Published by ChinaMNC · Liaoyuan
Jilin Province Launches Pilot Program for High-Quality Residential Wellness Tourism: Key Points for Foreign Founders
Jilin Province has issued a pilot work plan to develop high-quality residential wellness tourism, aiming to attract long-stay visitors and create new business opportunities. Foreign founders can learn about the policy framework and potential entry points for their operations in China.
Jilin Province Launches Pilot Program for High-Quality Residential Wellness Tourism
On May 9, 2026, the General Office of the Jilin Provincial People's Government issued the Pilot Work Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of Residential Wellness Tourism in Jilin Province (Jizhengbanhan [2026] No. 37). The plan, dated April 29, 2026, outlines a strategic initiative to leverage Jilin's natural, ecological, and cultural resources to develop a robust residential wellness tourism sector. For foreign founders operating or planning to operate a company in China, this policy signals new opportunities in tourism, healthcare, and related service industries.
Policy Background and Objectives
The plan is designed to implement national strategies and provincial decisions to foster new economic drivers. It focuses on utilizing Jilin's advantages in natural ecology, summer leisure, and traditional Chinese medicine wellness. The goal is to pioneer and expand the residential wellness industry, stimulating new momentum for regional revitalization.
By 2028, the province aims to establish a series of pilot projects across various载体 (carriers) such as counties, resorts, scenic areas, rural villages, residential communities, and elderly care institutions. The vision is to create destinations that are livable and tourist-friendly, shared by both residents and visitors, positioning Jilin as a "second home" for summer leisure, wellness vacations, and cultural experiences. The target is to increase the number of visitors staying over 10 days, fostering a migratory bird-style residence pattern.
Specific Targets for 2028
The plan sets concrete quantitative goals for 2028:
- 6 pilot counties (cities, districts) with rich tourism resources and comprehensive wellness services.
- 6 pilot resorts focused on residential wellness.
- 10 pilot scenic area clusters for residential wellness.
- 20 pilot villages for residential wellness.
- 30 pilot residential communities for wellness living.
- 80 pilot elderly care institutions for residential wellness.
- 30,000 new beds for residential wellness.
- Annual growth of over 10% in visitors staying more than 10 days, reaching 3.8 million person-times by 2028.
Additionally, the plan aims to build clustered areas relying on the Greater Changbai Mountain region and the Changchun metropolitan area, and clustered lines along the Songhua River and national highways G331 and G334. It also seeks to cultivate and promote the Greater Changbai Mountain summer residential wellness brand and nationally recognized destinations.
Key Tasks and Implementation Measures
The plan outlines three main tasks with specific sub-measures and responsible departments:
1. Foundation Building
- Compile work guidelines: Develop the "Jilin Province Residential Wellness Pilot Work Guidelines" to provide standards and guidance on core tourism features, wellness business formats, and support services. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
- Utilize pilot projects: Select key tourism counties, resorts, scenic clusters, villages, communities, and elderly care institutions across the province to pioneer and cultivate replicable experiences. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
- Establish a resource directory: Comprehensively inventory residential wellness resources, build a mature resource database and a reserve database; compile and publish the "Jilin Province Residential Wellness Resource Directory" and create a "Residential Wellness Resource Map" to systematically present resource distribution and spatial layout. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
2. Cultivating Diverse Carriers
- Develop residential wellness counties: Based on local resource endowments, build urban destinations integrating ecological sightseeing, cultural experiences, health preservation, and leisure shopping. Focus on utilizing core scenic spots, city parks, and leisure blocks; improve public service facilities for medical care, elderly care, culture, and sports; enhance smart services; and embed wellness business formats to create comfortable living environments. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Development and Reform Commission, Department of Natural Resources, Health Commission, Civil Affairs Department, and Sports Bureau according to their responsibilities)
- Upgrade residential wellness resorts: Leverage the comprehensive advantages of tourist resorts to build high-end, internationalized residential wellness resorts. Accelerate the improvement of international service standards and multilingual reception capabilities; enhance coordination between facilities and the environment. Add wellness centers, develop private health butlers, customized healing courses, and other exclusive services. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
- Create residential wellness scenic area clusters: With scenic areas suitable for residence as the core, highlight resource features, expand wellness functions, and promote deep integration with surrounding dining, shopping, leisure, and medical services to form clusters. Encourage the establishment of consumption linkage mechanisms, including mutual recognition of discounts and price linkages between scenic areas and surrounding businesses. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Department of Commerce according to their responsibilities)
- Optimize residential wellness villages: Relying on key tourism villages and rural tourism operators, create multi-themed rural residential experiences and launch a batch of "slow life" residential wellness villages. Build public spaces such as rural cafes, village libraries, and pastoral tea rooms that cater to the aesthetic and social needs of residents. Encourage the promotion of the "whole-village operation" model to create a win-win operational ecosystem for enterprises, village collectives, and farmers. (Led by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs according to their responsibilities)
- Build residential wellness communities: Focus on revitalizing existing resources and cultivate a batch of "small and beautiful" residential wellness communities with complete functions and distinctive features. Support the development of core wellness attractions from state-owned idle assets, inefficient urban buildings and factories, unsold commercial housing, forest wellness bases, forestry hotels, and employee recuperation bases, to enhance overall residential capacity. (Continued from the source, but the source text appears cut off; we summarize based on available information.)
Implications for Foreign Founders
This policy presents several opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs:
- Tourism and Hospitality: The development of resorts, scenic clusters, and villages may require international expertise in management, marketing, and service standards.
- Wellness and Healthcare: The focus on wellness centers, private health butlers, and customized healing courses opens doors for foreign companies specializing in wellness services, training, and products.
- Real Estate and Community Development: The revitalization of existing assets and creation of wellness communities could involve foreign investment in design, construction, and operation.
- Supporting Services: The plan encourages consumption linkage and public spaces, creating demand for cafés, libraries, and other amenities that foreign founders might operate.
Foreign founders should note that the plan involves multiple government departments and requires coordination with local authorities. Establishing a company in China and navigating the regulatory environment is essential. ChinaMNC can provide guidance on company registration, licensing, and ongoing compliance.
This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Call to Action: Foreign founders interested in exploring opportunities in Jilin's residential wellness sector can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.