China is witnessing a growing interest in an unusual form of tourism that allows visitors to experience the force of natural disasters without facing the dangers of a real emergency. From typhoon-strength winds and flash floods to simulated earthquakes, immersive disaster experiences are attracting young travellers seeking adventure, practical survival skills and a deeper understanding of nature’s destructive power.
The trend, increasingly described on Chinese social media as “paying to suffer” or “paying to buy fear”, is emerging as a new dimension of dark tourism, which traditionally involves visits to places associated with death, disasters and historical tragedies.
One of the popular destinations for this experience is Lvxing Base in Hangzhou, eastern China, where visitors can participate in carefully designed disaster simulations. The facility, spread across approximately 200,000 square metres, opened in 2024 and recreates extreme weather conditions, including typhoons and mudslides.
The experience has attracted visitors from across the country. Leon Lv, a 28-year-old woman from Chongqing in southwestern China, travelled more than 1,300 km to Hangzhou after watching social media videos showing people struggling against powerful winds and surging floodwaters. During a simulated flooding exercise, participants encountered a powerful rush of water that swept them off their feet and pushed them towards a safety barrier.
The intensity of the experience left Lv momentarily overwhelmed, despite knowing that she was taking part in a controlled simulation. She said the exercise helped her understand how to remain calm during a flood and adopt the correct body position to protect herself.
For her, the experience offered practical lessons that conventional classroom teaching could not provide in the same way. The growing popularity of such attractions reflects changing preferences among younger Chinese travellers, many of whom are increasingly interested in interactive experiences rather than conventional sightseeing. Wang Kuanghan, general manager of Lvxing Base, said many visitors were drawn by the thrill of experiencing simulated extreme weather and testing their ability to cope with dangerous situations.
Most individual customers visiting the facility are between 20 and 30 years old, he said. The company plans to establish five additional centres across China over the next three years, with earthquake and fire simulations also being considered.
The concept is gaining traction beyond private tourism operators. Beijing’s Haidian public safety museum offers visitors simulated earthquakes, tsunamis and fires through a four-dimensional theatre featuring moving platforms and sound effects. Guangzhou, in southern China, opened a five-storey disaster education centre last year, where an earthquake simulator can reproduce shaking comparable to a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.
The expansion of these facilities comes amid growing concerns over extreme weather and disaster preparedness. China recorded its highest number of hot days since records began in 2025 and experienced 10 typhoons during the year. The country’s emergency management authorities reported that 67 million people were affected by disasters.
In 2024, local governments were directed to strengthen immersive disaster education through safety centres, museums and training facilities, using realistic simulations to prepare people for emergencies. However, the expanding interest in dark tourism is not limited to simulated disasters.
An increasing number of travellers are also visiting locations where major tragedies have occurred, seeking to understand the human consequences of natural disasters and historical events. Among these destinations are the preserved ruins of Beichuan in Sichuan province, devastated by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in May 2008 that killed more than 70,000 people.
Damaged buildings and the remains of schools have been preserved as reminders of the disaster. In nearby Yingxiu, a broken clock surrounded by the ruins of a school remains frozen at 2.28 pm, the time the earthquake struck. Visitors say such sites offer a sobering understanding of the destructive power of nature and the scale of human loss.
Some believe that visiting these places can help people confront painful chapters of history and reflect on the experiences of survivors and victims. Historical memorials are also drawing significant public interest. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which commemorates the killings during the Japanese army’s occupation of Nanjing in 1937, has witnessed growing visitor interest, according to tour guides. Admission is free, but visitors must book in advance, with local authorities reserving 25,000 places daily.
Tourism experts believe the trend reflects a generational shift in travel preferences, with younger visitors increasingly seeking experiences that provide emotional engagement, historical understanding or practical knowledge.
As disaster simulations gain popularity alongside visits to sites of historical suffering, China’s evolving tourism landscape is moving beyond traditional attractions towards experiences that combine adventure, education and reflection. For many visitors, the appeal lies not simply in witnessing danger or tragedy, but in understanding its impact and learning how people respond when confronted with extraordinary circumstances.
