The 68 Nautical Mile Scenic Spot has become a major tourist attraction in Pingtan, Fujian province. CHINA DAILY

A new generation of tourism operators in Pingtan is turning the sea into something tangible to experience and even take home, Yang Feiyue reports.

A wooden walkway winds through a forest behind a coffee shop in Dongzhan village in northern Pingtan county, an island area in East China's Fujian province.

The path bends into an S-shape. Fallen leaves cover the ground. Trees suddenly give way to sand, sea and sky.

For Huang Xiaoxi, the entrepreneur behind Sense Of cafe, that transition is part of the experience.

Visitors can stop for coffee, walk through the forest, surf, take photographs, or sit by the sea.

"I based it on my feelings," Huang says of the design.

His project is one example of how tourism in Pingtan is evolving.

The county has abundant maritime resources and is one of the closest points on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, with their nearest points about 68 nautical miles apart. Its windy coastline, beaches, rocky formations, and the seasonal phenomenon known as "blue tears" — a blue glow created by bioluminescent marine organisms — have long drawn visitors.

Today, entrepreneurs and tourism operators are looking beyond the view.

Yachting, sailing, jet skiing, fly-boarding, music, coffee, Taiwan products, surfing, and creative spaces are being woven into experiences that encourage visitors to stay longer and engage more closely with the island.

A bird's-eye view of the No 22 International Yacht Marina. CHINA DAILY

All aboard

At the No 22 International Yacht Marina, opened in June 2024, 49 berths are in operation, including 17 reserved for future cross-Strait yacht travel.

The marina has received about 53,000 visitor trips since opening, says Chen Ziliang, general manager of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Tourism Passenger Transportation Co. More than 20,000 people have experienced its water-based offerings so far this year.

"We want to make yacht tourism accessible to ordinary people," Chen says.

Visitors can take yacht cruises in the Taiwan Strait, view the 68-nautical-mile scenic area from the sea, or join sunset cruises. A standard experience lasts an hour, while customized trips can run two to three hours or even a full day.

"It doesn't necessarily follow a fixed route," Chen says. "It depends on the customer's preferences."

Nearly 40 vessels are currently docked at the marina, Chen says, including about 10 luxury yachts, as well as sailboats and motorboats.

The ambition extends beyond the marina. Pingtan is planning a network of yacht bases, marinas and berthing points, with more than 1,270 berths envisioned countywide, Chen says.

For the industry, the aim is to make boating less of an occasional spectacle and more of a way to spend time on the sea.

"Yacht tourism fits very well with Pingtan's position as an international tourism island," Chen says.

Measurable change

The 68 Nautical Mile Scenic Spot takes its name from the approximate distance between Pingtan and Taiwan at their closest points. For the area's tourism operators, that number is more than a geographic marker.

One of the area's more unusual spaces is a vinyl-themed music venue that combines live performances, coffee and Taiwan products. Its current format emerged only after several rounds of experimentation.

The building had already existed for several years, but its tourism function changed two or three times. In its earlier incarnation, it was largely a photo stop that served drinks.

"Visitors might stop for less than 10 minutes," says Gao Peng, manager of the operations and business development department at Pingtan Tourism Operation Management Co.

The vinyl music concept emerged in 2025, initially centered on drinks and the visual appeal of records. This year, a professional performance team was brought in to stage short shows throughout the building, with performances distributed across its three floors.

The change was measurable.

"Now, visitors spend 30 to 40 minutes there," Gao says, giving visitors time to watch a performance, order coffee, and browse the retail area.

The venue also sells Taiwan products sourced through local Taiwan-related business operators. From May 2025 to April 2026, it recorded more than 32,000 purchase orders, with average spending of about 30 to 50 yuan ($4.49 to $7.48), Gao says.

For Gao, the task is to give the geographic concept a physical form, something visitors can listen to, taste, watch, and take home.

From passion to lifestyle

Huang Xiaoxi arrived at his answer from a different direction.

He had been documenting Pingtan's sea landscapes, sports and lifestyle and sharing them on social media. One of his passions is surfing.

"I thought, why not turn the things I like into something more tangible?" he recalls.

A surfing base came first. Then came a coffee shop, a beach bar and a photography base.

The spaces are connected by more than a business plan, as Huang sees coffee, dunes, ocean, beach, art, and people simply spending time outdoors as parts of what he calls "natural theater".

He doesn't dictate how visitors should experience it.

Some have a coffee, take photographs, and leave. Others read for an entire day. Some sleep on the beach.

"They let everything happen naturally," Huang says.

A scene of the coast at dusk. CHINA DAILY

That openness is also reflected in the name — Sense Of — which Huang sees less as a fixed concept than as something visitors can interpret for themselves.

His next step is to take that sensibility beyond the existing spaces. He plans to expand into art, including a gallery or museum, while developing photography and paintings based on Pingtan's landscape. He also hopes to turn those visual elements into products visitors can take home, and eventually bring more of the experience online.

Rather than starting with a standard tourism formula and fitting the landscape into it, Huang has begun with what he finds meaningful about Pingtan and built a business around it.

That approach is appearing in other parts of the county too, as cafes, bookstores, workshops, handicraft shops, and homestays bring new reasons to visit communities once known mainly for their scenery and traditional architecture.

For Chen Ziliang, the same evolution is taking place offshore.

The longer-term goal, Chen says, is not to simply put more people on yachts, but to make time spent at sea part of an ordinary holiday in Pingtan.

"We hope to move from yacht experiences toward a yacht lifestyle," he says.