The coverage area and social influence of Health and Wellness Towns have surpassed that of Health and Wellness Tourism. Regional governments and developers in China have begun to develop wellness towns based on regional resources. Wellness town has now become a hot trend in the tourism industry
Health and Wellness Town” is a new term that has emerged in real estate projects in recent years. Many Chinese are still unfamiliar with it and even mistaken it as “characteristic towns” or “senior care towns”. However, health and wellness town has a richer context concerning its health and wellness values. It is an upgrading and expanding version of traditional leisure or travel towns and it meets Chinese consumers’ higher demands for the quality of life and health quality along with China’s development. The rise of health and wellness town is a significant step in the internationalization of China’s tourism industry. Like Baden-Baden in Germany and Evian in France, China will launch more and more health and wellness towns in the next 10 years.
There are certain criteria for the construction of wellness town. Firstly, the area’s PM2.5 value should be no more than 50 and negative oxygen ion’s concentration no less than 5,000/cubic centimeter (according to World Health Organization, standard concentration of negative oxygen ion in fresh air should be no less than 1000-1500/cubic centimeter); Also, the town should be tidy, clean and have beautiful natural scenery with activity areas over 3 square kilometers. Furthermore, there should be convenient transport, with high-speed train stations, airports and highways nearby. Above all, there should be sufficient environmental resources and possibilities to develop medical industry so as to provide the necessary health and senior care support.
In recent years, both the central government and regional governments have frequently made new policies to support the construction of “Healthy China”, and improve the supervision, management and development of China’s health industry. These policies have also greatly supported and guided the construction of wellness towns.
In regard to macro economy, wellness town projects will help facilitate China’s current economic structure transformation and economic momentum conversion and is an effective trial of China’s supply-side structural reform. From the perspective of regional development, wellness town construction is a valid approach to relieve poverty and support the harmonious development of big, middle and small cities. Concerning people’s livelihood, wellness town projects can alleviate the employment problems of local farmers so that the family heads can stay at home to tend the children and take care of the old.
In addition, wellness town construction will promote the development and application of “intelligent senior care” technology, which aims to solve the problems existent in current senior care services and bring revolutionary reforms by changing the ways of information exchange, enhancing resource allocation effectiveness, and promoting service and management efficiency.
With the social development and growth of living standards, people’s health consciousness has also increased. Furthermore, owing to the support of government policies, especially the Healthy China 2030 Plan issued by the State Council, the health industry has been brought into the spotlight again. As a destination that integrates health, wellness, senior care, recreation and travel, the wellness town is an ideal haven for people who thirst for a comprehensive healthy statement. Wellness town construction will also be the trend and new growth point in the future development of China’s tourism service industry.
We list here some of China’s health and wellness projects for your reference.
Wudang Mountain Taiji Lake: religion and culture
Features: senior care and health vacation programs based on Taosim and favorable ecological environment.
Wudang Mountain Taiji Lake eco-culture tourist area is composed of Taiji Lake New District and Taiji Lake Tourist District. The New District houses the Tourism Development Center, Wudang International Wushu Exchange Center, Taiji Lake Hospital, Taiji Lake School and high-end residence zone. The Tourist District offers travel and vacation zone, lake trips, outdoor activities, Taiji Town, Wudang Mountain Kung Fu Town, Taoism Academy, the mountainous sport park, Wudang International Convention Center. It’s a comprehensive holiday resort that involves sightseeing, recreation, wellness, senior care, and holiday trips.
South Zhejiang Wellness Town: longevity and culture
Features: longevity economy centering on diet, medicine, water, culture and environment
The town is located in Lanju Village, Longquan City, beside Longquan Mountain, a national nature reserve. The village is known as a Longevity Village boasting mountains, pure water and fresh air. The area is also rich in food and medicinal material which makes it an ideal place to improve health thorough diets and medicinal nourishment. Based on the gifted ecological conditions and longevity characters, the wellness town offers agricultural sightseeing, healthy diets, recreational activities and wellness holiday options.
Huitang Hot Spring Town: hot spring
Features: hot spring as the foundation, multiple modes such as hot spring + hotel, hot spring + conference, hot spring + sport
Located in Huitang County, Ningxiang, Hunan, this wellness town extends 48 square kilometers. The hot spring here has sufficient water volume and high temperature (89.5OC). The developers have taken advantage of the hot spring resources to build a “hot spring +” business. There are hot spring hotels, hot spring swimming pools, a golf range, physical examination center, and more to comprehensively integrate hot spring wellness, recreation, conferences, and body checks together.
Dasi TCM Wellness Town: combination of medical care and health program
Features: a characteristic town integrating medical care and health improvement projects supported by pharmaceutical industry and medicinal culture
The town is located in the traditional Chinese medicine science park of Dasi County, Jiangsu Province, extending 0.8 square kilometers, with total investment of 400 million yuan. It is a demonstrative science park which centers on the plantation of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and combines plantation, study and research together. The wellness town has made a “1+3+X” development system. “1” means 1 TCM science park; “3” refers to 3 domains: recreation, TCM and medical equipment; “X” means other supporting aspects such as cultural program, senior care services, ecological agriculture, and etc. The developers aim to build an integrative cultural platform of TCM, wellness and tourism.
Pingshui Wellness Town: ecological environment
Features: wellness and recreational tourism destination making use of original ecological environment
Located in Pingshui County, Zhejiang, this wellness town boasts ranges of green mountains, magnificent natural views and profound cultural heritage. Aiming to build a “characteristic wellness town”, the developers actively construct various innovative wellness and senior care projects and have now built international resorts, TCM wellness clubs and Xianren (immortal) valleys, greatly supporting the town’s development of wellness, senior care, recreation and tourism industries.
Greentown Wuzhen Ya Town: senior care town
Features: original ecological environment, steady elder clients of high consumption power, professional constructions such as Yi Le Academy and Ya Da International Rehabilitation Hospital, innovative senior care system which combines accommodation, medical care and health improvement
Located in Wuzhen, Zhejiang and supported by original ecological environment of the area, this wellness town targets rich elder group, featuring wellness resort and hotel, medical park, international senior care center, Yi Le Academy, senior residence, and etc. It is a typical senior care town combining medical care, senior care, wellness improvement and recreational tourism.
