A media tour for the Fifth Changsha Tourism Development Conference took place in Changsha County on September 17th, with over 50 journalists from national, provincial, and municipal outlets visiting key local cultural tourism sites. By leveraging its rich cultural heritage, scenic landscapes, industrial strength, and trendy new business formats, Changsha County has successfully connected its scattered tourism resources into a cohesive network, ranking 23rd among the nation's top county-level tourism destinations and topping the national charts for popular county getaways last summer. This has firmly established its reputation as a prime destination for short "micro-vacations" in the suburbs.

Excellent ecological conditions form the core strength of Changsha County's cultural tourism development. As a national demonstration zone for ecological civilization, the county boasts abundant mountain and water resources, with the layered greenery of Beishan, Yingzhu Mountain, and Tianhua Mountain, alongside the sparkling waters of Songya Lake, Laodao River, and Yinshan Lake, providing ideal escapes for city dwellers. Known as "Changsha's Little Jiuzhaigou," the Dashanchong Forest Park in Lukou Town offers a natural oxygen bar with 91% forest coverage, where rare species like dove trees and yew trees dot the vibrant secondary forest landscape.

Dashanchong has now evolved beyond simple sightseeing. The Luxiaolu Forest Cabin, converted from idle farmhouses, now serves as a forest "living room" featuring coffee, light meals, handicraft workshops, and leisure reading spaces. According to Wei Jingzhi, the cabin's space manager, the area previously relied on photo-taking tourism with minimal visitor engagement. Since the cabin opened, the scenic area has developed a complete leisure experience ecosystem encompassing basic services like coffee and dining alongside special activities such as plant science expeditions, nighttime forest observation, traditional incense-making, and singing bowl therapy, catering to urbanites seeking relaxation and stress relief. This transformation has shifted visitors from brief photo stops to immersive experiences where they sit down, engage deeply, and stay longer.

Taking Dashanchong as a model, Changsha County coordinates the unique resources of its northern townships—forests, tea gardens, and hot springs—to strategically develop wellness retreats, hiking trails, and rural summer escape products. This creates a connected suburban ecological leisure belt that is gradually becoming the preferred short-break destination for the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban cluster.

Leveraging the distinctive features of each township, Changsha County is revitalizing idle rural resources and tapping into local intangible cultural heritage, revolutionary history, and folk customs to drive integrated agricultural-cultural tourism development. In Yinshan Village, Jiangbei Town, the community has transformed from an industrial village into a cultural tourism destination, with the Tianxi Lake natural landscape serving as a popular photo spot, complemented by lakeside homestays, tea and coffee shops, and sightseeing boats. The village has also intensified its intangible heritage offerings, establishing rice wine cellars, Changsha allegro performances, and bamboo carving and paper-cutting workshops, creating a comprehensive rural tourism model that combines sightseeing, heritage experiences, and leisure vacations. Guo Wang, the village's Party branch secretary, noted that by connecting revolutionary culture, specialty agriculture, and beautiful countryside resources, the village has built a comprehensive tourism framework and welcomed over 600,000 visitors this year.

In Tanfang Village, Ansha Town, the Baita Youth Innovation Village focuses on courtyard economics, revitalizing idle rural assets. Eight farmhouses have been repurposed, generating approximately 100,000 yuan in annual collective income for the village. Leveraging riverside scenery and ancient architectural heritage, local authorities have transformed old farmhouses and courtyards into diverse new business venues. The renovated red-brick old house coffee shop has become a major attraction, with music studios, tea houses, parent-child craft workshops, and farmhouse dining gradually establishing themselves, each courtyard offering its own unique character. Zhuang Jinyin, the estate manager, explained that these rural tourism ventures have opened up distribution channels for local agricultural products and created employment for 30 villagers.

Building on its strong industrial foundation, Changsha County combines smart manufacturing with tourism and educational study tours to create distinctive industrial tourism routes, enriching the suburban "micro-vacation" offerings. The GAC Aion Changsha Smart Factory serves as a benchmark for county-level industrial tourism, with automated production lines efficiently assembling complete vehicles in just tens of seconds, vividly showcasing the county's manufacturing prowess. According to Li Shun, the factory's industrial tourism manager, since launching its tourism program in October 2024, the facility has hosted over 11,000 visitors, including study groups, government and corporate delegations, and family tours, establishing itself as a must-visit industrial tourism site in Changsha.

In Xianglong Subdistrict, the Super Robot World focuses on interactive technology experiences, featuring 100 robot products and over 50 immersive simulation scenarios across its 15,000-square-meter venue. Mind-controlled racing, robot band performances, and intelligent robot tai chi demonstrations break the traditional passive viewing model of industrial tourism, allowing visitors to experience technology in an immersive, hands-on manner. Xiao Xiangjiang, chairman of the Super Robot company, shared that the venue welcomed over 10,000 visitors in the first half of this year alone, with its operational model already replicated across more than ten provinces and cities nationwide. Changsha County integrates its construction machinery, automobile manufacturing, and smart equipment resources to create premium industrial tourism routes, transforming production facilities into educational venues and adding a technological dimension to suburban travel.

During the media tour, journalists expressed admiration for the diverse offerings of Changsha County's suburban "micro-vacation" experiences. During the Fifth Changsha Tourism Development Conference, the county will adopt the theme "Happy Changsha, Radiant Star County," building a comprehensive activity matrix that includes the "Joyful Changsha" Songya Lake Concert, the Star County-Africa Coffee Carnival, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Super Factory Adventure, and a rural tourism investment matchmaking event. Additionally, in partnership with the "Fun Changsha" mini-program, it will launch a 9.9 yuan cultural tourism benefit card and online smart guide services, fueling the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday travel boom.

Serving as a catalyst for long-term growth, Changsha County continues to address the dual integration themes of "culture + tourism" and "culture + technology," constantly enriching immersive, personalized, and youth-oriented tourism consumption scenarios. As the Fifth Changsha Tourism Development Conference commences, the county's cultural tourism sector is poised for a significant leap forward, striving to become the nation's premier choice for suburban "micro-vacations" and inviting guests from all corners to experience a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and smart manufacturing innovation.