Avoiding the Heat, Enriching Holidays, and Promoting Consumption - The Hot Phenomenon of Hunan's "Cool Economy" - A First Line View of High Temperature | Reporter | Economy

Changsha, August 15th, Xinhua News Agency (Xinhua) -- A first-line observation of the phenomenon of "cooling economy" in Hunan Province: Avoiding summer heat, enriching holidays, and promoting consumption

Xinhua News Agency reporters Ruan Quanquan, Xie Ben, and Chen Sihan

In the scorching weather of 35 degrees Celsius, changing into a swimsuit and diving down the long water slide, splashing water, children's laughter erupted, and the heat seemed to dissipate in an instant. This is the scene that the reporter saw at "Wanlou Youth Wharf" in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province.

After the beginning of autumn, the scorching heat in Hunan has not eased. In recent days, reporters have visited many places in Hunan and found that under the continuous high temperature weather, many places have developed cool entertainment projects according to local conditions, creating "summer destinations", transforming "cool resources" into "hot economy", and activating cultural and tourism consumption.

In the evening, Longfei, a resident of Xiangtan, made an appointment with his family and friends to go to the Wanlou Youth Pier to "check in" after work. They strolled along the river, stopped to watch the Wanlou Light Show and special performances, and "checked in" the new products of the season at the popular online store.

"This combines history and fashion. After watching the cultural and historical exhibition, you can turn around and enter the fashion district to enjoy the delicious scenery. It feels like the fatigue and heat of the day have been dispelled," said Long Fei.

Xiangtan Wanlou Youth Wharf is located by the Xiangjiang River, covering an area of 407 acres. Outside the building is a "Internet celebrity market" assembled with characteristic containers, while inside the building there are exhibition areas such as the Cultural Digital Experience Hall. This summer, we also added entertainment facilities such as water slides and launched entertainment projects such as the "Water Gun Festival".

Li Menghan, the director of Wanlou Youth Wharf Office, said that since the summer, the popularity of the "cool economy" has not decreased, with an average daily passenger flow of about 10000 people in the scenic area, including an average of about 15000 people on weekends.

Many tourists choose to go to mountainous areas to escape the heat and experience the natural coolness.

The summer heat is still lingering, and the mountainous city of Guidong County in southern Hunan is bustling with tourists. Homestays are nestled in the mountains, and business is booming, bringing new vitality to the small town.

This is a homestay shot on August 10th in Jindong Village, Oujiang Town, Guidong County. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Sihan

Guidong County has a high altitude and is surrounded by mountains and water. Here, there is no scorching heat in summer and no severe cold in winter, with distinct four seasons. Relying on unique ecological and cultural advantages, the local area has developed various formats such as health care, homestays, and red tourism. Build 6 key homestay villages, 58 star rated tourist homestays, with a total of nearly 800 hotels and homestays, and a total of nearly 20000 beds.

Walking into Jinshan Mangu Resort located in Jindong Village, Oujiang Town, Guidong County, the reporter saw that the homestay had all the necessary facilities, including a coffee shop, a small garden, and a swimming pool. Guests enjoy a slow life, sitting leisurely in an outdoor courtyard, boiling a pot of hot tea, and watching the mountains and listening to the wind.

"More and more guests are coming for health and wellness vacations, and tourists from other provinces are also attracted to it. The reputation of the small county town is becoming more and more well-known." Li Benbo, the person in charge of Jinshan Mangu Resort, said, "We are planning to create outdoor projects such as beach parks that young people like, to enrich the tourist experience."

Guo Xuli, Director of the Culture, Tourism, Sports Bureau of Guidong County, said that Guidong County will improve the quality of homestays, explore the connotation of red culture, develop tourism products such as research and learning exchanges, agricultural experiences, and natural science popularization, provide "customized" tourism experiences, and attract more students and young people to come for summer vacation.

In the early morning, I arrived at the "Misty Little Dongjiang" scenic spot in Dongjianghu Scenic Area of Zixing City. A thin mist appeared on the Bijiang River, and the cool mountain breeze brushed against me. Many tourists either walked along the trail comfortably or took a small boat to enjoy the water.

On August 9th, tourists visited Dongjianghu Scenic Area in Zixing City. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Sihan

The person in charge of the scenic area introduced that the unique geographical environment of Dongjiang Lake has created a unique cold water resource. The water temperature is maintained at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius all year round, like a natural cold storage, attracting tourists in droves. "During this period, the number of tourists received by the scenic area has continued to increase, and projects such as ecological rafting, boat tours, and night performances are very popular."

Li Feiqiao, Director of the Culture, Tourism, Sports Bureau of Zixing City, said that with Dongjiang Lake as the core, Zixing City has also developed lakeside summer resorts represented by Huangcao Town, Bailang Town, Dongjiangwan Tourism Resort, water entertainment summer resorts represented by Dongjiang Lake's "Summer and Winter Swimming" base, and high-altitude summer resorts represented by Huilong Mountain.

"The rich summer resort projects not only provide tourists with diverse choices, but also ignite ecological agricultural products such as Dongjiang Lake's characteristic aquatic products and high-quality fruits, allowing 'cool resources' to continue to play a' heat effect '," said Li Feiqiao.