Villages bring farming and tourism together
Chen Xiaojing once worked in the clothing accessories industry in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and in Shanghai, with an annual income of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan ($29,600$44,400). But she decided to quit her job and return to her roots, a village in Yongjia county of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.
In 2017, when the local government offered incentives to attract young talent to promote rural vitalization, Chen decided to open a homestay in Yongjia.
“As a member of the village I sincerely hope that it will get better and everyone will become rich,” said Chen, who was elected that same year as Party secretary of the village of Yuantou.
Since 2017 Chen has been working to make the village cleaner and more orderly.
Chen went to every villager’s home to raise awareness and posted 10 rules on village cleanup and environmental protection, such as arranging furniture neatly and cleaning the land around homes.
In addition, all pig sheds and open-air, thatched pits in the village were demolished, and a household waste disposal station was set up at the village entrance.
In 2019 Wenzhou’s first “zero-pollution village” pilot project was launched in Yuantou to increase recycling, bring about higher efficiency in the use of resources and reduce waste through multiple measures, such as using degradable bags, recycling trash and building an ecological agricultural garden.
Over the past five years the village, which has nine homestays as well as various farmhouses and snack bars, has become known to more people via the internet. The village’s total income from tourism reached 2 million yuan last year.
Chen said the village plans to build a research base in the beautiful countryside, and she hopes that more young talent will return to their hometowns and help with rural vitalization.
Yuantou, which is in the northern mountainous area of Yongjia, has promoted the integrated development of agriculture and tourism as it strives for common prosperity.
In the town of Dajing, known as the hometown of Dendrobium candidum, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Fang Yuyou, co-founder and chief executive of Proya, led the villagers to plant 49 acres of Dendrobium officinale, also a medicinal plant, and more than 111 acres of different fruits.
Fang invited foreign experts to conduct research and develop applications for Dendrobium officinale and produced a variety of products that meet the consumption habits and needs of the market. More than 70 products have been developed, including those for health and skin care.
Fang also invested in the construction of an amusement park in his hometown, the village of Xiashantou, which more than 10 years ago had no resources, no industry and no development environment.
The park, covering 49 acres, opened in October 2020 and is centered on Dendrobium candidum. It integrates themed attractions, science education, pastoral leisure and tourism.
Other features of the park include homestays and specialty restaurants, and various tourism activities are held there, such as the Pear Blossom Festival, Dendrobium Cultural Festival and Loquat Festival, which promote the development of surrounding industries and increase villagers’ income.
Yang Bingjun, who led the amusement park project, said the park has attracted 500,000 to 600,000 tourists a year. In addition, since the park opened, more than 400,000 people from all walks of life have traveled to the village to enjoy health tours and for scientific research activities.
Furthermore, more than 800 local people have been provided jobs with good salaries.