Immersion

Urbanites go to the countryside to enjoy rustic scenes and rediscover tradition By Jacques Fourrier

Rapid development and mass urbanization in China in the last 30 years have brought about massive transformation in the social fabric of the country. As China enters the “new normal” of ecofriendly and sustainable development in an innovative and service-oriented economy, a slow return to traditions and to the charms of country life is now transforming villages.

Anhui is the archetype of this new trend. Once one of China’s poorest provinces, it is now home to a thriving tourism sector and a source of inspiration for the multitudes in search of their ancestral roots and traditions. If China’s urbanites once used to embrace all the trappings of the modern world, they are now increasingly eager to connect with rural life. Even foreigners are being enticed away from the cities. Better communication and transport infrastructure have accentuated this trend.

“A French family moved here a few years ago and they are even raising chickens and growing vegetables,” said a tour guide in Zhaji Village in Jingxian County, a quaint rural spot that has tapped into the huge potential of domestic tourism with great success for a decade.

Anhui Province in east China heeded the Central Government’s advice before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and has since made impressive strides in preserving its cultural heritage and developing a sustainable tourism sector. This turnaround in the province’s fortunes has two major implications: Locals have an incentive to stay in the province and make a decent living, while the prospects of a better future in an idyllic environment draw outsiders in droves to country life.

Historical villages and hamlets studding southern Anhui, which centuries ago made their fortune by trading timber, tea and salt before they sank into obscurity, are now being transformed for the better.