Village in E China's Zhejiang finds path toward prosperity by developing tourism

Photo shows a road with a clean and smooth surface in Hengshanwu village, Anji county of east China's Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liwei)

With its clean and neatly arranged roads and a thriving tourism industry, Hengshanwu village in east China's Zhejiang Province is today a national-level beautiful and liveable village. However, 20 years ago, roads in the village were in bad condition and the village's industrial structure lacked diversity.

"In the past, the village was impoverished. It was difficult for young people to get married, the villagers lived on low incomes and the village was in debt," recalled Cai Mingfu, Party chief in Hengshanwu, which is located in Anji county of Zhejiang.

Things started to change for the better in 2003 when Zhejiang Province launched a project to improve the living environment in rural areas.

In 2003, the village began taking measures to harden road surfaces, manage garbage, renovate rural toilets and dredge river channels. In 2008, the village launched a drive to build itself into a high-quality village with distinctive characteristics. That year, it completed the office building of the villagers' committee in 100 days and a kindergarten in 40 days.

"The villagers knew that improving the environment was a project that could benefit all, so they were very supportive. Last year, the village distributed 4.3 million yuan (about $602,400) of dividends to the villagers," said Cai.

With its beautiful environment, the village started to develop tourism, including sightseeing and leisure tourism.

Photo shows a road in Hengshanwu village, Anji county of east China's Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liwei)

In the past, one unincorporated village in Hengshanwu had only 23 households. After a relocation project was carried out, Hengshanwu took a slew of measures to improve the village, including turning unused land into a park, transforming the village into a scenic area and turning residential houses into B&B hotels. The villagers became shareholders of the resources, which were turned into assets. Thanks to these efforts, the village now has a popular scenic area.

The renovated village has 19 B&B hotels, a library, a coffee and dessert shop, a bar, an art studio and various shops.

Photo shows a restaurant in Hengshanwu village, a must-visit place for tourists. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liwei)

"The 19 B&B hotels are in different styles and themes, including a parent-child B&B hotel and a B&B hotel for tea lovers," said Chen Gu, head of the renovated village.

The restaurant in the village was formerly a pigsty. During the May Day holiday this year, the restaurant's average daily turnover exceeded 40,000 yuan. Last year, the village received more than 350,000 tourist visits.

Photo shows a restaurant in Hengshanwu village, Anji county of east China's Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liwei)

Last year, Hengshanwu village received 610,000 tourist visits, with tourism revenue reaching 108 million yuan. The per capita income of local villagers hit 55,000 yuan.