The rise of Bo'ao town

On the morning of April 28, I took a bullet train from Haikou to Qionghai and reached the destination 50 minutes later. Taking the express train is the most convenient way to get around. On the way, I was told by taxi driver Song Jiazhuang that barely anyone knew Bo'ao before the Bo'ao Forum for Asia was held here; and that the main form of transportation from Qionghai to Bo'ao was the bus, because few tourists came. It is different now, because Bo'ao has attracted many tourists from afar after it became famous, and now taxis are the main form of transportation.

"Bo'ao has seen great changes in these more than 10 years. Bo'ao natives have turned from the farming-dominated life to the tourism- and service industry-focused ones. Their living standards have greatly improved." Song Jiazhuang said.

Today, along both sides of the streets in the Town of Bo'ao, there are restaurants serving a variety of food, indicating that tourists from afar and migrant workers have become major customers at these restaurants, and the backbone of development of the town's economy as well.

Yao Hai has a restaurant offering "Northwestern Cuisine" in the town. He worked as a real estate salesman and made a good living.

In Bo'ao, the boss of a noodle restaurant on Mian Street, Yao Hai, is from Xianyang, Shanxi. Yao has been in Bo'ao for more than a decade, and witnessed its development, and bought a parcel of land here, planning to settle here in the years to come.

Yao said, "Bo'ao was a small village when I first came here in 2001, undeveloped, being all watermelon fields and fields of weeds. I did not feel disappointed at all seeing the depression, because I was at my nadir, too, and had only 0.5 yuan. Luckily I had a friend here, and we took care of each other. I grew along with Bo'ao."

In 2007, Yao Hai opened a restaurant in the town and named it "Northeastern Cuisine." Later he worked as a real estate salesman and made a good living. As Bo'ao was developing vigorously, he bought a land parcel of 200 square kilometers in Bo'ao in 2011 with his first earnings, and plans to build a 5-storey building next year.

Thanks to the Boao Forum for Asia, Boao has publicized its charms, and attracted the attention of Chinese and foreign tourists. It receives nearly 8,000 tourists on the average day; nearly 20,000 each day during golden weeks; and nearly 3 million each year.

In the town of Bo'ao, I saw many tourists from afar. Peng Xinling from He'nan was one of them. She said, "Bo'ao is becoming more and more famous, so I take my kid here to feel its internationalization. Of course, I like the environment and folk customs here, too, and hope that me and my family can come again."

By making full use of the magnificent opportunities for development, Bo'ao Town has done a lot for tourism and ecology, and made significant achievements in all aspects. The rapid development of Boao has not only attracted "strangers" but benefited the natives.

Granny Lu Xiang is over 60 years old now, and is an authentic native. Four years ago, she opened a supermarket in the town. In her words, "Before Bo'ao was developed, the roads were all primitive dirt roads, and cars were rarely seen on the street. I did not understand what communism was when I was young, but now I know it—it is living happily and affluently."

Li Rong, 50-year-old, native farmer, is busy with farming in the busy seasons, and rides a tricycle to take tourists around during the slack season.

Li Rong, also a Bo'ao native, now finds work in tourism. This 50-year-old native farmer is farms in the busy seasons, and rides a tricycle to take tourists around during the slack season. Taking tourists to each and every scenic spot in Bo'ao has become her main occupation. On my way, she warmly introduced the changes and featured scenic spots of Bo'ao to me, and her straight-forwardness was very attractive.