"In the past, most domestic fans dressed up as characters from popular American or Japanese shows at anime conventions. But now, more and more people are wearing the costumes and makeup of Chinese characters — like Wukong, a superhero unique to our culture. I feel so proud of that," says Wang.

As a devoted fan, Wang once traveled to several cities in search of the perfect costume maker, eventually spending nearly 50,000 yuan ($6,956) on a custom suit of armor and 1,800 yuan on the jin gu bang, the magical staff wielded by Wukong.

With growing recognition for his vivid portrayal of the Destined One, Wang, along with his fellow cosplayers — all skilled in bringing characters from Black Myth: Wukong to life — was invited to perform at the festival.

Hosting a wide range of activities, from master classes to a voice-acting contest, the festival received more than 1.46 million visitors and generated a total transaction and consumption value worth around 1.48 billion yuan ($205.5 million), according to the organizers.