As twilight paints the sky and serene lakes mirror the fading light, brief yet magical “eight-minute sunsets” have become Fengyi’s most romantic moments. This year, Tongyuan has capitalized on this natural spectacle to innovate tourism development to build a new cultural landmark.  

On a recent Sunday afternoon, even after 5 p.m., Scenic Area of Fengyi remained bustling with continuous traffic and flows of visitors. As the sun dipped westward, the sky was painted with hues of twilight. Tourists set up tents to enjoy the idyllic rural sunset, which was a vivid testament to Haiyan’s innovative effort in pioneering new rural tourism development models.  

Atop the viewing platform, groups of “sunset photographers” set up their equipment, intently awaiting the prime hour of the sunset. From the platform they found farmlands and villages sprawl below and the distant urban skyline glow to the west, making the platform a premier spot for capturing stunning sunsets and twilight scenes.  

In recent two years, sunset watching has been highly acclaimed as a cost-effective and accessible activity that delivers high emotional value. Amid the fast-paced modern life, appreciating a vibrant sunset in rural areas has become a therapeutic trend to relax from daily fatigue.  

Since 2017, Fengyi has upgraded its rural areas and built distinctive brands. Today, the Scenic Area of Fengyi attracts over 500,000 annual visitors, with nearly three million travel guides about Fengyi on rednote (a social platform of China), many highlighting the famed sunset here. In the future, Fengyi will launch the initiative “Travel to Fengyi for Sunset Watching” to create a new tourism IP, foster emerging tourism-driven industries and promote rural revitalization by transforming instant trips to overnight ones.