World Heritage site gift for locals
Print Edition
Surrounded by a winding river and tucked among green mountains, Zhaisha Dong Village in southwest China’s Guizhou Province is a popular tourist destination.
But the ethnic village was once better known for muddy roads, thatched houses and a lack of arable land. Many locals lived off government relief.
Xia Yongfa, a 49-year-old resident, left the village soon after coming of age to work in the more developed coastal province of Guangdong. Back then, over 60 people, like him, left the village with some 200 people to work elsewhere.
Today, Xia is back in his village, running a farmhouse, thanks to the booming tourism there over the past 10 years.
The village is about 2 kilometers away from Mount Fanjingshan, which was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List of UNESCO in 2018. The village, once lacking infrastructure, today boasts stilt houses, drawbridges, and bell and drum towers, all in the traditional Dong style.
Xia’s farmhouse, which opened in April 2013, was also built in the traditional style and can accommodate over 100 guests. Farmhouses like Xia’s offer visitors a distinctive local experience. Xia cooks local cuisine for the guests and his wife works at reception.
In the first half of this year, the farmhouse’s revenue was 50,000 yuan (US$7,770).
“At the busiest time, I went out to buy ingredients at 5am, and had dinner at 11pm,” said Xia, adding that within six months, he had paid off all the debts of more than 100,000 yuan he owed for fitting out the house.
The Dong village now boasts 56 farmhouses and 21 homestays and hotels. In the first half of this year, it received a total of over 210,000 tourists, generating revenue of 95.96 million yuan.
Long Chao, an official with the bureau of culture and tourism in Jiangkou County, which administers Zhaisha, said thanks to the tourism resources of Mount Fanjingshan, more than 30,000 residents in 13 villages nearby work in tourism.
To strike a balance between the local environment and economic benefits, since 2016 about 26 million yuan has been invested in Mount Fanjingshan for wildlife protection, research and monitoring.
After the site was made a national nature reserve in 1984, environmental protection has been a priority, with only essential facilities being built, and less than a tenth of the reserve open to tourists.
Since 2018, an average of 10 groups of students visit every year to increase their understanding of wildlife.
“Research can not only provide evidence for scientific protection but also improve the fame of Mount Fanjingshan in the tourism industry,” said Li Haibo, of the Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve administration.
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