Today, eight villages in China have become the "best tourist villages" of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This is an important achievement of the vigorous development of rural tourism in China, and also a vivid example of tourism helping rural revitalization.
Why did Yucun in Zhejiang, Xidi Village in Anhui, Dazhai Village in Guangxi, Jingzhu Village in Chongqing, Huangling Village in Jiangxi, Xiajiang Village in Zhejiang, Zhagana Village in Gansu and Zhujiawan in Shaanxi step onto the international stage and win the "world-class award"?
Rooting in the fertile soil of the nation
In recent years, cultural and tourism integration projects such as folk culture, "basking in the autumn", and intangible cultural heritage experience have become popular in beautiful villages, allowing the world to deeply understand China through rural tourism.
In late autumn and October, we drove into Zhujiawan Village of Shaanxi Province along the winding mountain road of the Qinling Mountains. On both sides of the road, there were many homestays, farmhouses and tourist restaurants. Relying on Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve and Zhongnan Mountain Stronghold, Zhujiawan Village has set up a collective company to develop eco-tourism, created a homestay agritainment cluster represented by Yangpo Courtyard, and created a path of deep integration of agriculture, culture and tourism and high-level development. "It used to be 'raised in purdah' here, but now it can be said to be 'world-famous'," said Wang Fengpeng, deputy director of the management committee of Niubeiliang Tourism Resort.
Huangling Village, Jiangxi Province, known as a village "hanging" on the cliff, is famous at home and abroad for its unique "autumn sun" landscape. Peppers, ears of corn, rice, mung beans... beautiful patterns of red, orange, yellow and green are presented on the roofs of Hui style ancient buildings. Huangling's "autumn sun" not only brings out the fruits of harvest, but also brings out the happy life of the villagers. In recent years, Huangling Village has also launched the Summit of Village Leaders of International Famous Tourism Villages, and held talks with famous villages in France, the Netherlands and other countries on the same platform to continue to enhance Huangling's international influence.
According to the relevant person in charge of Wuyuan Huangling Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd., based on the excavation of local culture, Huangling Village has made great efforts in tourism product creation, village landscape rejuvenation, intangible cultural heritage resource integration and other aspects to achieve a beautiful transformation.
Pink walls, black tiles, horse head walls, small bridges, flowing water, Taoyuan homes... Ancient buildings are the treasure of the villagers in Xidi Village, Anhui Province. At present, there are 3 ancestral halls, 1 archway and 224 ancient folk houses in the village, which are outstanding representatives of Huizhou ancient villages. Hu Aoli, secretary of the general party branch and director of the village committee of Xidi Village, introduced that in order to make tourism bigger and better, Xidi Village set up a tourism development company, and built a 100 craftsman hall that integrates intangible heritage inheritance experience area and agricultural culture experience area. Today, Xidi Village has already realized the magnificent transformation from "selling scenery" to "selling culture".
Wu Bihu, director of the Tourism Research and Planning Center of the School of City and Environment of Peking University, believes that participating in the selection of "the best tourism village" is an excellent opportunity to promote Chinese local culture and show the achievements of China's rural construction. It can show the world more vivid, richer and closer to the life of hundreds of people, and let the world feel the beauty of China's countryside.
Keep country background
Nowadays, rural tourism has diversified types and forms, gradually becoming a new hot spot in China's tourism market. The annual reception and tourism income have increased significantly, stepping into the "fast lane" of comprehensive development, and injecting vitality into the development of world tourism.
Recently, snow fell in many places in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province, and Zhagana Village also changed its face. The yellow and green trees are covered with silver, and the clouds are wreathed, which has a unique charm. In recent years, Zhagana Village has explored a development path that feeds back ecological protection with rural tourism and promotes exchanges and exchanges among ethnic groups by using unique natural and cultural landscapes, folk customs and other resources. Tourists attracted by the name have shared their experience on the social platform: "It is worthwhile to see such beautiful scenery in the mountains, meadows and ancient Tibetan villages." "It is like a natural stone city, quiet and beautiful."
Jingzhu Village in Chongqing is located in the hinterland of Wuling Mountain, with rich and diverse natural landscapes. Han, Tujia, Miao and other ethnic groups live in harmony here. According to the relevant person in charge of Jingzhu Village, in 2015, Jingzhu Village tried to introduce cultural and tourism companies to create a tourism project tailored for the village - Guiyuan Town, transforming the villagers' old houses into homestays, restaurants, libraries, etc., preserving the original ecological background of the village. At present, more than half of the villagers in Jingzhu Village eat "tourism meals" and receive more than 500000 tourists annually.
Walking around Yu Village in Zhejiang Province, the courtyard walls on both sides of the village road have long disappeared, but many cafes and themed homestays have grown up; Folk activities are staged one after another, and farmhouse entertainment and homestay are flourishing; The comprehensive tourism service center of Yucun Grand Scenic Spot has been put into use, which can not only provide services such as tourism consultation, but also serve as an exchange platform for exhibitions. As the birthplace of the concept of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains", Yu Village has developed a sustainable development path of ecological beauty, industrial prosperity and people's prosperity in just over ten years.
Li Bowen, professor of the School of Tourism of Beijing Union University, said that the villages selected as "the best tourist villages" have distinctive cultural diversity and ecological environment protection advantages, which can make people remember nostalgia.
Create a better life
In recent years, the scale of China's rural tourism market has continued to expand, the industrial chain has continued to expand, and the comprehensive driving role has become increasingly significant. Rural tourism has become an important starting point to promote the prosperity of rural industry, ecological livability, rural civilization, effective governance and affluent life. The villagers became rich and the tourists were happy, which effectively realized the beauty of the villagers and tourists.
How can Dazhai Village in Guangxi have a "tourism meal" and achieve rural revitalization? "Carrying plows and raking fields, singing folk songs and traveling", many villagers said with a smile. In recent years, Dazhai Village has established the concept of "farming is a kind of landscape", which combines Yao culture and terraced landscape ingeniously while developing tourism and protecting ecology. Today, Dazhai Village has explored the development model of "rent for circulating terraces, share in terraces, cash for terraced workers, bonuses for terraced maintenance, and salaries for terraced tourism", which has beautified the village, enriched the villagers, and delighted tourists.
When I came to Xiajiang Village, Zhejiang Province, the flagstone road in the village was spotless, and the small buildings with white walls and black tiles were scattered. The once poor mountain valley has now become a cornucopia of "farmhouse fun, home stay busy, fruits and melons, and tourists flocking to ginger". The per capita disposable income of the whole village has increased from 2755 yuan in 2002 to 48818 yuan in 2022. "Everyone thinks in one place and makes efforts to live in one place to make life more prosperous, carry forward the spirit of helping the rich before helping the rich, and drive the surrounding areas to take the road of common prosperity," said Jiang Lijuan, secretary of the General Party Branch of Xiajiang Village.
Tang Xiaoyun, vice president of China Tourism Research Institute, believes that in the process of rural tourism driving villagers to become rich and revitalize the countryside, more attention should be paid to villagers' tourism participation to ensure that villagers can obtain more income and better employment opportunities; Pay attention to the inheritance and utilization of rural traditional culture and the construction of rural culture in the new era, and increase the artistic content and cultural connotation of rural tourism.
