Bama "Longevity village" in Guangxi

[Randy W]

Longevity village faces short-sighted tourist boom

"The author is a reporter with the Global Times."

 

It is supposed to be an honor for a village to be dubbed as a land of longevity where folks regularly live past 100. Such is the case with the beautiful Bama county in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region which became famous for its large number of centenarians in the 1990s.

The county, set against the backdrop of the mountains and a then clean river, aroused the interest of not only scientists but also the media. Regular media reports encouraged people who want to seek the secret of a long and healthy life to flock to this land.

However, even Dr Keiichi Morishita, who helped boost Bama's reputation two decades ago, recently claimed that he would never want to go back to Bama and that Bama was a failed case, as the area's peaceful state has been challenged by continuous crowds.

 

. . .

 

Wise people know how to seek a calm mood in this debilitating society to ease themselves into their golden years. Meanwhile, they know they should leave the last pieces of pure land to those who own them rather than enter as destroyers.

The significance of Bama and Fenghuang perhaps lies in reminding people of a farsighted lifestyle. Not ruining it is certainly a mark of the kind of cultured approach that helps with longevity.

 

 

[Randy W]

Fenghuang is an "ancient city" in Hunan - near Zhangjiajie

 

Some pictures from our trip there - http://candleforlove.com/forums/gallery/album/655-fenghuang/

 

 

It's always interesting to see restaurant workers washing food right next to people doing laundry

 

[Randy W]

In many of the "ancient towns" around China, you'll see that they're still under construction, especially Dayan in Lijiang, which saw extensive damage from an earthquake .

 

Huangyao is an ancient town which has been left in more of an authentic condition. Our pictures - http://candleforlove.com/forums/gallery/album/656-huangyao/

 

 

 

Huangyao is where some scenes for the American movie "The Painted Veil" were shot.

 

The top picture is from the movie, the bottom picture is my own.