Seventy point seven percent. That is the forest coverage blanketing Hezhou, a prefecture-level city in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region where steam rises from the Xixi hot springs through misty valleys and the aroma of Yao ethnic oil tea bubbles in clay pots along the 2,000-year-old Xiaohe Ancient Road. Xinhua News Agency’s Guangxi branch reported that this ecological foundation—paired with a strategic position less than 90 minutes from Guangzhou by high-speed rail—is transforming Hezhou into the Greater Bay Area’s preferred wellness destination, a shift set to accelerate when the city hosts the 2026 Guangxi Cultural Tourism Development Conference.
Designated a “World Longevity City” in 2016 and China’s first “all-domain longevity city” in 2020, Hezhou now draws more than 60% of its visitors from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with that figure climbing above 80% at the Xixi Forest Hot Spring Resort. In 2025, Gupo Mountain Tourism Resort saw over 2.03 million visitors—up 34.4% from the previous year.
Green Gold: 99.75% Forest Coverage Drives a 2-Million-Visitor Boom
Gupo Mountain’s forest coverage reaches 99.75%, earning the area the nickname “South China’s Great Oxygen Bar.” According to Xinhua, the mountain’s negative ion levels peak at 120,000 per cubic centimeter. Visitors hike wellness trails by day and soak in 86.5°C natural hot springs by night, waters rich in metasilicic acid, strontium, and radon that bubble up from the Nanling geothermal anomaly zone.
“The air here is exceptionally fresh, like being in a natural oxygen bar,” British tourist Anita told Xinhua. “Soaking in the hot springs surrounded by this environment is incredibly relaxing and enjoyable.”
Hezhou has constructed three national forest wellness pilot bases and nine Guangxi travel wellness bases, forming a “one core, three zones, multiple points” development pattern that earned the city designation as a national all-domain forest wellness pilot construction city.
Ancient Stone, New Livelihoods: Villages Revived Along the Xiaohe Ancient Road
The Xiaohe Ancient Road—once a vital artery connecting the Qin and Han dynasties to the maritime Silk Road—now functions as a living corridor linking revitalized villages. In Chashan Village, Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, stone pathways worn smooth by centuries now host oil tea houses, rural bookstores, and livestreaming studios.
“In 2021, I worried about vacant ancestral homes and unsold local specialties,” villager Yang Ruxiu told Xinhua. “Now I run a business at my doorstep, livestreaming sales, and my annual income has more than tripled.”
The village now attracts over 500,000 visitors annually. Nearby Xiushui Zhuangyuan Village has drawn nearly 50,000 students from 31 universities nationwide this year through immersive “top scholar” opening ceremonies and study tours. In Huangyao Ancient Town, where shadow puppetry workshops and the “Millennium Lights · Dreamy Huangyao” night tour operate, cultural heritage has become participatory rather than passive.
Two-Hour Wellness Circle: Rail Links and Global Roadshows Expand the Market
Hezhou sits at the junction of Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hunan provinces, with high-speed rail connecting it directly to Hong Kong and five expressways linking it to the Greater Bay Area, creating a “two-hour wellness living circle.” Shenzhen tourist Zhao told Xinhua she rode the high-speed train from Shenzhen to Hezhou, then took a 40-minute bus to Gupo Mountain: “The scenery here is truly beautiful.”
This accessibility has made “morning tea in Guangzhou, afternoon hot springs in Hezhou” a weekend reality for Greater Bay Area residents. Since the start of 2026, Hezhou has held 16 tourism promotion events in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Foshan, partnering with travel agencies to launch 75 boutique routes and offering special policies for self-driving and high-speed rail tourists.
During a November 2-3 familiarization tour organized by the Guangxi Culture and Tourism Department ahead of the provincial conference, agents from the United States, Belgium, Russia, Zambia, and Tanzania sampled bonfire parties, fish-dragon lantern crafting, and immersive night tours at Huangyao. “The bonfire evening impressed me deeply,” Tanzanian agent He Wei said. “Visitors don’t just see scenery; they participate in it.” British agent Zong Jiemeng said Hezhou’s wellness products would be incorporated into outbound tour packages.
“Hezhou will take hosting the 2026 Guangxi Cultural Tourism Development Conference as a new starting point, continuously enriching product supply, expanding source markets, and improving service quality, constantly polishing the golden brand of ‘Longevity Hezhou, Wellness Paradise.'”
In the first three quarters of 2026, Hezhou’s accommodation and catering sector grew 3.0% year-on-year, with “ticket economy” discounts converting scenic area traffic into urban consumption. Nearly 400 residents of Nanxiang Township now hold stable jobs at hot spring projects earning roughly 40,000 yuan annually, according to Xinhua.
