Rural tourism snaps into place
A county is making the most of its picturesque views by making life easy for photographers
HEFEI — Home to two world cultural heritage villages, Xidi and Hongcun, and many ancient Hui-style buildings built of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), as well as beautiful natural scenery, Yixian county has many picturesque views that make it a paradise for photographers.
And in recent years, the county in East China’s Anhui province has been rolling out favorable measures to develop photography tourism. Among them, it has selected 23 locations as “Best Photo Spots”, where tourists can easily take pictures of particularly scenic views and it has launched 25 photography themed tours, such as “Autumn of Tachuan” and “Hui-style Architecture”, to support local photography tourism.
Recently, a five-day international photography exhibition was held in Tachuan village, which drew more than 15,000 visitors from around the world.
The chilling cold of late autumn didn’t deter the photographers.
“I heard the red autumn leaves here are perfect for shooting,” Ren Jinlong, a photography enthusiast from the city of Wuhu in Anhui, who was trying several different spots to find the best panoramic views of the village.
Apart from cameras with tripods set up all over the village, aerial photography using drones was popular.
“The scenery around Tachuan is so beautiful. The drones can have a different view, just like an eagle,” said Qin Song, founder of a drone club in Shanghai. This time, he took about 10 club members on a photography tour of the county.
“The ancient houses, red leaves, mountains and fog attracted us here. I feel so relaxed seeing the countryside,” he said while operating a drone.
Besides those with professional equipment, the trail and observation deck is crowded with many tourists with smartphones and selfie sticks.
“The pursuit of beauty is not exclusive to professional photographers. Even a random snapshot on a phone can show the beautiful scenery here,” said Zhang Yunxia, who was taking a series of photos on the observation deck.
“My daughter brought me here for the fresh air and the beautiful scenery,” she added.
The number of tourists in Tachuan has increased year by year. In 2017, Tachuan received more than 170,000 visitors, an increase of 42 percent from 2016. One weekend during peak season this year, the village accommodated up to 6,680 tourists.
Yixian's burgeoning photography tourism has injected vitality into the ancient county and helped increase the incomes of local residents.
Jiang Huifen, 68, sells homemade food like dried vegetables and chilly sauce in Tachuan. The products sell like hotcakes and he usually sells out during the fall season.
“I can earn more than 400 yuan ($60) per day in the peak season,” Jiang said.
Jiang’s daughter Hu Shuangfeng returned to Tachuan to open a bed and breakfast business in 2016. The building has regional characteristics and offers delicious local food and it attracts tourists from across the country.
“Photography tourism has truly benefited the locals,” she said. “The peak season used to be only during the photography festival, but now there are tourists all year round, and my B&B is always fully booked on the weekends.”
Last year, she made more than 20,000 yuan ($2,877) from her B&B business.
According to Hu, the beautiful sights and leisurely lifestyle here are so appealing that many of her customers have become regulars. “Some stay for up to two weeks at a time to experience the slow countryside life,” she said. To better receive increasing tourists, Hu plans to expand her B&B facilities.
Until now, more than 700 B&Bs have been opened in the county, and over 20,000 local people are engaged in travelrelated occupations, about onefourth of the total population.
“Though located in a mountainous area, Yixian county is rich in cultural resources, which lay the foundation for photography tourism. The developing photography tourism has upgraded countryside tourism and enriched the lives of the locals,” said Wu Xiaosheng, deputy head of Yixian county.
“We will continue to expand the photography industry and promote the deep integration of photography and tourism,” he said.