The Taihang Mountains, with their layered greenery, preserve ancient charm, while the Dan River, rich in cultural heritage, ushers in a new era. In recent years, Jincheng City has built upon its brand positioning as the “Ancient Fortress of the East, Jincheng on Earth; Cloud-Embroidered Taihang, Poetic and Picturesque Jincheng.” Using the cultural tourism and wellness industry as a strategic fulcrum, the city has broken through the challenges of the resource-based city transformation, evolving from “beauty in one place” to “beauty across the entire region.” from “seasonal popularity” to “year-round vibrancy.” It has successfully earned numerous accolades, including World Wellness Demonstration City, Top 20 Chinese Cities for Sustainable Development in the Wellness Industry, Top 100 Chinese Wellness Cities, and China’s Most Climate-Friendly City. Through a series of impressive statistics, benchmark projects, and high-profile events, Jincheng has firmly established its reputation as “China’s Premier City for Cultural Tourism and Wellness,” delivering an outstanding performance in the high-quality development of the cultural tourism sector.
Building Infrastructure: A Citywide Layout Solidifies the Foundation for Development
A solid foundation leads to thriving endeavors. Jincheng City adheres to a citywide layout, using the “One Core, Two Rings, Two Belts, and Multiple Clusters” development framework as its backbone to systematically build a robust support system for cultural and tourism development. The number of A-level scenic spots has increased from 27 to 75, consistently ranking first in the province; Xiyagou in the Taihang Mountains was successfully designated as a National-level Tourist Resort, marking a breakthrough for Shanxi Province; Jincheng City was approved as the province’s first provincial-level all-for-one tourism demonstration zone. These three landmark achievements have cemented Jincheng’s status as a benchmark in cultural and tourism development.
The expansion of transportation networks has made scenic beauty easily accessible. The Taihang No. 1 Tourism Highway winds like a ribbon through 33 tourist attractions, connecting them along the way. Along its route, 339 kilometers of slow-traffic lanes, 58 rest stops, 22 RV campsites, and 67 viewing platforms have been constructed, Comprehensive charging facilities and signage systems have made this “viral highway” the province’s sole entry among the nation’s first batch of exemplary cases for integrated transportation and tourism development. It has also closely connected scenic spots with specialty agricultural production areas, revitalizing the “nerve endings” of all-for-one tourism.
In terms of service quality improvement, Jincheng City adheres to the principle of “equal emphasis on development and quality enhancement, with both quantity and quality rising in tandem.” The city leads the province in both the quantity and quality of boutique and graded homestays. The “Tourist Satisfaction in Jincheng” brand has taken deep root in the public consciousness, and mechanisms such as cultural tourism “quality experience officers” and service “good/bad reviews” operate on a routine basis, creating a safe and comfortable travel environment for visitors. Today, Jincheng has established a product system comprising “demonstration zones + major scenic areas + 100 villages and 100 courtyards + premium itineraries.” With 133 premium itineraries across 31 categories covering all four seasons—from the majestic peaks of Wangmangling to the ancient fortress charm of Huangcheng Xiangfu, and from the picturesque landscapes of the Mang River to the twin peaks of Jueshan reflecting the moon—a tourism panorama where every corner is a scenic spot and every step reveals a new vista is gradually unfolding.
Integrating Business Formats: Wellness and Health Care Empowerment to Boost Industrial Momentum
The path to transformation lies in breaking through barriers; the key to development lies in integration. Leveraging the cultural heritage of 72 national heritage sites and 117 ancient Eastern castles, as well as the ecological blessing of a cool summer climate averaging 22°C, Jincheng City has deeply integrated culture and tourism with wellness and healthcare. This has established a new industrial system featuring multi-sector integration, transforming “wellness and healthcare” from a single concept into a tangible and accessible lifestyle experience. Lian Yirui, an expert from Tsinghua University, commented: “Jincheng’s climate and ecological advantages are unique; the organic integration of its millennia-old cultural heritage with its picturesque landscapes is precisely the key to its success in building the ‘Number One City for Cultural Tourism and Wellness in China.’”
The “100 Villages, 100 Courtyards” project stands as a model for integrating rural revitalization with cultural tourism and wellness. With 100 wellness-themed villages and 100 boutique courtyards dotted across the region, the initiative has attracted over 31 million tourist visits, spurred 81,000 people to return home to start businesses, and increased the income of more than 500,000 rural residents—breathing new life into ancient villages and enabling farmers to earn a living through cultural tourism.
The 100-Li Qin River Ecological Economic Belt stretches across 3 counties and 13 towns. Its 20.2-square-kilometer core area is fully open to the public, benefiting over 400,000 people and becoming the province’s first cultural tourism and wellness industry cluster developed along the river; The Lingchuan and Zezhou Provincial Cultural Tourism and Wellness Clusters, together with the Fengcheng Wellness Demonstration Zone and the Huangcheng Xiangfu Provincial Wellness Demonstration Zone, have synergized their efforts. Eight wellness models cater to the needs of all age groups, achieving a strategic shift from single-purpose sightseeing to leisure vacations and wellness-oriented travel and residence.
During the 2026 Spring Festival, Jincheng City’s cultural tourism sector delivered impressive results: the city welcomed a cumulative total of 3.9391 million visitors, with total tourism spending reaching 2.552 billion yuan and per capita spending at 1,168.66 yuan. Overnight visitors accounted for a high proportion of 82.59%, serving as the core engine of consumption growth. Visitor numbers at A-level scenic spots increased by 46.74% year-on-year, with ticket revenue nearly doubling. Not only did Sitou Town lead the city, but it also secured first place in ticket revenue among Shanxi Province’s key monitored scenic spots. Behind these achievements lies the deep integration of “culture + tourism + consumption” and the synergy between the wellness industry and the festival economy, highlighting the robust resilience and vitality of Jincheng’s cultural, tourism, and wellness sectors.
Expanding Markets: Breaking Through Brand Boundaries to Spark a Consumer Boom
Even the finest wine needs promotion, and the most beautiful scenery deserves to be widely celebrated. Jincheng City has mastered the art of brand marketing, building a multi-dimensional marketing system centered on “empowerment through traditional festivals, integration of online and offline channels, and event-driven engagement.” This approach has enabled this hidden gem nestled in the Taihang Mountains to repeatedly “break through its niche,” transforming it from a regional landmark into a national cultural icon. In just a few short months, the hashtag “China’s Premier City for Cultural Tourism and Wellness” garnered 210 million views, while the 2026 “Celebrating the Lunar New Year on the Taihang Mountains” series of events achieved a staggering 640 million views, becoming a phenomenon in cultural tourism marketing.
Digital empowerment has breathed new life into traditional culture. Jincheng City seized the opportunity to capitalize on online trends by partnering with the hit game *Black Myth: Wukong* to launch the “Follow Wukong to Explore Jincheng” campaign. By deeply integrating the colorful clay sculptures of the Twenty-Eight Constellations at the Jade Emperor Temple and the ancient architectural ruins of Tiefo Temple with the game’s scenes, the city transformed once-dormant cultural relics into “must-visit landmarks” sought after by young people, achieving a win-win outcome for both cultural dissemination and tourism promotion. The “Tour Jincheng with the Concert” and “Tour Jincheng with the Event” series precisely target the younger demographic. The combined momentum of fan economy and ticket-based economy has infused cultural and tourism consumption with youthful vitality.
With dual-track efforts in festival IPs and regional collaboration, the city has expanded its market footprint. The consecutive hosting of the Health and Wellness Industry Development Conference and the 2025 Shanxi Province Cultural Tourism Development Promotion Event has built bridges for exchange. A cooperative mechanism has been established through the Cultural Tourism and Wellness City Alliance involving 24 cities across 13 provinces, and the “Taihang Scenery · Silk Road Encounters” project was recognized as an outstanding case study under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Volunteer Service to Frontier Regions” initiative. Visitor sources have expanded from the traditional Central Plains urban clusters to regions such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta areas. During the 2026 Spring Festival, out-of-province visitors accounted for 37.51% of the total, with coastal provinces and municipalities including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Guangdong ranking among the top 10 source markets, highlighting the nationwide appeal of Jincheng’s cultural and tourism sector.
Standing at a new starting point for development, Jincheng City has included cultural tourism and wellness in its “Ten Major Initiatives.” It is fully advancing the three major campaigns of “scenic area quality enhancement, resort area upgrading, and rural empowerment,” striving to achieve 5A-level status for Wangmangling and Sitou Town, promoting the construction of national-level tourist resorts such as the Taihang Ancient Fortresses, and continuously strengthening its rural tourism brands.
At the foot of the Taihang Mountains, ancient fortresses shine; along the banks of the Dan River, wellness tourism is flourishing. With high spirits, Jincheng is striding forward on the path of high-quality development, making the title of “China’s Premier City for Culture, Tourism, and Wellness” even more dazzling. (By Yuan Quan)