HZICC: Tianmu Future Valley: Where Hangzhou's biosphere story comes to life

HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Last year, when the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves brought global attention to Hangzhou, many visitors discovered that the city's ecological story reaches far beyond West Lake. To the west, in Lin'an District, mountains, forests, villages and streams form the living landscape of the Tianmushan-Qingliangfeng Biosphere Reserve.

It is here that Tianmu Future Valley is exploring a question facing nature destinations around the world: how can a place welcome more people while protecting the nature that gives it both ecological and economic value?

At the heart of the valley, the ecological research institute continues to introduce visitors to the Tianmu Mountain and the wider biosphere around them. Through exhibits and study programs, children, families and first-time visitors can see how forests, water systems, insects, plants, animals and communities are connected. Ecology becomes less of an abstract word and more of something people can observe, touch and remember.

Built on that foundation, Tianmu Future Valley is expanding the ways people enter the landscape. Its Water World, one of the valley's most visible new attractions, brings slides, pools and summer recreation together, giving families and young travelers a new reason to come and stay longer. The Dakar China (Hangzhou) Experience Center adds a contrasting experience, with rally-style driving, off-road tracks and karting experiences that turn the valley into a destination for outdoor sports and adventure.

For travelers, the valley also works as a natural extension of a Hangzhou itinerary. Located in Lin'an, it can be paired with a visit to West Tianmu Mountain, Daming Mountain, nearby villages, countryside homestays and local food experiences. Visitors can spend the morning in the water park, slow down in the ecological study center in the afternoon, and stay overnight in the mountain area rather than rushing back to the city.

These projects are not simply commercial additions beside nature. They bring ecological understanding to a wider audience. A family may arrive for the water park, then step into the ecological research institute. Young travelers may come for speed and off-road adventure, then leave with a stronger awareness of the mountain environment around them. Leisure becomes an entry point into place-based learning.

In Tianmu Future Valley, the future of nature-based travel is not about choosing between protection and participation. It is about making the biosphere easier to enter, easier to understand and easier to care about.