If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, enjoy the bounties of nature and recharge your batteries, there can be no better healing destination than Hainan’s “natural oxygen bar”. That’s another name for the Baihualing rainforest and culture scenic spot in central Hainan, the first 5A standard ecological tourist attraction in the region.

Baihualing, located in the county of Qiongzhong, which is the meeting place of three rivers, boasts lush, green rainforests, deep mountains and one of Asia’s most spectacular waterfalls. It is one of the eight “all-for-one” tourism demonstration zones with a focus on integrating culture and tourism and boosting the incomes of local people, who are mostly from the Li and Miao ethnic groups, known for their handicraft skills.

The “all-for-one” tourism initiative was adopted in 2017 to create extensive tourism services and products, improve the governance of the areas and stimulate intensive public participation.

The local government has built a soaring 520-meter-long treetop glass walkway 900 meters above sea level, and an over 2 kilometer-long glass slide through the rainforest, providing visitors a dazzling bird’s-eye view of the green wonderland. 

Visitors go sightseeing on the treetop glass walkway in the Baihualing scenic spot. (Photo by Li Hao)

Media guest on the glass slide in the Baihualing scenic spot. (Photo by Li Hao)

On the ground, there are traditional teahouses where visitors can see artisans, mostly women, making the brocade for which the Li ethnic group is famous, the equally wellknown intricate and vivid embroidery of the Miaos, and other exquisite handmade items.

Recently, when a media group consisting of journalists, photographers and communication officers were taken on a fam trip, they were fascinated by the brocade. Zeeshan Qasim Khan, an overseas communication officer of Hainan International Media Center, wanted to known about the patterns as well as the traditions of the Li ethnic minority.

With the master plan for the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and an offshore duty-free shopping policy issued last year, more visitors are coming to Hainan for business, travel and shopping. Qiongzhong, with its rich ecological tourism resources, has great potential for future development.

The cities of Wuzhishan, Ledong and Sanya are also key destinations for the media group to understand and watch the development of the Hainan FTP up close.