Oohs and aahs are increasingly filling up the sky

Under a canopy so dense that the Milky Way seemed to spill across the heavens, a father and his son stood on the grasslands, their heads tilted back in shared awe. "It's so beautiful. I want to come back to see the stars again," says Liang Jiacheng, who traveled with his father to Ming'antu town in Zhengxiangbai Banner, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, from Hohhot, the regional capital 400 kilometers away.

"It's nothing like the city sky, where bright lights and haze blur the stars. In Ming'antu, with little pollution, the dazzling stars are brighter than anything we see back home," Liang Tian, the father, says.

During the day, they enjoyed views of rolling grasslands dotted with cattle and sheep. The pair also viewed the radio telescopes at the Ming'antu Observing Station, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Space Science Center.

At a stargazing cultural and tourism camp near the station, many tourists come for stargazing, astrophotography and study tour programs, especially during peak summer months. Visitors recline on rotating lounge chairs to gaze at the stars, or admire the night sky from rooms fitted with telescopes and roofs that slide open on tracks.

"The region is exceptional for astronomical sightings, an arid climate, clear skies, low pollution, and ideal stargazing," says Liang Hua, head of the stargazing camp. The camp offers part-time jobs to local villagers whose income previously depended on animal husbandry.

A novice stargazer can gain basic astronomy knowledge at a domed planetarium, where simulations show the evening sky and how the constellations shift over time. He says cultural content should be woven into stargazing experiences, noting that stargazing is deeply rooted in Chinese traditional culture, from the 28 mansions in Chinese astrology to ancient observatories.

Awestruck by the spectacle

Ming'antu is not an isolated experience. More destinations are turning dark skies into tourism resources nationwide, combining stargazing with natural scenery, cultural heritage, science popularization, study tours, and astrophotography.

In 2019, Geyuan town, Jiangxi province, was designated a China conservation area for dark and starry skies. In recent years, urban visitors from neighboring cities have been flocking to Shiqiao village in Geyuan to enjoy the natural scenery, climb Mitoujian Peak, view wind turbines, hike the ancient trails, watch the sunrise and sunset, and stargaze.

In addition to an observatory on the top of Mitoujian Peak, guests can stargaze in Cipo Hengfeng's yard, a high-end minsu (Chinese-style bed-and-breakfast hostel) in the village. Its street lamps stay dim and angled downward, minimizing light pollution and leaving stargazing virtually unaffected.

"Most visitors are young, usually born in the 1990s, who bring their children," says Deng Ke, the hostel manager. It employs local villagers and sources produce from nearby farms, spreading the benefits of stargazing tourism. "As a local, I studied and worked away for years and hadn't really seen the stars in a while. Here, you can look up and see the same starry sky from childhood," Deng says.