During this year’s May Day holiday, the cultural and tourism market of Mayang Miao Autonomous County maintained a booming momentum, with scenic spots thronged by tourists in well-ordered surroundings. Categories of tourism offerings, including red education study tours, hot spring getaways, idyllic rural leisure, internet-famous check-in spots and champion-themed cultural experiences, saw surging popularity. Integrated cultural and tourism development unleashed robust vitality, delivering an outstanding holiday performance.
Red tourism remained a top draw and became the mainstream holiday choice. The Former Residence and Memorial Hall of Teng Daiyuan received around 20,000 visitors over the five-day holiday, with numerous parents bringing their children for revolutionary education. Tourists paused to view historical photos and revolutionary relics and listened to guided tours, reliving extraordinary revolutionary years and drawing inspiration from the loyal dedication and hardworking spirit of revolutionary predecessors. The Administrative Center of Teng Daiyuan Memorial Hall made advance arrangements and upgraded services to ensure smooth and orderly visits.
Mayang is known as the “Hometown of Longevity” and one of the “Top 100 Counties for Health and Wellness Tourism”. Its hot springs gain immense popularity. The Mishu Qingmiao Hot Spring Resort launched distinctive experiences including temperature-adjustable cold springs, courtyard barbecues, poolside cinemas and floating afternoon teas. All 37 rooms across its 22 villas were fully booked, with an average daily turnover of roughly 40,000 yuan. Pre-holiday presales via Douyin livestreams exceeded one million yuan, drawing tourists from Xiangxi, Huaihua, Changsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, and cities in Guizhou Province and northeast China. The Tianmu Cloud Hot Spring Hotel’s over 40 open-air hot spring pools proved hugely popular. Fed by high-quality mineral-rich spring water sourced 2,000 meters underground, the hotel welcomed more than 6,000 holiday visitors with turnover hitting nearly 400,000 yuan. Its discounted package combining admission tickets and meals won wide acclaim for outstanding cost performance.
Rural tourism and ethnic folk experiences drew massive crowds. The Orchard Cloud May Day Carnival offered immersive activities such as a fashion show featuring traditional farming tools, rural Hanfu shows, open-fire outdoor cooking, intangible cultural heritage hand painting, lawn concerts and Miao bonfire galas, luring 20,000 visitors to embrace countryside scenery and authentic Miao customs. The 3,000-mu orange orchard boasts complete supporting facilities, where visitors stroll along park trails and climb viewing platforms, making it an ideal suburban leisure destination. The Majing’ao Dam emerged as a new internet-famous photo spot among locals thanks to its unique waterscape.
A former waste landfill has been transformed into a new cultural landmark, with Jiangkouxu Champion Culture Square topping holiday visitor charts. Rebuilt from derelict land, the square integrates three core champion cultures: motor racing, dragon boat racing and boxing, featuring a helmet-themed café, dragon boat experience pools and camping and barbecue zones, attracting nearly 10,000 visitors to check in. Local specialty goods sold briskly and catering consumption flourished, driving over 100,000 yuan in consumption. The renovation has not only improved living environments but also boosted villagers’ incomes, cementing the town’s reputation as the “Town of Champion”.
This May Day holiday saw Mayang deliver diverse cultural and tourism products, achieving growth in both visitor volume and economic returns. Going forward, Mayang will strengthen red cultural tourism, hot spring retreats, and rural leisure programs, while highlighting distinctive local culture. The county will continuously upgrade its supply of cultural and tourism products and service standards to advance high-quality development of its cultural and tourism industry.
(Translated by Yang Hong)