Picturesque rural village captures
August 27, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
HEARTS and votes as a place to visit
The picturesque rural village of Gexin, home of the Zhaojialou water-town tourist site in Minhang's Pujiang Town, recently won top honors in the "My Favorite Shanghai Village" competition.
The contest, encompassing 25 villages on the city's outskirts, was sponsored by the Shanghai Agricultural Commission. Gexin Village won with about 650,000 votes, or 43 percent of the total, followed by the villages of Yangwang and Qianwei.
Gexin is expected to be designated part of the city's rural tourist trail.
The village of about 1.5 square kilometers is located in the center of Pujiang Town. It is home to 2,368 residents, whose per capita yearly income was about 12,000 yuan (US$1,846) in 2010.
The rustic village features tidy, narrow pathways surrounding residential courtyards and neatly cultivated farmland beyond.
Zhao Maoxiang, Communist Party secretary of the village, attributed its success to the opening of Zhaojialou Old Town. Zhaojialou literally means "the crop-calling tower." It's said that in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an official built a bell tower there to chime reminders of cultivation times.
The water town was founded in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and thrived in the Ming Dynasty. Many ancient buildings, streets and bridges of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties survive to this day.
Zhaojialou boasts three famous local specialties - its distilled liquor, mutton and pork shanks.
"I visited Zhaojialou to try some of the mutton, which I heard was delicious," said Jin Weiyun, who lives in Shanghai's urban Huangpu District. It took her only 30 minutes to reach Gexin on Metro Line 8 from the downtown People's Square.
Yes, the mutton was worth the trip, she said.
Three years ago, the small village was pretty unknown, even by people who lived in the area. "After the reconstruction and opening of Zhaojialou, an increasing number of tourists came to visit, helping lift the village profile," Zhao said.
Gexin now receives thousands of visitors on peak days.
The village has stepped up efforts to clean up its environment.
Shen Yunsong, a 68-year-old villager, has witnessed the changes.
"The river has been dredged and the garbage is being collected in a more timely fashion, creating a beautiful and clean environment," Shen said.
The village is planning to build a farming culture center to grow vegetables and fruits under a "happy farmer" tourist program. A fishing area linked with local waterways will also be added.
The picturesque rural village of Gexin, home of the Zhaojialou water-town tourist site in Minhang's Pujiang Town, recently won top honors in the "My Favorite Shanghai Village" competition.
The contest, encompassing 25 villages on the city's outskirts, was sponsored by the Shanghai Agricultural Commission. Gexin Village won with about 650,000 votes, or 43 percent of the total, followed by the villages of Yangwang and Qianwei.
Gexin is expected to be designated part of the city's rural tourist trail.
The village of about 1.5 square kilometers is located in the center of Pujiang Town. It is home to 2,368 residents, whose per capita yearly income was about 12,000 yuan (US$1,846) in 2010.
The rustic village features tidy, narrow pathways surrounding residential courtyards and neatly cultivated farmland beyond.
Zhao Maoxiang, Communist Party secretary of the village, attributed its success to the opening of Zhaojialou Old Town. Zhaojialou literally means "the crop-calling tower." It's said that in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an official built a bell tower there to chime reminders of cultivation times.
The water town was founded in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and thrived in the Ming Dynasty. Many ancient buildings, streets and bridges of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties survive to this day.
Zhaojialou boasts three famous local specialties - its distilled liquor, mutton and pork shanks.
"I visited Zhaojialou to try some of the mutton, which I heard was delicious," said Jin Weiyun, who lives in Shanghai's urban Huangpu District. It took her only 30 minutes to reach Gexin on Metro Line 8 from the downtown People's Square.
Yes, the mutton was worth the trip, she said.
Three years ago, the small village was pretty unknown, even by people who lived in the area. "After the reconstruction and opening of Zhaojialou, an increasing number of tourists came to visit, helping lift the village profile," Zhao said.
Gexin now receives thousands of visitors on peak days.
The village has stepped up efforts to clean up its environment.
Shen Yunsong, a 68-year-old villager, has witnessed the changes.
"The river has been dredged and the garbage is being collected in a more timely fashion, creating a beautiful and clean environment," Shen said.
The village is planning to build a farming culture center to grow vegetables and fruits under a "happy farmer" tourist program. A fishing area linked with local waterways will also be added.
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