Guizhou's mountains, wetlands, and grasslands serve not only as a vital ecological shield for the upper reaches of the Yangtze River but also embody the wisdom of harmonious coexistence between the people and nature. To advance high-quality forestry development, the province is weaving a "humanistic forestry" approach through dimensions like "beautiful forestry, ecological forestry, law-based forestry, wealth-generating forestry, and safe forestry," giving cultural depth and a people-centered warmth to every patch of green.
A vivid transformation from "lucid waters and lush mountains" to "invaluable assets" is unfolding across Guizhou's layered peaks. From the cloud seas of Fanjing Mountain to the zinc-selenium tea gardens of Fenggang, and from the grassy meadows of Wumeng to the karst peaks of Libo, the province is aggressively developing industries like forest health retreats and nature education, turning ecological advantages into developmental momentum. Currently, the province boasts 78 pilot forest health bases and 320 nature education sites, proving that beautiful scenery can foster a thriving economy and a good ecology can lead to a good life.
Planting Livelihoods in the Tea Garden's Depths
In Suiyang Town, Fenggang County, the Chashoushan Forest Health Base covers 5,875 mu and meets all national first-class standards for forest health. With a forest coverage rate of 86% and an average annual negative oxygen ion concentration of 5,000 per cubic centimeter, the base is equipped with comprehensive environmental monitoring and weather forecasting systems. It is divided into several functional zones, including a forest health area, a recreational area, an ancient tea tree scenic area, a herbal medicine garden, and an educational practice experience zone, making it a natural "ecological healing garden." Leveraging the unique soil resources rich in both zinc and selenium, Chashoushan develops while protecting, integrating the "culture, health, and tourism" sectors with the "agriculture, forestry, and tea" industries to promote high-quality development in forest therapy and health tourism. In 2025, the base completed a comprehensive hardware upgrade, adding a new medicinal bath and hydrotherapy swimming pool featuring a constant-temperature pool, traditional Chinese medicine baths, and a professional physiotherapy area, cleverly blending traditional Chinese medicine with modern hydrotherapy. "This visit feels completely different from before; the equipment is very advanced," remarked a visitor surnamed Li from Jiangsu. The ecological benefits extend beyond tourists to nourish the local community. The multi-industry integration has supported 392 farming households, including 62 registered poverty-alleviated households, and absorbed over 980 surplus laborers. The base has also donated more than 2.48 million yuan for village road construction and embankment repairs, and provides free annual skills training in tea planting and processing management for about 430 people. Driven by Chashoushan, the per capita disposable income of the surrounding Xingang Village has been rising year by year. This green industry allows villagers to secure an "ecological livelihood" and a "healthy income" right at their doorstep, marking a shift from "living off the mountain" to "nurturing and enriching the mountain." "Our path is to integrate the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries of 'agriculture, forestry, and tea.' Forest ecological agriculture is the foundation, tea and herbal medicine processing is the secondary industry, and health tourism is the tertiary industry," said Wang Liquan, head of the base. "Our goal is for the people to live a good life within a good ecology."
Health and Wellness in an Ancient Village
In Zeren Town, Xingyi City, the Najü·Heyuan Health Town, adhering to the principle of protective development, has invested 360 million yuan to transform a former "hollow village" into a beautiful, bustling rural community with well-connected roads. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine wellness, forest health, high-end homestays, and cultural tourism, the town features a forest bath and hiking trails, making it popular with outdoor enthusiasts. During construction, developers prioritized integrating into the village landscape, never encroaching on basic farmland or forestland, thus firmly preserving the green mountains and clear waters. The health town's impact on people's livelihoods is particularly striking. According to Liu Bohui, general manager of Najü·Heyuan, the village collective generates an average annual income of over 1 million yuan. The project has provided a total of 15,000 job opportunities for local villagers and boosted agricultural product and food and beverage consumption by over 3 million yuan. The villagers are now thriving on "tourism," and their smiles are brighter than ever. Built around a 600-year-old Buyi ancient village, the town features 64 homestays and a comprehensive service system centered on "TCM wellness + forest health + sports health," attracting visitors from cities like Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Changsha. The base's professional TCM health practitioners are on duty daily, offering free TCM conditioning services. "Foot baths, steam therapy, and moxibustion serve about 60 people daily, sometimes up to 130," said health practitioner Li Zongwei. Zhang Lin from Zhejiang has been staying here for over two months: "The climate is good, and the air is fresh. I plan to stay for a few more months and might even consider buying a house here to retire." From selling scenery to selling health, Guizhou's forest health retreats are using a "good ecology" to support a "good life."
Learning from Nature in the Depths of the Earth
If forest health retreats illuminate a healthy life, then nature education bases light up the path of learning for children. The Shierbeihou Nature Education Base in Suiyang, leveraging world-class karst caves, primeval forests, and mountain ecological resources, has developed a comprehensive curriculum covering geological science, ecological observation, outdoor exploration, and intangible cultural heritage experiences. It has created signature brand activities like "Jungle Agent," "Earth Core Doctor," "Nature Exploration Camp," and "Outdoor Challenge Camp." The base operates primarily by booking school study tour groups, summer and winter camps, and customized team-building trips, with well-developed facilities and a mature reception system. It also offers individual nature experience projects for independent visitors, receiving an average of over 200,000 study tour and nature education tourists annually. In 2025, students from the Central Primary School in Erli Town, Xishui County, visited the Shuanghe Cave, marveling at the stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. They transformed into "little explorers," using compasses and laser rangefinders to accurately measure the cave's height and direction. As the leading teacher noted, "This is a vivid lesson etched onto the cave walls. Every moment becomes a nutrient for growth, nourishing the thirst for knowledge." For He Mingliang, general manager of the base's brand operations center, Shierbeihou, with its scarce cave and mountain resources and relatively complete curriculum system, is one of the more representative nature education bases in Guizhou and even the entire southwest region. Looking to the future, he stated, "We will continue to deepen our core karst nature education offerings, perfect our standardized curriculum, strengthen school-enterprise cooperation and scientific research integration, enrich our four-season study products, optimize reception facilities, and steadily promote the professional, branded, and international development of nature education."
Nurturing the Future in an Urban Wetland
In the provincial capital Guiyang, the Aha Lake National Wetland Park brings nature education right to the residents' doorstep. In 2012, Guiyang, with the concept of "a wetland at your doorstep," integrated the former Nanjiao Park and the city's nursery stock farm, building the Xiaohe River Urban Wetland Park in just four and a half months and opening it to the public for free. In 2013, it incorporated the Aha Reservoir wetland to begin applying for national wetland park status, which was officially granted in 2014. Today, it stands as a typical representative of karst wetlands in China, often called the "Kidney of Guiyang City." The park covers a planned area of 1,024.71 hectares, with wetlands accounting for over 40% of the area, including three types: river, swamp, and artificial wetlands. It hosts over 580 plant species and more than 200 wild animal species, organically integrating surface wetlands with underground karst caves, showcasing a harmonious coexistence between people and nature, and between wetlands and the city. Leveraging its unique natural resources, the park has built a comprehensive science education system covering all areas. It has established a 2,800-square-meter Wetland Science Education Center and, using the Xiaohe River ecological corridor, has developed a complete site-wide interpretation system, forming a functional layout of "one center and four bases." According to Luo Liang, deputy director of the park's Education and Publicity Department, the park has independently developed 15 sets of unique science activities, published several science books, picture books, and bird-watching guides, created a 3D immersive theater production titled "The Story of Birth," and developed the highly recognizable "Three Treasures of Aha Lake" IP. In recent years, the park has received over 10 national, provincial, and municipal honors, including National Forestry and Grassland Science Base and International Wetland School. In 2025, the park conducted 49 nature education courses and 22 science lectures, reaching over 1,600 people. Among these, the "Wetland Guardian" training camp recruited 30 teenagers, systematically training them in skills like broadcasting, etiquette, and bird identification through a model of "indoor lectures + outdoor experience." Upon graduation, these children became "little docents," providing science interpretation services within the park. The park has also cultivated a volunteer team, allowing the concept of an ecological civilization to take root in more people's hearts. Since 2012, the Aha Lake National Wetland Park has received a total of 28 million visitors for free, including 1.65 million in 2025 alone. It is not just a "city park" for leisure and recreation but also the "most beautiful living room" for people to get close to nature and receive ecological education. Green is Guizhou's most brilliant color, and benefiting the people through ecology is the warmest gift from its landscapes. By balancing development and ecological protection, Guizhou has delivered not only a high-quality industrial chapter but also a heartwarming account of prosperity and education. This is the beautiful answer written across Guizhou's mountains and rivers.
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