TV show draws visitors to village
Print Edition
A village tucked away in southwest China has seen a boom in tourism after it featured on a hit reality show.
Located in Guizhou Province, the remote village of Dawan is surrounded by mountains that stand like sentinels. A single winding road leads to hundreds of suspended wooden dwellings, where a meandering stream flows through. Those living in the picturesque village are mostly of the Miao ethnic group.
In March, Hunan Satellite TV reality show “The Greatest Love,” which features celebrities kowtowing to their parents, filmed an episode in Dawan. Household names like actor Huang Xiaoming and actress Zheng Shuang spent three days in the remote village with their parents.
The show’s ratings went through the roof, with many episodes winning the ratings war with other shows broadcast during the same period, according to media researcher CSM. Thanks to the show, Dawan was put on the map, and tourists flocked to the small village in droves.
Previously, Dawan was like many of China’s rural backwaters: impoverished and shrinking because of residents leaving to find better opportunities elsewhere.
These days, however, a pavilion and a square have appeared, said villager Teng Shuqiang, 80. “There are dozens of cars here at the weekend, which was rare in the past.”
Reporters found an army of cars on the mountain road to the village. In Dawan, many photographers were taking pictures of the river, ducks and villagers toiling in the drizzle.
A series of homestays have sprung up. In Dawan, billboards promote the local cuisine.Long Jingmei, a Dawan resident, has opened a restaurant called “Dawan Natural Food Restaurant.” In her newly decorated restaurant, photos of her granddaughter and celebrities from “The Greatest Love” are stuck to the wall, a tactic to attract tourists.
“We see 40 to 50 visitors on weekends as long as the weather is good, so I have to prepare four to five tables of food,” Long said as she rocked her grandchild to sleep.
“My restaurant is called ‘Natural Food’ because that is exactly what I serve, made from ingredients I collect myself from the mountainside,” said Long, 51. “I also buy produce grown by local senior citizens. Diners really enjoy my fresh, safe food.”
“We can make 2,000 yuan (US$308) a month at the moment,” said Long Meijie, Long Jingmei’s business partner. Teng Jiancai, the village head, said there are plans to offer raft trips down the river.
“Visitors come and go, so we have to work out how best to make money from tourism,” Teng said.
“We will plant fruit orchards so tourists can pick their own,” Teng said. “We have a rich ethnic culture, such as our Miao music, embroidery and sacrificial ceremonies, which I believe visitors will find very interesting.”
The tourism boom is also bringing back migrant workers.
Shen Qiulan, 42, recently left the bustling southern province of Guangdong and returned to Dawan to open a Miao restaurant.
“My hometown is developing, so it gives me the opportunity to be my own boss,” she said.
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