Integration of Healthcare and Wellness Promotes Development of Cultural and Tourism Industries in Xixia County, Nanyang City, Henan Province, China

Recently, in the Laojieling Scenic Area located in Taiping Town, Xixia County, Nanyang City, Henan Province, China, retirees from the Zhang Zhongjing College of Chinese Medicine in Nanyang were practicing "Wu Chi Posture".

Laojieling is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, a national nature reserve, China's "natural oxygen bar", and a forest health care base in Henan Province. It serves as the climatic demarcation line between southern and northern China, as well as the watershed between the Yangtze River basin and the Yellow River basin.

Laojieling Scenic Area located in Xixia County, Nanyang City

[Photo by Yang Yongqing]

In recent years, Xixia County has been exploring Zhang Zhongjing prescriptions and medications to promote medicinal cuisine and tea drinks in urban areas and scenic spots. Meanwhile, the county has enhanced the functions of the Zhang Zhongjing Wellness Town as a provincial-level tourism and leisure district. Besides, it has hosted the "Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Night Market" to stimulate consumption potential in the cultural, tourism, and wellness sectors.

Xixia County emphasizes its cultural distinctiveness and regional characteristics, such as dinosaurs, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, and the Chongyang Festival. It has established cultural service centers in six scenic areas. These centers host art performances, book reading sessions, and intangible cultural heritage displays to promote the coexistence and mutual prosperity of culture and tourism.

Visitors stroll through the "Love Town" in Tucao Village, Wuliqiao Town, Xixia County

[Photo by Wang Xiaojun]

"Xixia County is dedicated to transforming into an ecological health and wellness tourism destination through a fully integrated and collaborative approach across all sectors to foster health-oriented cultural tourism and residential rural experiences. This has led to the exploration of a pathway driven by innovation and supported by industry with integrated development to build a prosperous and joyful Xixia," remarked Ma Jun, secretary of the Xixia County Committee of the CPC.