Barco empowers Dongting Fantasy to create a spectacular lighting show

Dongting Fantasy, created by renowned avant‑garde director Li Yan and his team, is built around the belief that “All things have spirit, ecosystems follow cycles, and humans are bound by emotion”. The project pioneers a boundary‑breaking artistic complex that blends exhibition, performance, research, and immersive dining. Powered by the exceptional visual performance of Barco projectors, Dongting Fantasy creates a captivating ecological panorama and transforms the journey from a time when “the lake could no longer sustain fish” to the return of “lucid waters and lush mountains” into an emotional, immersive spectacle that resonates with audiences.

A new ecological storytelling landmark

As China’s first 5D ecological theater centered on ecological civilization, Dongting Fantasy has attracted significant attention since its debut and quickly became a new benchmark in cultural tourism. Across three major theaters, it brings to life the historical narrative of “Restoring lakes by withdrawing fishing activities”, while expressing the poetic beauty of Eastern ecological aesthetics. It stands as a compelling example of how visual imaging technology can integrate deeply with regional culture.

To fully realize its ambitious visual concept, the project deployed 135 Barco projectors, including 127 G- series and 8 UDM series units, to build an intensely immersive environment. Through light and imagery, the stories and emotions of lakeside fishermen unfold vividly.

Managing complex environments and high creative demands

The project faced two main categories of challenges: complex installation environments and stringent image performance demands. Projectors needed to fit into concealed or unconventional spaces, which required high stability and strong environmental resilience. The system also had to operate continuously even in high‑humidity and high‑temperature conditions. At the same time, the creative concept required projectors with high brightness, high resolution, and high refresh rates to accurately reproduce visual details and support immersive formats like panoramic screens and dome projections.

Barco’s strengths in immersive imaging and technical reliability played a pivotal role in meeting both the creative and operational requirements of the installation.

Bringing the Dongting Lake narrative to life through seamless projection design

Dongting Fantasy unfolds across several interconnected theatrical environments that bridge the past, present, and future of Dongting Lake. Barco projectors play an essential role in shaping each space, blending into the architecture and reinforcing the project’s poetic, ecological storytelling.

In the Fishermen’s Village Theater, the Lotus Realm Theater uses Barco G50 projectors to cast delicate imagery across the walls of former fishermen’s homes, allowing memories of the past to unfold across the surfaces. The Finless Porpoise Bay Theater features a layered projection design, where G100 projectors create shimmering water textures on the stage floor, G62 units illuminate a moon‑shaped installation, and UDM projectors add depth to the backdrop through dual wide‑format gauze screens.

The narrative continues in the Liu Husheng and Milu Deer Theater. In the Classroom Theater, vertically mounted G62 projectors blend imagery across four gauze screens, enabling the room to shift fluidly between reality and illusion. In the adjacent Milu Deer Theater, projections cover three walls and two forest installations. Vertically stacked G62 units complete the walls, while G50 projectors in both horizontal and vertical configurations shape the natural scenery.

The Fishermen’s New Village Theater brings the story into a contemporary setting. G50 projectors illuminate shop facades and signage with vivid visuals, strengthening the sense of place within the narrative. In the Old Fishermen’s Village Museum, G50 units create virtual display cabinets that blend harmoniously with physical artifacts such as tung‑oil lamps and oars. The Four Seasons Theater completes the sequence with a dynamic projection environment, where G50 projectors show shifting seasonal landscapes across gauze screens while presenting traditional solar‑term text on a suspended central display.

Elevating cultural tourism through immersive ecological storytelling

Dongting Fantasy merges advanced visual storytelling with the ecological heritage of Dongting Lake, vividly expressing the narrative of “Protecting a river of green waters”. The project sets a new benchmark for immersive cultural tourism in China. Through continuous innovation and strong industry expertise, Barco has built a leading position in entertainment and cultural imaging and accumulated extensive experience in cultural tourism projects.

By integrating lighting shows with historical settings and live performance, Barco brings content to life through technology, adding emotional resonance, creative vitality, and commercial value. Looking ahead, Barco will continue investing in China’s cultural tourism market and use innovative visualization technologies to support more landmark projects and drive sustainable industry growth.