As the lights dim and the revolving stage begins to turn, actors in exquisite palace attire emerge from the audience. Classic lines, imbued with the aura of the imperial court, transport the audience instantly into the world of "Empresses in the Palace." On May 10, during a themed interview focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a reporter visited the Happiness Mahua A88 Theater for an immersive experience of the unique charm of the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition. This 1,500-square-meter theater, transformed from an old basketball court, not only represents Happiness Mahua's innovative exploration in immersive performing arts but also marks the journey of a cultural enterprise that grew up in Beijing. Under the support of policies, it has evolved from deep cultivation in comedy to cross-border integrated development.
As a representative cultural enterprise rooted in Beijing and radiating nationwide, Happiness Mahua has consistently driven its growth through innovation, steadily advancing with a dual-line strategy of traditional theaters and new spatial formats. From classic comedic stage plays to immersive theatrical productions, and from cross-border integration of "drama + dining" to nationwide replication of successful models, each step of the enterprise vividly illustrates a development path characterized by "small yet beautiful, specialized, and strong."
Customized Transformation of a Basketball Court into an Immersive Performance Space Upon entering the Happiness Mahua A88 Theater, the mechanical matrix formed by over 300 lighting devices, a central revolving stage, and ice screen technology is awe-inspiring. What was once an ordinary basketball court has been custom-transformed into an immersive performance space capable of accommodating 600 people. "The renovation of this theater represents a bold attempt to break through the limitations of traditional stages," said Hong Ye, head of the Happiness Mahua Performing Arts Product Center. The "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition, as a flagship project of Happiness Mahua's new spatial product line, from creative refinement to on-site presentation, provides a replicable industry benchmark for spatial innovation and content upgrades in immersive theater.
Discussing the project's growth story, the play's producer, Zhang Yuanziyi, shared insights: The immersive "Empresses in the Palace" stage play has relatively high requirements for theater conditions, including a 1,500-square-meter column-free space, ceiling height, load-bearing capacity, and electrical supply. On-site observations reveal that the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition breaks the traditional unidirectional model of "actors perform, audience watches." By placing the revolving stage at the center of the theater and redefining the relationship between the fixed stage and seating, actors move among the audience, vividly portraying the love story between Zhen Huan and Prince Guo and the power struggles within the palace. "We innovatively integrated acrobatics and multimedia experiences into the plot, using acrobatic movements to express characters' emotions. This approach preserves the essence of the original work while aligning with the characteristics of immersive performances," Hong Ye explained.
Attracting Nearly 300,000 Audience Members in 2025 It is reported that since its premiere at the end of 2025, the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition sold out all shows in its first week. To date, its popularity continues to rise, making it a hot choice in Beijing's cultural consumption market. In 2025, Happiness Mahua staged over 2,000 performances in new spatial venues in Beijing, attracting nearly 300,000 audience members, demonstrating the innovative vitality of small and medium-sized cultural enterprises through tangible results.
Happiness Mahua has established a development path of "Beijing validation, nationwide replication," promoting mature projects like the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition to other first-tier cities across China. This allows more audiences to experience the charm of immersive performing arts while providing a reference for IP transformation and format innovation for SMEs within the industry.
Breaking Physical Boundaries Between Restaurant and Theater If the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition represents Happiness Mahua's successful exploration in immersive performing arts, then "The Great Escort American Dining Show" is another important practice in the enterprise's cross-border integration and expansion of development paths. That evening, the reporter followed the interview group to the "The Great Escort American Dining Show" outlet located in Wanli Tingyun Town, Tongzhou District. The American Western retro-style decor immediately captures attention. The restaurant and theater break physical boundaries, achieving deep spatial integration. Diners can enjoy meals while watching interactive performances. "This project is the second implemented project of Happiness Mahua's 'dining + culture' integration and a bold attempt at innovation in the cultural industry's formats," introduced Lü Bin, Operations Supervisor of Beijing Happiness Mahua Performing Arts Brokerage Co., Ltd. - Dining Operations. The project's growth path was not smooth. From the initial "1+1" independent zoning model (Chinese restaurant + independent theater) to the current spatial integration model, it involved continuous trial, error, and optimization by the team.
Navigating Collaboration and Balance Between Cultural and Dining Teams Recalling the challenges in the project's early stages, Lü Bin expressed deep感慨: "Initially, we faced difficulties in磨合跨行业 teams. The dining team pursued standardization, chain replication, and cost control, while the cultural team focused on artistic expression with relatively发散 thinking. Disagreements often arose regarding show presentation and cost investment." Additionally, traffic引流 in the project's early stages became a significant challenge. As an enterprise engaged in cross-border expansion within the cultural-commercial-tourism sector, lacking sufficient funds for large-scale promotional campaigns made it difficult to提升门店知名度.
Lü Bin stated that through continuous commercialization exploration, the team gradually found a balance between standardization and artistry. By optimizing spatial layouts and enriching interactive formats, they deeply integrated dining services with performing arts experiences. This addressed the consumer pain point of "seeking entertainment separately after a meal,"延长了顾客停留时间, and enhanced the outlet's operational efficiency.
Transforming Diners from "Spectators" to "Participants" Today, "The Great Escort American Dining Show" has become a popular choice for gatherings and social media check-ins among Beijing's youth. Since its opening, it has maintained high occupancy rates, even experiencing排队现象. The outlet operates on the principle of "food as the medium, performance as the soul, interaction as the core," staging productions like "Crazy Big Eater" and "Cowboy Carnival Night." Through role-playing, game incentives, photo-sharing, and other forms, it transforms diners from "spectators" into "participants," creating a unique differentiated advantage. "We adhere to the philosophy of 'single-store testing, valuing negative feedback.' We treat each outlet as an experimental field for model testing, viewing negative feedback as 'the voice of angels.' Through timely optimization and adjustments, we lay the foundation for subsequent nationwide chain expansion," Lü Bin explained. Currently, the team is exploring more "drama+" cross-border integration models and plans to promote this "Beijing validation, nationwide replication" model to other cities across the country in the future, allowing the innovative成果 of cultural enterprises to benefit more consumers.
Two Projects, One缩影: The Innovation Path of Beijing's SME Cultural Enterprises From the venue transformation and technological innovation of the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition to the format iteration and team磨合 of "The Great Escort American Dining Show," the growth trajectories of these two projects serve as a缩影 of the innovative development of small and medium-sized cultural enterprises in Beijing. In recent years, Beijing has placed high importance on the development of various business entities, issuing policies such as the "Several Measures to Promote Steady Economic Progress in Beijing in 2026." These policies完善融资协调机制,开展大中小企业融通对接活动, and provide financial support for SMEs purchasing service券配券产品. These measures provide strong护航 for the bold exploration of innovative projects, enabling一个个初创项目 to overcome resource limitations, gradually move from conception to reality, and ultimately become a driving force for industrial upgrading.
复合业态 Becomes a Beijing Cultural Brand, Planned for Nationwide Replication During the interview, it was learned that Happiness Mahua has currently formed a complementary development pattern between traditional theaters and new spatial formats. It operates 3 standard theaters and 6 new spatial theaters in Beijing. Its "Hua Hua World"复合业态 has become a Beijing cultural brand and is planned for nationwide replication and promotion. Whether through the IP innovation of the "Empresses in the Palace" immersive edition or the cross-border integration of "dining + performing arts," Happiness Mahua始终坚守文化初心, drives development through innovation, meets consumers' diverse needs with high-quality cultural products, and provides replicable, promotable experience for the development of SME cultural enterprises.
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