Visitors dig deep into sinkhole's unique wonders

Since its opening in April 2019, the Mianhua Sinkhole has received an average of 300,000 visitors annually. So far, the total number of visitors has exceeded 1 million. In 2021, despite the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors still reached 335,400.

The Luocheng county government adheres to the development model of integrating culture, tourism and ecology in the development of the Mianhua Sinkhole. The tourist resort developers attach great significance to integrating the Mulam people's cultures into the architecture, clothing, farming etiquette, food and festivals, as well as their intangible cultural heritages, such as folk customs, traditional handicraft, into the development of the scenic spot.

A literary, film and television art creation base, painting and calligraphy creation base, photography creation base, libraries, intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall, Mulam people's traditional medicine and health experience hall, and music bars have been established in the scenic spot so that travelers can have an "immersive experience" of the Mulam culture and gain insights into the connections between the people and the environment in which they have thrived.

The development of the tourist resort follows the operation mode engaging in enterprising, cooperative, industrial development and helping farmers so as to realize a multi-win result. Farmers of 23 villages nearby have taken part in its development, and they run eateries, homestays and specialty shops, and take other jobs in the tourist resort. This has directly and indirectly helped lift more than 6,849 people in the county out of abject rural poverty.