Bio
Project Title: Sociocultural Factors Influencing Longevity
In the summer of 2025, I traveled to Bama — a rural, historically poor county in Southeast China with an unusually long-lived population — to explore how rapid health-tourism development is reshaping the community. Through interviews with government officials, business owners, elderly residents, and members of the Yao community, I discovered that development has created both new economic opportunities and serious social disruptions. While many residents gained financial freedom, relief from physically demanding labor, and improved access to healthcare, others felt left behind or nostalgic for the past, living in newly formed “urban islands” set against the surrounding mountains.
