"Silver-haired" Health and Wellness Paints a Happy Portrait of Jianghua, Hunan

The mysterious and expansive Yao ethnic area is blessed with a treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine resources.

Jianghua Yao Autonomous County, located in Yongzhou, Hunan Province, has a time-honored tradition and profound heritage of Yao medicine. It has developed distinctive ethnic diagnosis and treatment methods and prescriptions, boosting the development of the local elderly care service system.

Yao doctors in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County gathering medicinal herbs

Photo by Li Fangsen

Collecting medicinal herbs on mountains, treating neighbors, sharing meals and drinks—the 100-year-old Yao doctor Huang Lanying keeps moving, and her joy for life never fades. "Laugh when you are happy!" Her hearty laughter accompanies this simple phrase, which truly reflects the touching essence of "enjoying life and making contributions in old age."

Such serenity and happiness stem from the county's continuous efforts in building its elderly care service system. As the autonomous county with the largest Yao ethnic population in China, Jianghua has always prioritized "silver-haired happiness" in its people's livelihood initiatives. In 2025, it was awarded the title of "National Model Unit of Respect for the Elderly" by the Office of National Working Commission on Aging, and Yanghua Community in Tuojiang Town was designated as a National Demonstration Community Friendly to the Elderly for 2025-2026.

What makes it more distinctive is that Jianghua has deeply integrated Yao medicine into its health and wellness system, innovatively creating the "Yao-themed Silver-haired Health and Wellness" model. Since 2023, the county's Civil Affairs Bureau has collaborated with the County Ethnic Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to regularly offer free medical consultations, massage, foot massage and health lectures at elderly care facilities and communities, effectively supporting chronic disease management for seniors. To date, these services have benefited 6,340 people, and are affectionately called "health guardians at the doorstep" by the elderly.

In addition, the county has also achieved in-depth integration of Yao medicine with other sectors, including health and wellness, culture, and tourism. Currently, bases such as Jianghua Herb Base are actively creating national-level traditional Chinese medicine health tourism demonstration sites and crafting immersive wellness routes featuring "Yao medicine therapy + Yao cuisine," making "appreciating Yao scenery, experiencing Yao therapy, and savoring Yao flavor" a new trend in healthy aging.