They watched the gallery, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, took photos, and even carried several bags of peanuts, water chestnuts, and eggs, which were put into the steaming spring water and turned into delicious cooked food. After soaking in a hot spring, Liu Mi said that many rural areas in Russia have saunas and cold swimming pools, attracting young urbanites to experience them. However, there are so many hot spring pools in Rucheng, which give people an extraordinary feeling.

 

Amidst tens of thousands of onlookers, more than 200 young adults lifted a Burning Incense Dragon and moved through the main blocks of Rucheng County. Gao Xiang and Liu Mi, who viewed it all the way, were particularly eye-catching in the crowd. 

 

“The people in Rucheng were so hospitable that I felt at home,” said Gao Xiang.

 

Rucheng County, adjacent to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, has been established for over 1,600 years. It’s the main battlefield for the Red Army to break through the second blockade line during the Long March, and a famous historical and cultural city in Hunan Province. It boasts rich cultural and tourism resources, including Red culture, green ecology, hot springs, profound history, and nonferrous metals. 

 

There are 4 4A-level tourist attractions, 7 3A-level tourist attractions, 1 national intangible cultural heritage project, namely, burning incense dragon dance, and 3 provincial, 13 municipal, and 37 county-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

 

In recent years, Rucheng County has tapped into cultural and tourism resources, built classic landmarks such as the Hunan (Rucheng) Long March Culture Exhibition and Inheritance Hall, upgraded the “Warmth of Half a Quilt” exhibition hall and the site of the Rucheng Conference of the Xiangnan Uprising, and created national five-star hot spring tourism enterprises, including Reshui Hot Spring and Nuanshui Hot Spring.

 

It has also promoted the integrated development based on tourism. It has launched various activities such as the Cole Flower Festival, Tea Culture Festival, and Shaiqiu Festival, and high-quality events like the Hunan Rural Cultural Tourism Festival, the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Red Expo, and the Outdoor Fitness and Leisure Conference.

 

In order to promote the development of the hot spring industry, such events as the hot spring tourism holiday season, Yaoshe cultural tourism festival, hot spring music festival, and hot spring carnival have been held.

 

In order to accelerate the development of the cultural and tourism industry, the county has participated in tourism promotion conferences and cultural and tourism investment fairs held in Hong Kong, Foshan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Changsha and other places. It has signed more than 200 letters of intent for cross-regional cooperation with well-known travel agencies in various regions.

 

Tourism enterprises such as Fuquan Tanggu have been organized to visit Southeast Asia such as South Korea for exchange and mutual learning, to drive the cultural and tourism market to gradually develop overseas.

 

During the first three quarters of this year, the county received 5.2527 million domestic and foreign tourists, with the total tourism revenue of 5.326 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.63% and 11.88% respectively. Among them, the number of tourists from the Greater Bay Area increased by more than 50% year on year.

 

Besides, the county saw an increasing number of overseas tourists from Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and other regions.

 

Chinese source: hunantoday