China’s ill and aging have begun a mass exodus to the caves of Bama in desperate hopes to cure their illnesses and prolong their lives.
Masses of China’s aged and severely ill have discovered a long hidden secret of healing and longevity to which they are flocking in drones.
Cut through the green mountains on southern China’s Guangxi province and discover Bama County. As longevity capital of China, visitors to Bama speak banished illnesses and life expectations of over 100.
It is believed this pristine part of China has long seen its people live long and healthy lives that far outdate most other parts of the country. The elixirs are believed to be its vast amounts of negatively charged oxygen ions in caves, its purifying water and the fact that it is one of the only places in China that produces virtually no pollution at all.
Bama has enjoyed thousands of years of solitude up until now; this area of Guangxi has suddenly become a magnet for the gravely ill and aged. They practice Qi Gong in the caves, drink straight from the “fountains of longevity” and munch on divine mushrooms, all in the hope of a cure, or prolonged life.
Lining the streets of the local town are an array of questionable bottles containing “longevity water”. Meanwhile, other potions of snake and traditional Chinese medicine are sold alongside various other health products, all for sale with the promise of a long life or a miracle cure. Doctors without proper qualifications operate almost shaman like as they guide people up the caves and lecture them on good health.
The local government have happily participated in what appears to be a drive in health-themed tourism. On the surface, the sick and elderly of China are being encouraged to spend vast amounts of money and effort in traveling to places that offer miracle cures.
With a population of approximately 270 thousand, over two million ailing visitors per year is putting a toll on the local area. “It used to be quiet and pristine”, said Liu Sujia, a farmer. “Now it’s filled with litter and ill people”, reported the New York Times. “If too many people come, the good oxygen will be sucked out”, a Ms Sun from Harbin was quoted.
Fortunately for the booming Bama businesses, many visitors have reported feeling better than when they arrived, or even cured. Yet unfortunately, for the majority of people who have visited Bama, there were no such signs of recovery; they left exhausted and disappointed.
