In Yunnan, warm winter sunshine has become a commonplace attraction in many areas, drawing numerous sojourners. They lengthen their stays, slow their pace, and are no longer satisfied with perfunctory sightseeing tours. Instead, they opt for a preferred location for a residency of several months, seeking to deeply immerse themselves in the local life.

People enjoy the moonlight on a boat at Eryuan West Lake in Dali, Yunnan.  Photo by Luo Xincai / Xinhua News Agency

Ms. Chen Rong, a sojourner from Beijing, has chosen Dehong as her winter destination. "Whether a place is suitable for a long stay depends heavily on its food." In her view, Dehong's warmth is first experienced through its cuisine. After settling locally, her favorite activity is exploring the food markets. Sauce made from tamarind, juice pressed from lemons, and wine infused with local Elaeagnus sarmentosa (locally referred to as “Yang Nai Guo”)—the tangy flavors of these various fruits leave a deep impression. This is her second visit to Dehong, and she plans to head north after the Chinese New Year.

Yunnan's warm winter sojourns do not solely rely on its climate appeal. With consumption upgrades and evolving travel preferences, embracing a slower pace of life has become essential. Targeting this demand, Yunnan has intensified its exploration, capitalizing on its diverse resources to transform transient visits into prolonged stays.

Traditional tourist cities like Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang are evolving from mere scenic hubs to immersive living environments. Recently, Lijiang entered its stargazing season, attracting many tourists and astronomy enthusiasts. Some hotels offer localized lifestyle experiences, such as stargazing photography and meteor-watching, thus extending their services.

Even counties with previously underdeveloped cultural and tourism resources are striving to achieve rapid development by capitalizing on the trend of sojourn. In Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Lincang City, parking lots near sites like the Sigangli Cliff Painting Valley, Wengding Traditional Village, and Hulu (Gourd) Town are filled with vehicles from outside the region. Since 2025, Cangyuan County has welcomed 80,000 sojourners, a year-on-year increase of over 20%.

Using brand events like football matches as a platform, Cangyuan County dynamically showcases ethnic culture by integrating intangible cultural heritage skills such as the Wooden Drum Performance, Hair Swinging Dance, and Wa brocade weaving into competitions. This transforms each event into a cultural celebration and builds an IP where "each competition is a deep cultural journey."

In the vast rural areas, the sojourning economy has become a new engine for comprehensive rural revitalization. Leju Village in Longtan Community, Xishan District, Kunming, is an ancient Yi ethnic village with over 600 years of history. Despite being well-known, it was once difficult to retain even local villagers, let alone attract outsiders.

The change stemmed from the development of the long-term stay industry. Lang Lan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Residents’ Committee of Longtan Community, explained that the first step was the protective renovation of idle old houses, followed by the introduction of over 20 business formats, including intangible cultural heritage endeavors, creative businesses, and coffee shops, to meet the diverse needs of villagers and visitors. Today, Leju Village further integrates homestays, eco-friendly restaurants, and creative spaces, forming a comprehensive agro-cultural-tourism hub that combines experience, display, and consumption.

The essence of sojourn stays is continually deepening, sparking a powerful chemistry with Yunnan’s diverse resources. In Shuangbai County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the abundant resources of Yi medicine are leveraged to create a wellness-oriented sojourn segment. Visitors can pick ingredients themselves and cook healthy, delicious farm-style meals. In Bangdong Township, Linxiang District, Lincang City, centered around the core resources of "sea of clouds + ancient tea + countryside," the local area has built ecological trails and viewing platforms, transforming once hidden gems of scenery into experiential, shareable long-term stay products.

These cases demonstrate that sojourns have transcended simple extended visits, evolving into a comprehensive ecological lifestyle that integrates local culture, distinctive industries, and deep experiences.

Yunnan is not merely a collection of scenic spots but a comprehensive living environment that blends excellent ecology, a pleasant climate, and diverse culture. Today, Yunnan is striving to turn these resource advantages into developmental strengths, upgrading the traditional "selling scenery" to a more meaningful and warm "selling a lifestyle."

This transformation is reflected in promising data. Statistics show that in the first 11 months of 2025, Yunnan Province welcomed 4.98 million sojourners, a year-on-year increase of 54.9%, with an average stay of about 85 days. Annual consumption is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan.

This is not just growth in numbers but a significant shift in consumption patterns and lifestyles: Rather than merely "seeing the scenery," more people are choosing to "live within it." (Xinhua News Agency, reported by Yan Yong)

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(Editors: Evan, Jennifer)