Bama

A world-famous longevity hometown, where the clear Panyang River links the Baimo Cave sinkhole, the underground river of Bainiao Cave and the Crystal Palace cave, plus the longevity village of Bapan and the snowbird village of Poyue.

Bama Yao Autonomous County lies in northwestern Guangxi, southwest of Hechi city, in a zone of karst peak clusters where the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau gives way to the Guangxi Basin; the Panyang River runs north to south through the county. In 1991 the International Society of Natural Medicine named Bama a World Longevity Hometown, as its proportion of centenarians ranks among the highest in the world. This sparked longevity and wellness tourism, and many long-stay visitors from across China — known as snowbirds — live year-round in the county town and around Jiazhuan.

Areas to explore: ① The Panyang River around Jiazhuan — the longevity village of Bapan, Renshouyuan, boat rides on the underground river of Bainiao Cave, Baimo Cave and its sinkhole, and the snowbird village of Poyue; this is the core day trip; ② the Crystal Palace karst cave in Nashe; ③ around the county town — Longevity Culture Square and, to the east, Longevity Island on Cifu Lake; ④ the Sanmenhai skylight caves in Fengshan County to the north, an easy one-day extension.

The best season is Oct–Apr: temperatures are 12–25 °C, rain is light and the water is clear, and it is also peak snowbird season. May–Sep is hot and rainy but good for rafting on the Panyang River; cave boat trips may be suspended after heavy rain. Getting there: Baise Bama Airport is about 1 hour by road from the county town; high-speed trains reach Nanning and Baise, where you can transfer to a bus, and the drive from Nanning to Bama takes about 3.5 hours. Allow 2–3 days; Jiazhuan or Poyue makes the most convenient base. Local specialties include Bama miniature pig, hemp seed soup, oil fish and black goat. Note: there is a lot of marketing around longevity, magnetic therapy and longevity water, so be sensible about health-product sales pitches; when visiting elderly residents, respect their wishes.

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