During the May Day holiday, Huaihua promoted the integration of culture and tourism to unleash great tourism consumption vitality, with various tourism products flourishing across the board. According to the big data modeling analysis of mobile phone signaling, the city received a total of 1.7512 million tourist visits during the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 47.77%, including 478,900 visits from outside the province, accounting for 27.35% of the total.
Themed activities offer rich experiences
On May 2, visitors flocked to Jialu Mountain Villa Ecological Leisure Park in Shuang Village, Tuoyuan Subdistrict, Hecheng District. During the holiday, popular attractions such as Wuxi Happy World, White Horse Scenic Area of Huangyan Eco-Tourism Zone, Huaihua Grand Canyon, and Jiufeng Modern Agricultural Expo Park were packed with tourists.
This year’s May Day holiday saw Huaihua roll out a variety of themed activities and tourism products, offering diverse travel options.
On the first day of the holiday, young women, dressed in hanfu to portray the legendary “Twelve Flower Goddesses”, set off from the East Gate of Qianyang Ancient Town, strolling gracefully through the streets. The elegant procession complemented the ancient architecture, prompting tourists to snap photos. Many hanfu experience shops in the town were bustling with business, with makeup artists working nonstop.
Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town is bustling with noise and excitement.
Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town also saw booming crowds. As night fell, the immersive night performance Once Upon a Time in a Small Town captivated audiences with classic songs like The Wandering Songstress and Beyond the Pavilion, along with dances such as Golden Wind and Jade Dew and Small Town Story, transporting visitors back to Hongjiang’s golden age of commerce. The Fanghua Era Block dazzled with charming night views, celebrated for trendy restaurants and cozy cafes.
Longxi Ancient Town, a historic trading hub on the Beijing-Kunming Ancient Post Road, attracted numerous visitors with its rich cultural heritage. "The holiday brought overwhelming crowds—even I and many staff from our bureau stepped in as tour guides," said Yang Qiong, Party secretary and director of Xinhuang’s Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau.
Cultural empowerment highlights unique charm
On May 2, visitors explored the 26,000-square-meter Wuxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Park, where traditional craftsmanship and digital innovation intertwined: weaving a dreamy electronic Dong brocade, molding a delicate earthen pot with “digital clay”, or rowing a "cyber dragon boat" in a motion-sensing space.
The park integrates AR, holographic projection, and naked-eye 3D technologies to create 42 interactive exhibits, blending intangible heritage with modern experiences. This interactive approach unlocks new tourism trends, drawing countless visitors daily.
Huaihua’s intangible cultural heritages can be presented as music. On the evening of May 2, Sasui Cultural Performance Center in Tongdong Dong Autonomous County hosted a concert featuring Dong culture and intangible cultural heritages. Jiang Buxian, national intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Niutuiqian (also known as the cow leg fiddle, a traditional Chinese bowed string instrument), and the Sama Music Group staged a performance, blending millennia-old Dong culture with modern music for an audiovisual feast. Many visitors also explored the Hunan Dong Museum and Huangdu Dong Cultural Village, immersing themselves in Dong weaving, wedding customs, feasts, and bonfire celebrations.
Huaihua’s intangible cultural heritages can be worn. On May 4, Gaoyi Ancient Village in Huitong County wowed visitors with a creative paper-cut fashion show. The village’s holiday events, including bamboo pole dancing, watching Nuo opera performances and tasting Gaoyi black rice, drew enthusiastic participation from tourists.
Leveraging its rich intangible cultural heritages, counties and districts in Huaihua rolled out cultural tourism activities. Yuanling’s Zhonghua Book Mountain hosted poetry contests and drama performances, while Chenxi showcased iron fireworks and food fairs. In Zhijiang, the Heping Lake light show merged Dong culture with peace-themed displays, and the night market near Longjin Wind and Rain Bridge bustled with merchants selling snacks, stone carvings, and souvenirs.
Red tourism and eco-tourism gain popularity
Huaihua’s abundant red resources invigorate red tourism. In the Former Residence of General Su Yu in Huitong County, the “Battlefield” Parent-Child Challenge Competition became a hit, attracting families from neighboring provinces.
As a famous red tourism site, Mayang’s Daiyuan Cultural Tourism Scenic Area saw daily visits exceed 2,700, serving as a window into China’s revolutionary history.
Zhijiang’s red tourism remained sizzling, with the Memorial Hall of the Victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the Acceptance of the Japanese Surrender peaking at 40,000 daily visits. Visitors immersed themselves in wartime history through guided tours.
As a city that breathes, Huaihua’s eco-tourism has also thrived.
With rising temperatures, the 1,200-meter-high Xuefeng Mountain has become a top summer retreat. The Starry Camping Festival and Nuo opera performances drew families and young travelers, with bookings for homestays and specialty dining hitting 95%.
Xiafeiyun Orchard’s "Miao Village Market & Culinary Contest" blended Miao welcoming rituals and local fairs, drawing 2,500 daily visitors. Forest therapy retreat on Luoqunshan Mountain attracted 1,600 visits with treasure hunts, while Yunduan Jungle’s plant printing and camping boosted family visits.
At Qingjiang Lake Camping Base in Hongjiang’s Tuokou Reservoir Area, slow-paced activities like tea brewing and starlight picnics charmed young travelers to unwind and rejuvenate in nature’s embrace.
(Translated by Yang Hong)