Looking beyond the view

A new generation of tourism operators in Pingtan is turning the sea into something tangible to experience and even take home, Yang Feiyue reports.

A wooden walkway winds through a forest behind a coffee shop in Dongzhan village in northern Pingtan county, an island area in East China's Fujian province.

The path bends into an S-shape. Fallen leaves cover the ground. Trees suddenly give way to sand, sea and sky.

For Huang Xiaoxi, the entrepreneur behind Sense Of cafe, that transition is part of the experience.

Visitors can stop for coffee, walk through the forest, surf, take photographs, or sit by the sea.

"I based it on my feelings," Huang says of the design.

His project is one example of how tourism in Pingtan is evolving.

The county has abundant maritime resources and is one of the closest points on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, with their nearest points about 68 nautical miles apart. Its windy coastline, beaches, rocky formations, and the seasonal phenomenon known as "blue tears" — a blue glow created by bioluminescent marine organisms — have long drawn visitors.

Today, entrepreneurs and tourism operators are looking beyond the view.

Yachting, sailing, jet skiing, fly-boarding, music, coffee, Taiwan products, surfing, and creative spaces are being woven into experiences that encourage visitors to stay longer and engage more closely with the island.