10 Tongren special Wednesday, November 16, 2016 CHINA DAILY Hot springs heating up hospitality industry By YANG JUN Tongren in Guizhou prov- ince is rich in hot springs and has thus become a magnet for healthcare-themed hotels and resorts. • Jiulong Cave Spring Located inside the Jiulong Cave national scenic site, Jiulong Cave Spring Holiday Manor is one of 100 key tour- ism projects in Guizhou. The holiday resort is also on the list of the province’s key programs for promoting cultural industry. Clean water spouts opportunities Its spring water comes from 1,810 meters deep under- ground. Tests by the Ministry of Investment and tourism flock to Tongren to take advantage of its rich natural resources,Yang Jun reports. Land and Resources show that the water here has no visible impurity or bad smell and is Tongren in Guizhou province is rich in water resources, which are key to developing its tourism, bottled water businesses and healthcare services. TIAN YU / FOR CHINA DAILY extremely soft. It is rich in fluo- rine and the density of some useful acids is high enough for uthorities in Ton- Tongren now has about medical use. The hot spring can gren, Guizhou prov- 6,000 hectares of water sur- help to treat rheumatoid arthri- ince, are looking to face dedicated to ecological tis and similar diseases. A boost the develop- fish farming, with the output • Jiutian Spring Hotel ment of its water industry, value of the fishing industry Located at the junction of as the city prepares to host exceeding 1 billion yuan. The Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou the first international natural development of this industry provinces, Jiutian Spring drinking water expo between has greatly helped poverty Hotel faces Wujiang River to Saturday and Monday. relief efforts in the city, local the east and is surrounded by The city’s total output officials said. mountains. It has rich tour- value of bottled water and Shiqian, Sinan, Yinjiang ism resources nearby, with the other water-related indus- and Yanhe counties in Ton- Fanjing Mountain national tries reached 8.97 billion yuan gren are also rich in hot nature reserve in Guizhou 67 ($1.3 billion) in 2015, or 13.1 springs. The Shiqian county km away, the ancient city of percent of the total industry was accredited as “the home Fenghuang some 150 km away, value of the city, according to of hot springs in China” in and the Sinan Karst stone for- the city government. 2009. est 100 km away. “With its rich natural The Chengnan Hot Spring The hotel, which cost more resources, Tongren has in Shiqian receives more than 500 million yuan ($73 attracted a number of big than 500,000 tourists each million) to construct, is the brands in the industry, such year and provides about 400 center of a bigger project called as Nongfu Spring and Wat- jobs. The hot spring generates the Si’nan spring travel com- sons, to invest in the city about 30 million yuan each plex, which occupies approxi- in recent years,” said Yang year in tourism revenue. mately 47 hectares. Xiangdong, deputy Party Jiutian Hotsprings in The complex is set to become chief of the city. “We have also Sinan county, featuring one of the key tourism projects developed a number of local Tujia ethnic culture, receives in Guizhou, and has been grant- enterprises. The prospects 240,000 tourists each year. ed 4A-level scenic site status. (for water-related industries) It provides 200 employment • Shiqiangu Spring are more than bright.” Fanjing Mountain, a national nature reserve in Tongren, is famed for its natural beauty, diverse species and Buddhist culture. opportunities and brings The Shiqiangu Spring dates The First Guizhou Inter- PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY about annual revenue of 15 back to 1606 AD and has a daily national Natural Drinking million yuan. supply of more than 6,000 tons Water Expo will be held in Xia Hong, deputy mayor of hot water, enough to sup- Bijiang district of Tongren of Tongren, said the city gov- port all its 138 bathing pools. starting from Saturday, ernment is looking to attract With more than 20 benefi- with major bottled water more enterprises to invest in cial trace elements, the spring producers including Acqua the city through further opti- water can be used for both Minerale San Benedetto SpA, mizing its service awareness bathing and drinking, which Hangzhou Wahaha Group, and policy support. is unique nationwide. Longlife, and Tibet Water The authorities are looking A local investment company Resources Ltd set to take part to increase variety, improve has poured 520 million yuan in the expo. quality and cultivate brands into making full use of the “Hosting the water expo to increase the competitive- spring to develop the 4A-level in Tongren will serve as a From left: Waterfalls at Tianshengqiao Valley in Tongren. LIU YANGSHE / FOR CHINA DAILY; Fishing in Tongren at night. MAO ZHIXIA / FOR CHINA DAILY; ness of the city’s bottled water tourism site, which is designed good promotion platform A fishing boatanchored at the Jinjiang River, which runs through Tongren. MAO ZHIXIA / FOR CHINA DAILY industry. as a holiday resort combining for the water resources of “We are aiming to develop healthcare, sightseeing and lei- the city. We hope the water natural drinking water into sure activities. expo can become a high-end water for medical purposes Nongfu Spring Co Ltd was The city’s water resources an advantageous industry platform in the industry,” 180 and drinkable hot spring among the first major bever- are also rich in minerals, and a new growth engine by Zhang Zhouxiang and Dong Yang said. water. This has made it pos- age companies to invest in such as strontium, zinc and the end of the 13th Five Year Xianwu contributed to this Fanjing Mountain, located springs sible for the city to develop Tongren. selenium, elements that are Plan period of 2016-20,” Xia story. in Tongren, reportedly has into a world water-manufac- “The reason we chose Ton- indispensable to human bod- said. the best preservation of nat- in Tongren, Guizhou province turing hub. gren is because of its well ies. “By then, the total output ural forests compared with The city has 180 springs preserved ecosystem, high- The region’s rich water value of the bottled water areas of the same latitude that can discharge more than quality mountain springs and resources are conducive to industry will reach 20 billion across the globe. 5 liters of water per second, friendly investment environ- the development of the fish- yuan and production volume The environment has also 40,000 with a total flow of 2.4 billion ment,” said Wen Shengzao, ing industry and hot spring- will exceed 3 million tons.” endowed the city with high- cubic meters of water each general manager of the com- themed tourism. quality, pure, natural drink- hectares year. The springs enable the pany’s subsidiary in Tongren. The city has about 40,000 Contact the writer at ing water resources. production of 150,000 bottles Wen said his company has hectares of water suitable for [email protected] Jiulong Spring resort is located The city, located in the of water suitable for fish of mineral water each sec- a total annual production of fish farming, which took up at a scenic site. eastern part of Guizhou, is farming in Tongren ond. 600 million bottles of water 20 percent of the provincial Xu Wei and Dong Xianwu LIU YANGSHE /FOR CHINA DAILY rich in fresh water, springs, China’s beverage giant in Tongren. total. contributed to this story. Food and beverage businesses flowing into Southwest China By YANG JUN the first bottled water rolled off bottled water from the base is and will offer more job oppor- said. “Tongren boasts beauti- the factory line in 2014, Wen sold out across China within a tunities then,” he said. ful mountains and clear water, With a good natural environ- said. month of production, Wen said. Dong, from Guizhou Hao- and my company also offers a ment and clean water sources, “When we visited Tongren in Like Nongfu Spring, Hao- caitou Food, said his company good salary, so I am planning Tongren in Guizhou province 2007, we learned it has excel- caitou Food Co, a major food is also considering expansion to settle down here.” is becoming a major base for lent water resources,” Wen said. producer based in East Chi- in Tongren to meet increasing According to the Tongren high quality water and food in “Our surveyors were sent here na’s Fujian province, has also demands for its products. government’s plan, annual pro- Southwest China. to test the water quality, and made a presence in Tongren in “We are seeking more suit- duction of natural, drinkable “The major reason we chose the results showed the water is recent years, due to the city’s able water sources for our water is projected to reach 1.5 Tongren as a production base very good in all indexes.” well preserved ecosystem and yogurt products, continuing million metric tons by 2020, is its high quality water,” said Since then, the company has pollution-free water. to expand investment and with a total value of 2.4 billion Wen Shengzhao, general man- sampled water from Liulong Dong Honghai, deputy gen- diversify our business in Ton- yuan. This will bring in annual ager of Nongfu Spring (Gui- Mountain in Tongren every eral manager of Guizhou Hao- gren,” he said. “The number government revenue of more zhou) Wulingshan Beverage month for five years and sent caitou Food Co, said the water of our employees in Tongren than 300 million yuan, and Co, a subsidiary of Nongfu the samples to its testing cen- in Tongren essentially has no Guizhou Haocaitou Food Co started production at its Tongren plant in will increase from 300 to about 10,000 employment opportu- Spring, one of China’s largest ter in Shanghai, where the pollution, and that its qual- April.