Why Is Xiaohongshu’s “RED LAND” So Addictive?

Amid a chorus of “goodbyes,” RED LAND 2026 came to a close. Even for those audience members who hadn’t yet left the island, a sense of withdrawal had already begun to set in.

“Tomorrow we’ll be tired adults again, but at RED LAND, we can stay young forever.” This phrase was written on a sign held by an NPC, and many netizens posted comments expressing their feelings: RED LAND, which felt like a dream, has come to an end, and people must return to their real lives.

Yesterday, the large-scale offline open-world anime event hosted by Xiaohongshu officially came to a close. From October 2 to October 6, this riverine island—converted from the former China Shipbuilding Factory—was transformed for the second consecutive year into an “open-world adventure island” for anime and manga enthusiasts.

01

New and Old

This is my second time setting foot on Fuxing Island to keep my appointment with RED LAND.

As the car approached the familiar venue—the once-weathered site of the former China Shipbuilding Factory—it seemed to have been reawakened for this grand event: the exterior walls of the old factory buildings had been freshly painted, and the large machinery had been given a fresh coat of paint as well.

Fuxing Island has a distinctly industrial vibe. Massive tower cranes and machinery towers soar skyward, and today, these steel behemoths stand side by side with giant inflatable figures of popular anime characters, creating a wondrous scene where cyberpunk and fairy tales intertwine.

Last year, when Xiaohongshu announced plans to break new ground and host an exhibition on this island, there was no shortage of skepticism within the industry; by the second edition, however, the skepticism had noticeably subsided.

Yinghuo, Head of Games and Anime at Xiaohongshu, shared the following at a media briefing: As of 2025, Xiaohongshu’s monthly active users for games have surpassed 120 million, with 137 million users interested in anime. The number of monthly anime-related posts ranks first among the platform’s vertical categories, while the volume of gaming content posts ranks fourth.

At the same time, Yinghuo sent an important signal at the event: Xiaohongshu may be planning to invest in the gaming sector. Given these developments, it is now difficult for outsiders to view Xiaohongshu as an outsider to the gaming industry.

What’s even more commendable is that the organizers are willing to listen to player feedback.At the previous event, many attendees complained about the sweltering heat and the venue being too sprawling; this year, Xiaohongshu moved the event to the pleasant autumn season and optimized the venue layout to be more compact. When sudden showers occurred, raincoats were distributed for free at various supply stations, and small folding stools were provided in the queuing areas, significantly reducing the physical strain on attendees.

While the experience has been optimized, the event has also expanded in scale. This year, the event area has grown from 80,000 square meters to 150,000 square meters, and the number of IPs has doubled as well. A total of 160 game and anime IPs have made their way to the island. In addition to miHoYo’s *Genshin Impact* and *Honkai: Star Rail*,Tencent’s *Honor of Kings* and *Operation Delta*, and NetEase’s *Egg Party*, five colossal statues of Disney’s Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Black Panther also made their global debut at the *Avengers 5* booth.

In addition to all-new upgrades, many heartwarming traditions have been carried forward. “Xiaocai Cai Qiuqiu,” the islander NPC who went viral last year after shedding tears while making eye contact with players across the crowd, has voluntarily requested to return this year; the widely acclaimed outdoor immersive exhibition format has not only been retained but has also been further enhanced.

Xiaohongshu worked closely with every participating exhibitor to refine the curation plan, going through two to three rounds of revisions. The emotional resonance built up from previous editions was further amplified this year, and “RED LAND” during the National Day holiday once again brought the festive atmosphere on this small island to a fever pitch.

02

An Open World to Explore

RED LAND’s central concept is “Open-World Adventure Island.” This means that players who visit aren’t simply walking through an exhibition in one direction—they’re actually playing a fully immersive, live-action, open-world holographic game.

Here, everyone's route is random, and you never know what you'll find around the next corner.

During the day, I darted from one exhibit area to another like a kid: at Pokémon Land, I shot hoops, played ball, and did crafts, happily covering my arms with cute stickers; then I headed over to the line for *The Sultan’s Game*, watching the muscular male model NPCs exude their charismatic charm;Not far away, at the *Beast Party* exhibit, the cute animal plush toys instantly transported me back to my childhood.

Each booth had its own unique atmosphere. The *Honor of Kings* and *Heartwarming Town* exhibition areas featured stages with nonstop performances, drawing huge crowds; *Operation Delta* invited Fan Chengcheng this year, instantly drawing massive crowds—the line outside wound around the venue several times.*Honkai: Star Rail* set up a galaxy-themed “Holiday KTV,” where music from the game was performed live, blending with the sounds from the neighboring booths to create a soundscape unique to this island.

Even the weather has become a limited-time random event in this open world. When a sudden shower falls, the park reveals a different side: Pikachu dons its signature raincoat and weaves through the crowd;a character from *Eternal Return* actually unfurls a “Qianji Umbrella”; and someone even captured “Ye Xiu” from *The King’s Avatar* walking calmly through the rain with an umbrella.

In addition to classic masterpieces, otome games that haven’t yet entered open beta—such as *Code: Xiang* and *Code: Ruyi*—have garnered high praise for their exquisite promotional materials; the booth for *Adventures in Animal City*, which had just released its promotional video, was packed with people;even *Star Cuckoo Valley* and *Grainy’s Lilliput*, which haven’t launched yet, drew large crowds of players with their adorable characters standing at the entrance.

Even people who visited on the same day would be amazed at how much they missed when they checked online afterward.For example, at 4:00 p.m., while I was lost in the wonders of Pokémon Land, I had no idea that Nuan Nuan and Da Miao had already made a stunning appearance in the *Infinite Nuan Nuan* exhibition area; and when the nighttime lighting ceremony for *Like a Kite* began, some visitors were so moved by the interplay of light and shadow that their eyes welled up with tears.

At 5:00 p.m., the parade began right on time.

Led by the official lead float, floats featuring IPs such as *Egg Party*, *Nishuihan*, *Heartwarming Town*, *Valorant*, and *Naraka: Bladepoint* followed in succession, moving slowly along “Adventurer’s Avenue.”

Each float was uniquely designed. Some characters were enlarged into giant installations perched on the roofs of the floats; some performers interacted with spectators along the route from atop the floats; some IPs featured custom choreography set to music; and the “Milk Dragon,” who made its appearance lying under a blanket, became the talk of the town.

The most impressive sight was the “main character parade,” made up of about 150 ordinary participants. Some had modified their self-balancing scooters to look like Nezha’s “Wheels of Wind and Fire,” others were pedaling tricycles, and one person had even built a Spider-Man-themed mechanical float from scratch.A passerby was standing by the roadside watching the parade when he was suddenly pulled onto an electric scooter by a cosplayer, unexpectedly getting to experience a parade ride of his own.

The moment the float passed by, streamers rained down from the sky. The streamers were printed with the names of various IPs and classic quotes, as well as some timely and touching messages. One streamer drifted toward a netizen who was waiting in line; she reached out and caught it. It read: “We must have been destined for this moment.”

The fluttering ribbons drifted down with the wind, as if opening a book of answers that perfectly captured everyone’s feelings at that moment. As one attendee wrote on social media: “It was such a pure and joyful convention. I was deeply moved the moment the parade floats passed by—it felt like I was living a grand dream… Let’s keep this dream alive and continue hosting the event!”

03

Everyone Is the Main Character

Why did I experience such intense withdrawal symptoms after leaving Fuxing Island?

Because at RED LAND, you're not just a tourist—you're the real "star."

Single-player gamers call this place a single-player paradise, and female gamers feel a level of respect and comfort here unlike anything they’ve experienced before. People from all walks of life can find their place on this island.

As one gamer who has visited various major conventions put it: “Other conventions might be more commercialized and have a sense of aloofness, but at RED LAND, I felt the joy of realizing that I could truly be the star of the show.It’s more like Disney—even if you’re not very familiar with the IP, it offers every adult a one-of-a-kind anime experience.”

The NPCs here aren’t cold, impersonal staff members—they’re “fellow enthusiasts” who pour their hearts into their roles. This year, the number of Islander NPCs has expanded from 17 characters last year to 27, with all 54 performers being ordinary anime and manga fans from the Xiaohongshu community. Each one must undergo multiple rounds of interviews and systematic training before being cleared to take on their role.

They’re no longer just tools for giving directions. Each character fits seamlessly into the worldview of their respective area and features exclusive interactive storylines. On-site, there are minstrels who improvise poems based on prompts, “dimension” mail carriers who deliver handwritten postcards from strangers, and even whimsical non-human characters like seagulls and trash cans roaming the area.

After dark, NPCs change into their nighttime outfits, adjust their dialogue accordingly, and wear glow-in-the-dark props. A unique “interdimensional confessional” culture has even emerged within the game, where many players are willing to confide their real-life worries to NPCs and find genuine emotional comfort in this fictional world.

“The fact that we met here is the smallest miracle in the anime and manga world,” one player remarked. Over the course of the five-day journey, we weathered rainy days together, watched the sunset together, and screamed along to our favorite music together. These little moments of everyday life made up the warm times we shared, and they’re what keep so many people coming back time and time again.

As RED LAND came to a close, players, cosplayers, and staff shook hands to say goodbye. Someone remarked, “I never imagined that amid a factory filled with cranes, I’d experience an anime journey so full of joy and emotion.”

It’s hard to define the significance of this event through a grand narrative. But it did create a utopia for players, allowing everyone who set foot on the island to experience a beautiful dream they never wanted to wake up from.

This may well be the purest value of a large-scale in-person event.