China's Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is the youngest space launch site in the country and also an **open coastal space launch base. With the rapid development of China's space industry, this small coastal city has attracted more and more "rocket chasers," and the tourism formats themed on space science popularization have been continuously improved. People come here to watch rocket launches, learn about space breeding and space supercomputing, and experience the stars and seas of China's space endeavors amid the coconut breeze and sea charm.

　　"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition!"

　　In Wenchang, Hainan, deep among the coconut groves, at 22:27 on January 17, the Long March 7 Y8 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft lifted off. The rocket soared into the sky, drawing the gaze of tens of thousands of people. On the beaches, in the streets, and on the rooftops of residential buildings, space enthusiasts pressed their shutters to capture the unforgettable moments.

　　China's Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is the youngest space launch site in the country and also an **open coastal space launch base. Relying on the space launch base, Wenchang City has developed space-themed tourism and promoted the deep integration of "space+" and "tourism+".

　　The Small Coastal City Attracts "Rocket Chasers"

　　When the countdown to the rocket launch sounded, on the viewing platform at Tongguling in Wenchang, people held up telescopes and shouldered cameras, unconsciously holding their breath. Several seconds after the rocket lifted off, the roar of the ignition and launch came with a delay, and cheers and screams broke out at once. "Our whole family drove here all the way from Jiangsu. The moment the rocket soared into the sky, I was extremely excited," said Mr. Chen, a tourist.

　　Wenchang City is located at the northeastern corner of Hainan Island, with the sea on three sides. The Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is closer to the equator than other launch sites, giving the rocket greater carrying capacity under the same conditions. The launch site is built on the outskirts of Longlou Town. Tourists can fly to Haikou City, transfer to a high-speed train to Wenchang City, and then drive just over 20 kilometers to reach it, enjoying convenient transportation.

　　Warm throughout the four seasons, with swaying coconut shadows, the sunshine and beaches attract visitors from all directions, and even more so a large number of "rocket chasers."

　　As one of the 13 key parks of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Wenchang International Aerospace City is accelerating the coordinated development of the "three zones"—the launch zone, the high-tech zone, and the tourism zone—and speeding up the cultivation of the "three chains" of rocket, satellite, and data industries in an isomorphic manner. Today, "space tourism" has become a popular local tourism project.

　　Zhang Zuoxing, head of a youth travel organization, introduced, "Wenchang's 'rocket chasing' routes are very popular, and the tourists participating cover multiple age groups. We have already organized 11 events, with more than 300 tourists participating."

　　Sightseeing Tours Enhance the Tech Flavor

　　At 10:30 in the morning, tourist Ms. Zhang drove with her daughter to the entrance of the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site to take part in the newly launched "space construction tour."

　　The bus drove all the way to the already completed No. 1 launch pad, with the No. 2 launch pad under construction in the distance. "As China's **commercial aerospace launch site to break ground, the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Site plans to achieve regular launches this year. At present, the planned capacity of the No. 1 and No. 2 launch pads is 16 launches per year," the guide explained.

　　Afterwards, the tourists headed to the space exploration base to visit the 1:1 model of the Long March 8 Y2 carrier rocket on display, and they could also enjoy a space VR experience. Once regular launches are achieved in the future, the launch site will also have viewing platforms, including a general viewing area and a professional photography area, where tourists can watch the entire rocket launch process up close.

　　"In the past, when Wenchang City developed space tourism, it mostly provided observation points and supporting facilities such as homestays and agritainment. Tourists often came to 'chase rockets' and left after checking in. In the future, under the new commercial space model, the launch site will achieve high-density launches, possibly with rocket launches every month or every week. We are exploring a new tourism model deeply integrated with space science popularization," said Fan Nanhong, director of the Brand Promotion Center of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd.

　　Tourism has a tidal nature, and Wenchang City's peak tourism season highly overlaps with rocket launch periods. "As high-tech tourism, space tourism needs to leverage its advantages of low substitutability and low replicability to offset the disadvantage of strong tidal patterns," said Wei Bo, deputy mayor of Wenchang City. He stated that Wenchang City will move from developing space tourism to developing "space+" tourism, striving to enable tourists to go from "watching the excitement" to "learning the ropes."

　　At the Hainan Space Engineering Breeding Research and Development Center, engineer Yao Tong was introducing space-bred fruits and vegetables to middle school students from Beijing. The center has selected 37 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers from 128 space introduction experiments for cultivation and planting, and it is open to visitors.

　　At the Wenchang Space Supercomputing Center, a national industrial tourism demonstration base, a cluster of digital exhibition halls recently entered trial operation, creating an online and offline "digital exhibition hall cluster" focused on space supercomputing. "Wenchang's space tourism is not just sightseeing tourism; it is also full of technological content," said Ye Shiyang, chairman of Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Smart Management Co., Ltd.

　　According to a relevant person in charge of Wenchang City, next, Wenchang City will focus on space tourism, with the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site as the key, integrate the surrounding resources of Longlou Town, and build space-themed tourism routes. Through the integrated design of "space+", it will create a new calling card for Wenchang tourism that integrates sightseeing, tourism, science popularization, entertainment, dining, and accommodation.

　　From Space Fever to All-for-One Tourism Fever

　　"We're fully booked. Remember to make a reservation in advance next time," said Zhu Ying, a homestay owner in Haibian Village, Longlou Town, explaining to tourists.

　　During every rocket launch period, such scenes are the norm in Wenchang City. Over the past two years, Longlou Town, with a permanent population of less than 30,000, has received more than 1.5 million tourists. Since 2016, the number of hotels and guesthouses in Longlou Town has grown from 5 to more than 50, and the number of restaurants has grown from 230 to more than 900. The regional GDP has grown from 589 million yuan to more than 4 billion yuan over 10 years.

　　Transportation road construction has become a window for observing Wenchang City's development. Longlou Town has three main roads: one leading to Wenchang's urban area, one connecting to the Haiwen Expressway, and one directly reaching Qinglan Port. But a few years ago, this was not the case. In the past, after departing from Haikou City, the eastern line of the island-ring expressway headed straight to Qionghai City, bypassing the adjacent Wenchang City. Now, the Haikou–Wenchang–Qionghai Expressway has been completed; Qinglan Port has been expanded into a national first-class open port, capable of accommodating the Yuanwang 21 and Yuanwang 22 rocket transport ships; the Qinglan Bridge in the south connects Wenchang City with the Aerospace City, and the Haiwen Bridge in the north connects Wenchang City with Haikou City.

　　Beyond space, Wenchang City is also actively tapping local tourism and cultural resources, launching multiple "one-day tours" and "in-depth tours" to use the space fever to drive all-for-one tourism fever. In terms of natural scenery, it has Hainan's longest coastline; in terms of cultural history, it has the Former Residence of the Song Family and the Qilou Old Street. The Wenchang section of the Hainan Island Ring Tourism Highway plans to build 7 themed service stations, and "Longlou Lanyue" in Wenchang is one of them.

　　Today, Wenchang City has built attractions such as the Space Science Popularization Center, the Coconut Sightseeing Factory, and the Tongguling Tourism Area, and has designed different tourism products such as space parent-child tours, cultural tours, and study tours. During rocket launches, Wenchang also promotes the deep integration of space technology with the sustainable development of new cultural and tourism consumption through forms such as space carnivals.

　　Feeling the coconut breeze and sea charm and looking up at the stars and seas, this small coastal city of Wenchang is radiating new vitality.