On Oct 15, the 2023 China-ASEAN International Forum on Traditional Medicine and Health Tourism, also known as the Bama Forum, was held in Hechi's Bama Yao autonomous county, the internationally-renowned hometown of longevity.

Over 200 distinguished guests, including leaders from the health and tourism authorities of China and ASEAN countries, as well as experts, scholars, and representatives from the fields of traditional medicine and health tourism, attended the forum.

Huang Luqi, vice director of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, emphasized that China and ASEAN have long cooperated in traditional medicine.

Officials from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar delivered speeches in which they expressed hopes of deepening cooperation with China in the fields of health tourism and traditional medicine.

During the keynote speech, officials from Hechi and Malaysia, as well as experts from related institutes, said they look forward to the vision of sustainable development of health tourism and international cooperation among China and ASEAN countries.

During the dialogue session, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the forum's main theme, "Traditional Medicine Culture and the Development of Health Tourism Industry," as well as the topics of "Policy Orientation for the Integration of Traditional Medicine Health Services and Health Tourism," "The Development of Health Cuisine and Tourism in the Perspective of 'Big Food'," and "China-ASEAN Traditional Medicine and Health Tourism Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative."

Following the forum, participants visited the Bama Bainiao Cave Scenic Spot and Bama Renshouyuan Mountain Villa. At the Renshouyuan Mountain Villa, forum guests experienced the Zhuang ethnic group's custom of ceremonially showing respect to the elderly through offering grains, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item. Through these activities, the forum guests experienced the unique charm of Bama's health tourism as the hometown of longevity.

The Bama Forum is held in Hechi's Bama Yao autonomous county on Oct 15. [Photo/Hechi Daily]