Rainforest hiking boosts economy in township in SW China's Yunnan

Parents and children join rainforest activities led by a local guide in Jinuoshan township, Jinghong city, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Zeng Zhihui)

Jinuoshan township in Jinghong city, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, is home to people of the Jinuo ethnic group. Long isolated by mountains and poor transportation, the township was little known and economically underdeveloped.

Since 2019, when the township eliminated poverty, it has leveraged its rich rainforest resources to develop hiking tourism, quickly becoming a popular destination.

Today, the township offers 30 themed hiking trails. Rainforest hiking has become a major pillar of the township's economy, with the number of tourist visits rising from 90,000 in 2023 to 370,000 in 2024, and 550,000 as of September 2025.

"Before, young people either tapped rubber or left to work elsewhere. Now many work as guides, safety guides, or support staff, and incomes have increased," said a local guide named Qiemula. About 80 percent of villagers in the township are employed in rainforest hiking tourism, with per capita income increasing by 50,000 yuan (about $7,019).

As the industry continues to grow, the township has made ecological protection a top priority. It has established a hiking tourism management team and a rainforest tourism task force to oversee environmental protection, production, and food safety, ensuring that tourism develops in a sustainable way while safeguarding the rainforest's ecological resources.