Puzhehei is refreshingly cool and pleasant in the summer. (Photo provided)

Tourists savoring delicacies at the "Three Cats" Inn. (Photo provided) 

In the early morning, a thin mist envelops the still-sleeping plateau water town. Zhan Xinzhong, a retired man from Shanghai, waits atop Qinglong Mountain for the sunrise amidst the karst peaks. "Puzhehei is the ideal place for my retirement," said Zhan, who moved to Puzhehei Village in Qiubei County in January last year to start his rural slow-living journey, growing vegetables and fishing, becoming a "new villager" in the area. 

Mountains connect with water, and water winds around mountains. With 312 peaks scattered like stars, 83 caves of various shapes, 54 interconnected lakes, and 40,000 mu of wild lotus flowers, Puzhehei resembles an ink-wash painting spread across the Yunnan region, attracting an increasing number of sojourners. Since 2024, Qiubei County has welcomed over 10,000 tourists, with an average stay of 15 days. 

From farming with villagers and sharing meals to rediscovering nostalgic rural memories, and participating in festivals like the Huashan Festival and the Hualian Festival to experience ethnic culture, Zhan Xinzhong said that it was the stunning landscape that drew him to Puzhehei, but it was the leisurely "slow-paced life" that made him decide to stay. 

"Seasonal fluctuations have always been a challenge for the tourism industry in Puzhehei. Many B&B operators focus their efforts on the three-month peak season, lacking the concept to expand long-term stays during the off-season," said Li Tao, Deputy Director of the Qiubei County Culture and Tourism Bureau. Now, capitalizing on the growing trend of long-term travel, Qiubei's tourism industry is continuously evolving and upgrading, developing products such as lakeside tourism, outdoor camping, sports tourism, eco-tourism, rural retreats, and rural picking to break through seasonal bottlenecks and ensure Puzhehei remains vibrant even during the off-season. 

"In the past, visitors mainly came for the scenery. Now, there are more reasons to stay in Puzhehei," Li Tao said. By targeting the new "long-term travel" niche, Qiubei County has fully tapped into local ethnic cultural and natural resources, hosting events like the 2024 China Paddleboard Open and National Paddleboard U-Series Championships, as well as the Shanhaiyou·2024 Puzhehei Half Marathon. The area continues to introduce new cultural tourism projects such as hot air balloons, helicopter rides, camping, bonfire parties, and lotus flower banquets. Festivals like the Hualian Festival, Chili Festival, and Huashan Festival continue to attract visitors. Currently, the scenic area offers a variety of tourism functions, including water activities, sightseeing tours, leisure vacations, rural experiences, and wetland explorations. 

Meanwhile, Qiubei County has been enhancing the ecological protection of Puzhehei Lake and improving the living environment of villages like Puzhehei, Anuo, and Baolianshan, implementing green and beautiful rural construction, providing solid environmental "support" for the development of rural tourism. The county has continuously optimized services and cultivated over 500 distinctive B&Bs (inns) with lakeside views, mountain forests, vineyards, rural landscapes, and villages.

"Given that the slow-living demographic is mostly elderly, we plan to introduce medical, wellness, and elderly care facilities in villages with good resources. We will develop agricultural, cultural, and tourism products such as hot springs, medicinal cuisine, ethnic medicine, and health preservation to continuously improve the long-term travel industry chain and create a distinctive travel brand with local characteristics," Li Tao said.

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(Editors: Ines, Amy)