Children and their parents experience making salts in a shop in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, February 14, 2024. /CFP
Among various options for winter activities during the Spring Festival holiday in China, the southwestern province of Yunnan has become a popular destination for parents and their kids.
Yunnan boasts spectacular natural landscapes, biodiversity and diverse ethnic groups. Tourists can meet one of the rarest ethnic groups in China along the mysterious Nujiang River Valley, encounter numerous flora and fauna in the tropical Xishuangbanna, explore the unique architecture and culture in the ancient towns of Dali, or learn how tea has infused in Chinese people's lives by tracing the fragrance of tea leaves in Pu'er City.
To welcome children at different ages, as well as their parents, Yunnan Travel Agency Association launched 10 themed routes in January, including popular regions such as Xishuangbanna, Kunming and Dali. As the visitors travel across these places, they can not only broaden their knowledge about geography and rare species, they also experience local culture and customs.
The farming tour route launched in Dali, for example, offers activities such as vegetable planting, scarecrow making and net fishing. Parents and kids can participate and learn together.
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. /CFP
Such winter camps, or research and study tours, have gained more and more popularity in the country.
The number of such visits increased to 4.8 million in 2019, 4.94 million in 2021, and exceeded 6 million in 2022, according to China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism).
Policy support
In 2016, the Ministry of Education and 10 other departments jointly released a document about promoting research and study tours for students. It asked local governments to develop different routes based on real life and school curricula.
In 2017, the comprehensive practical activity curriculum guidelines for primary and secondary schools released by the ministry clarified that comprehensive practice activities are required courses and subject courses in the national compulsory education and ordinary senior high school curriculum programs.
With policy support, educational institutions and travel agencies promote different research and study tour products across the country, providing more choices for students to learn outside the classroom.