partners accelerate innovation and integrate new capabilities rapidly. Radar Modernizations, Upgrades & Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs)Transforming legacy systems with state-of-the-art enhancements—boosting performance, reliability, and mission life while reducing total cost of ownership. C Speed's modernizations are flexible, fast, and powered by its open-architecture LightWave framework. Surveillance Operations & SustainmentLong-term support services that ensure mission readiness, including field ops, logistics, and system maintenance. LightWave's simplified sustainment model ensures consistent, high-performance operation for years to come. A Brand Aligned with Mission Impact To support this evolution, C Speed has launched a new website and visual identity—view it here. The brand reflects the company's role as a modern defense partner and its readiness to meet the moment with innovation, speed, and reliability. This refresh is more than a new look—it's a clear statement of C Speed's purpose and capability: defending nations, empowering missions, and delivering excellence every day. About C SpeedC Speed is a leading provider of advanced radar systems and engineering solutions for civilian and military applications. The company specializes in designing, prototyping, and manufacturing state-of-the-art radar systems, focusing on radar receivers, exciters, and signal processors. C Speed has built a strong reputation by collaborating with major defense contractors and government agencies, including the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and NATO. Their product portfolio includes the "LightWave Software Defined Radar Platform," designed as a cost-effective, software-based alternative for legacy radar modernization. With over 30 years of experience in the radar industry, C Speed continues to innovate, providing essential support to national and international defense initiatives. About NewSpring HoldingsNewSpring Holdings, NewSpring's majority investment strategy focused on sector-specific platform builds, brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources to take profitable, growing companies to the next level through acquisitions and proven organic methodologies. Founded in 1999, NewSpring partners with the innovators, makers, and operators of high-performing companies in dynamic industries to catalyze new growth and seize compelling opportunities. The Firm manages over $3.5 billion across five distinct strategies covering the spectrum from growth equity and control buyouts to mezzanine debt. Partnering with management teams to help develop their businesses into market leaders, NewSpring identifies opportunities and builds relationships using its network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and industries. Visit NewSpring at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE C Speed Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Entrepreneur
44 minutes ago
- Entrepreneur
Who Is Alexandr Wang, the Founder of Scale AI Joining Meta?
One of the terms of Meta's $14.3 billion investment in Wang's company, Scale AI, was that he joins Meta in a leadership role. Alexandr Wang is leaving Scale AI, the startup he founded in 2016 — that made him the world's youngest self-made billionaire — to join Meta. Wang, 28, broke the news to employees in a memo that he posted on X on Thursday. Meta is investing $14.3 billion in Scale AI as part of the deal, in exchange for a 49% stake in the startup and access to fresh talent, including Wang. Scale AI's valuation more than doubled from $14 billion to $29 billion due to the investment. "Opportunities of this magnitude often come at a cost," Wang wrote in the memo. "In this instance, that cost is my departure." Alexandr Wang. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Wang will join Meta in a top leadership role in a new division that Meta is calling its Superintelligence lab, and transition from being Scale's CEO to serving as a director on its board, according to The New York Times. Jason Droege, who formerly started and led the Uber Eats business at Uber, will step in as Scale AI's interim CEO. Related: Meta Is Reportedly Offering Up to Nine-Figure Pay for Researchers on Its New Superintelligence AI Team Who Is Alexandr Wang? Wang was born in New Mexico in 1997 to Chinese immigrant parents who were both employed as physicists for the U.S. Air Force and the military. "My parents were brilliant scientists in Los Alamos who accomplished a lot in advancing their field," Wang said in an April 2022 TED talk. "I wanted to work on something as impactful or even more impactful than that. That's why I decided to become a programmer — I wanted to make a difference in this world." As a child, Wang excelled at math and began competing in national math and coding competitions in sixth grade, per Forbes. He has been playing violin since the age of nine and taught himself how to code, according to Leader Biography. Related: Goldman Sachs CIO Says Coders Should Take Philosophy Classes — Here's Why Wang attended Los Alamos High School and graduated a year early. Wang was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and intended to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science, according to his LinkedIn page. What Is Scale AI? However, before starting at MIT, Wang took a gap year between high school and college and moved to Silicon Valley, and landed a job as an engineer at Q&A site Quora. It was at Quora that Wang met Lucy Guo, a product designer who would go on to be his Scale AI co-founder. The idea for Scale AI came to Wang when he was still an MIT student, he told El País. He wanted to figure out which of his roommates was stealing his food from the shared refrigerator by installing a fridge camera and developing an AI that could process camera footage. Wang was never able to figure out who was stealing his food, simply because of the sheer volume of video footage, but the experiment taught him the importance of data in unlocking AI insights. Related: How to Be a Billionaire By 25, According to a College Dropout Turned CEO Worth $1.6 Billion He started Scale AI with Guo in 2016 at age 19, the summer after his freshman year at MIT, to label and manage data that companies use to train AI models. "To power AI, you need powerful data, which was especially hard to come by at that time, in 2016, when I was at MIT," Wang said in the TED Talk. The team was admitted to the summer 2016 batch of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator that has launched companies like Airbnb and Dropbox. Wang became Scale AI's CEO and Guo led its operations and product design teams. Wang dropped out of MIT that summer to pursue the startup, according to VNExpress. In 2018, Guo left Scale AI due to differences in vision with Wang. What's Next for Scale AI and Meta? Wang became a billionaire at age 24 in 2021 thanks to Scale's growth and is now still the world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 28, with a net worth of $3.6 billion. Scale AI now works with the likes of OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft, according to its site. Scale generated about $870 million in revenue in 2024, per Bloomberg. With the Meta investment, the company now plans to "accelerate innovation and strengthen strategic partnerships with customers," according to a press release. Scale will also distribute a portion of the investment to shareholders, with the payout based on how much of the company each investor owns.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Qualcomm Acquires Alphawave for $2.4B to Expand AI Data Center Footprint
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is one of the 8 cheap beginner stocks to buy right now. On June 9, Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), which is growing into the rapidly expanding AI data center industry, agreed to buy Alphawave for approximately $2.4 billion. While Apple ranks as one of Qualcomm's key customers, the iPhone manufacturer's increasing uses of in-house processors has led to the semiconductor company to expand its focus on serving industries like data centers and personal computers. Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr The same day, Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) also made two other all-share proposals for Alphawave. However, Alphawave intends to unanimously recommend the offer to its investors, believing it to be reasonable and fair. Jefferies analysts stated that given Alphawave's exit from its Chinese joint venture, WiseWave, they do not anticipate any significant regulatory barriers to the sale. The deal is expected to close in Q1, 2026 depending on regulatory approvals. In a statement regarding this acquisition, Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm, said the following: 'Qualcomm's advanced custom processors are a natural fit for data center workloads. The combined teams share the goal of building advanced technology solutions and enabling next-level connected computing performance across a wide array of high growth areas, including data center infrastructure.' QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is a well-known American manufacturer of semiconductors and telecom equipment. The company supplies chips to major companies in a number of high-growth industries, including smartphones and autonomous vehicles. While we acknowledge the potential of QCOM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Read More: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
