The 2023 list of the top 100 counties in terms of comprehensive tourism strength was recently released. Eight places in Jiangsu province were shortlisted, including Rugao, a county-level city of Nantong, which jumped from 87th place in 2022 to 48th place this year.

Zhejiang province is home to the most places on the list, with 32 counties or county-level cities in the top 100, while Sichuan has 14, Guizhou has 10, Jiangsu has eight, and Jiangxi has seven.

In 2022, the average tourism revenue of 1,866 counties and county-level cities in the country reached 3.04 billion yuan ($426 million), while the average number of visitors was 3,759,700.

Rugao, located near the Yangtze River, is ripe for the development of tourism due to its long history and beautiful natural scenery.

The city is currently home to three national 4A-level scenic areas and eight national 3A-level scenic areas.

It is also the birthplace of the 14th Red Army – China's only central red army in Jiangsu province. Rugao makes full use of its abundant "red tourism" (tourism related to China's revolutionary legacy) attractions to promote the tourism industry.

Local delicacies in Rugao, a county-level city of Nantong in Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]