Tourism to Shaanxi’s rural villages emerges as a key driver of growth
Rural villages in Shaanxi province have become more popular with domestic tourists and those from abroad in recent years and are a new growth driver for the tourism industry, the provincial tourism bureau said.
Home to many world-renowned historical and cultural heritage sites, such as the Terracotta Warriors and Wild Goose Pagoda, the province now attracts millions of visitors each year to its folk villages, with 248 million tourists received last year, accounting for 39 percent of all tourists in the province.
“Rural tourism has become an important aspect of a thriving rural economy,” said An Bin of the Shaanxi Department of Culture and Tourism.
The department’s statistics show that rural villages were one of the most popular destinations during this year’s Spring Festival holiday. The number of visitors to Yuanjia village near Xi’an, for example, reached nearly 823,000, whereas the number of tourists visiting the Terracotta Warriors was about 385,000.
“The majority of the rural tourists are urban residents,” An said. “The villages offer a new type of travel experience, combining sightseeing, leisure, entertainment and shopping by taking advantage of the rich local resources, such as country landscapes, folk customs, farming and traditional culture.”
An said the province has built about 130 tourist towns, 231 rural tourism demonstration villages and 12 national 4A-level scenic spots featuring folk culture. Rural tourism has become a pillar industry for many towns, he said.
Yuanjia is one of the most visited villages of its kind and is particularly popular during holidays. Located in Liquan county, about an hour’s drive from Xi’an, the village offers tourists a chance to see local opera shows and experience traditional crafts, including the milling of flour, weaving, making vinegar and grinding chili peppers.
Its food street, with nearly 300 kinds of Shaanxi snacks, is a crowd magnet.
Branded as having the most traditional and primitive lifestyle in Shaanxi’s Guanzhong region, the village has won many honorary titles including “Most Charming Leisure Village in China”.
It also ranked first among Chinese villages for its development of folk tourism, according to a report released in 2016 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Wang Quansheng, who grew up in the village and now runs a villages and homestay inn, said he’s never worried about vacancies.
“My business is very good during big holidays and in summer from July to September,” he said. “I have guests checking in almost every day all year.
“The food street is full of people during weekends and holidays, but people just enjoy the busy living atmosphere here. Plus, you can find whatever you want to eat.”
Wang said raw and original ingredients are some of what attracts city dwellers. The village’s chili peppers, vinegar, oil, flour and tofu are all produced and sold by local farmers.
“The taste is not necessarily the best, but the materials are the most original and authentic, making visitors feel like they’re eating at home,” Wang said.
Other villages with their own unique characteristics are also receiving millions of tourists each year. In 2017, after the hit TV series
adapted from the eponymous novel, made its premiere, tourists scrambled to visit the villages on the plain to see the show’s locations and have a taste of the local food depicted in the book.
Fucha, near Xianyang, welcomed about 4 million tourists last year, with its integration of pastoral views and the Fu brick tea industry, which has a history of nearly a thousand years.
“Culture is the core in the development of rural tourism,” An said.
“The integration of folk customs, intangible cultural heritage and celebrities from history into rural tourism offerings helps protect the traditional country life and production. It also boosts the vitality of folk culture.”