An aerial view of the concert held in Shexiang Ancient Town of Dafang county, southwest China's Guizhou province, on Oct 1. YANG WENBIN/XINHUA

　　GUIYANG — At first glance, the sweeping terraces carved into a hillside in Southwest China resemble farmland.

　　Yet no crops grow here. Instead, as night falls, the tiers fill with thousands of people singing in the rain as music and bands of light sweep across the hillside.

　　On Oct 1, the first day of China's weeklong National Day holiday, more than 10,000 people gathered for an open-air concert at Shexiang Ancient Town in Dafang county, Guizhou province. The show began at 7 pm in light rain, with singer Zhou Shen, a household name in China who grew up in Guizhou, performing alongside other musicians and drawing fans from across the country.

　　The unusual venue has emerged as a new tourist attraction in a community originally built to accommodate relocated rural residents. There is no roof or enclosed auditorium. Instead, the stage sits at the foot of a bowl-shaped hillside, with landscaped terraces serving as seats and the surrounding mountains and night sky providing a natural backdrop.

　　Wang Lei, the concert's stage designer and chief director, said the guiding principle is to keep the design "down to earth", with the stage appearing as though it has "grown out of the earth".

　　The team incorporated an existing ornamental pool and drew inspiration from Dafang's traditional bean products to shape the stage like a stone mill. With minimal decorative elements, the design aims to blend into the landscape rather than compete with it, Wang added.

　　Chen Hongjin, who traveled from Guiyang, the provincial capital, said the natural setting was a major part of the appeal.