The First World Longevity Forum and Life Science Conference (WLF&LSC), 
organized by Hezhou Municipal People's Government, opened on Friday in Hezhou 
city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The WLF&LSC aims to build a longevity city brand for Hezhou, promote life 
science applications, and facilitate human health and longevity.

Experts, scholars and business representatives from the global medical, health 
and life sciences fields had in-depth discussions at the WLF&LSC and provided 
advice and suggestions for solving the problem of population aging.

Hezhou city, famous for its longevity culture, has a superior ecological 
endowment. Guangxi is also actively promoting development of the health care 
industry. Through the conference, new ideas, new initiatives and new 
experiences at home and abroad can be shared to bring the local health care 
industry to a new level, said Liu Muren, vice chairman of the Guangxi Committee 
of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a local 
political advisory body.

Hezhou has five outstanding advantages and characteristics in developing 
healthy and longevity industries, such as obvious regional advantages, superior 
ecological environment, rich natural resources, rich history and humanities, 
and huge potential for later development. The city will focus more on the 
ecological construction and take advantage of the conference to enhance its 
advantages in the green development, according to Li Hongqing, secretary of the 
Hezhou Municipal Party Committee.

Health and longevity are major issues that all countries in the world are 
paying attention to and studying. Nowadays, aging population in the world is 
becoming more and more serious. The standard set by the United Nations for 
outstanding longevity is over 75 centenarians to every 1 million people. The 
proportion of centenarians in Hezhou City is 19.91/100,000, far beyond the 
international consensus on the longevity standard, said Denis G. Antoine, 
chairman of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In recent years, under the guidance of the "World Longevity City" brand, Hezhou 
city has actively developed the eco-health industry.

At present, there have been 91 eco-health projects in the city, including 35 
projects under construction, with a total investment of about 21.55 billion 
yuan; and 56 key projects for planning and reserve, with a total budget of 
27.95 billion yuan.

Source: Hezhou Municipal People's Government