In the early morning, a thin mist envelops the still-sleeping plateau water town. Zhan Xinzhong, a retired man from Shanghai, waits atop Qinglong Mountain for the sunrise amidst the karst peaks. "Puzhehei is the ideal place for my retirement," said Zhan, who moved to Puzhehei Village in Qiubei County in January last year to start his rural slow-living journey, growing vegetables and fishing, becoming a "new villager" in the area. 

Mountains connect with water, and water winds around mountains. With 312 peaks scattered like stars, 83 caves of various shapes, 54 interconnected lakes, and 40,000 mu of wild lotus flowers, Puzhehei resembles an ink-wash painting spread across the Yunnan region, attracting an increasing number of sojourners. Since 2024, Qiubei County has welcomed over 10,000 tourists, with an average stay of 15 days. 

From farming with villagers and sharing meals to rediscovering nostalgic rural memories, and participating in festivals like the Huashan Festival and the Hualian Festival to experience ethnic culture, Zhan Xinzhong said that it was the stunning landscape that drew him to Puzhehei, but it was the leisurely "slow-paced life" that made him decide to stay. 

"Seasonal fluctuations have always been a challenge for the tourism industry in Puzhehei. Many B&B operators focus their efforts on the three-month peak season, lacking the concept to expand long-term stays during the off-season," said Li Tao, Deputy Director of the Qiubei County Culture and Tourism Bureau. Now, capitalizing on the growing trend of long-term travel, Qiubei's tourism industry is continuously evolving and upgrading, developing products such as lakeside tourism, outdoor camping, sports tourism, eco-tourism, rural retreats, and rural picking to break through seasonal bottlenecks and ensure Puzhehei remains vibrant even during the off-season. 

"In the past, visitors mainly came for the scenery. Now, there are more reasons to stay in Puzhehei," Li Tao said. By targeting the new "long-term travel" niche, Qiubei County has fully tapped into local ethnic cultural and natural resources, hosting events like the 2024 China Paddleboard Open and National Paddleboard U-Series Championships, as well as the Shanhaiyou·2024 Puzhehei Half Marathon. The area continues to introduce new cultural tourism projects such as hot air balloons, helicopter rides, camping, bonfire parties, and lotus flower banquets. Festivals like the Hualian Festival, Chili Festival, and Huashan Festival continue to attract visitors. Currently, the scenic area offers a variety of tourism functions, including water activities, sightseeing tours, leisure vacations, rural experiences, and wetland explorations. 

Meanwhile, Qiubei County has been enhancing the ecological protection of Puzhehei Lake and improving the living environment of villages like Puzhehei, Anuo, and Baolianshan, implementing green and beautiful rural construction, providing solid environmental "support" for the development of rural tourism. The county has continuously optimized services and cultivated over 500 distinctive B&Bs (inns) with lakeside views, mountain forests, vineyards, rural landscapes, and villages.

"Given that the slow-living demographic is mostly elderly, we plan to introduce medical, wellness, and elderly care facilities in villages with good resources. We will develop agricultural, cultural, and tourism products such as hot springs, medicinal cuisine, ethnic medicine, and health preservation to continuously improve the long-term travel industry chain and create a distinctive travel brand with local characteristics," Li Tao said.

清晨的薄雾笼罩着尚未苏醒的高原水乡，上海退休老人詹新中已在青龙山顶等待喀斯特峰林间的日出。“普者黑就是我理想的养老地。”詹新中去年1月来到丘北县普者黑村开启自己的乡村旅居生活，种菜、钓鱼，成为当地的“新村民”。

山连水，水绕山。312座孤峰星罗棋布，83个溶洞千姿百态，54个湖泊相连贯通，4万亩野生荷花婀娜多姿，普者黑如同一幅水墨丹青画卷，铺陈在云岭大地，吸引着越来越多的旅居客到访，2024年以来，丘北县共接待旅居客1万余人，平均停留天数15天。

和村民下地种菜、同吃同游，寻找久违的乡愁记忆；参加花山节、花脸节等节庆活动，体验民族文化的魅力……詹新中说，吸引他来到普者黑的是绝美的山水田园风光，而让他决定停留下来的，是这里惬意的“慢生活”。

詹新中租住的民宿是山禾湖景酒店，在山清水秀之地打造一个特色鲜明的“养老型”民宿，主理人庹必勇有自己的生意经。“景区民宿多半是‘旺季人等房 淡季房等人’，一年营收全指望节假日。”在庹必勇看来，时间不受限、喜欢结伴出游的退休一族是旅居的主力军，“我们的客人大多是‘银发一族’，酒店提供适老化服务，很受欢迎。”庹必勇说。

“淡旺季分明一直是普者黑旅游产业发展的痛点，许多民宿经营者把更多的精力集中在旺季的3个月，缺乏在淡季期间拓展旅居的理念。”丘北县文化和旅游局副局长李涛说，而今，乘着旅居的东风，丘北旅游行业不断转型升级，开发了滨湖旅游、户外露营、体育旅游、生态旅游、度假民宿、乡村采摘等旅居产品，着力突破季节性瓶颈，让普者黑“淡季不淡”。

“以往，游客们多是冲着风景来的。如今，留在普者黑有了更多理由。”李涛说，锚定“旅居”新赛道，丘北县充分挖掘当地民族文化资源、自然资源，举办2024中国桨板公开赛暨全国桨板U系列赛、山海遊·2024普者黑半程马拉松等赛事；不断上新热气球、直升机、露营、篝火晚会、荷花宴等文旅项目；“花脸节”“辣椒节”“花山节”等系列民族节庆活动持续引流。当前，景区已具备水上激情游、观光游、休闲度假、乡村游、湿地体验等众多旅游功能。

同时，丘北县围绕普者黑湖保护治理及村镇人居环境提升，在普者黑村、阿诺村、白脸山村等村寨深入实施绿美乡村建设，为发展乡村旅居提供了环境“硬支撑”。持续优化服务，成立民宿工作专班，组建民宿行业协会，探索“民宿+”“+民宿”产品业态，精心培育湖景、山林、酒庄、田园、村落等特色民宿（客栈）500余家，接待床位约2万个，培育了国家乙级民宿1户、丙级民宿7户，云南省精品酒店12户、精品旅游民宿22户。

“针对旅居群体大多为老年人的特点，我们将在资源条件好的村寨引入医疗、康体、养老等设施，开发农文旅、温泉、药膳、民族医药、养生保健等康养产品，不断完善旅居产业链，打造富有本地特色的旅居品牌。”李涛说。（云南日报记者 王世涵）