DAILY Friday, July 13, 2018 Advertorial 19 Tourism meeting to touts vast ethnic focus on rural areas diversity province continues with eff orts to alleviate poverty By ZHAO SHIJUN in remote communities. Zhao Shijun reports. A county with rich ethnic culture and natural wonders, Congjiang in the southeast of Guizhou province provides tourists with a broad range of experiences. Home to such ethnic groups as the Dong, Miao, Zhuang, Yao and Shui the county is a vibrant gallery of ethnic culture. One of the area’s renowned attractions is the “seven-star Dong village group”, which includes the seven villages of Luanli, Yinliang, Pingqiu, Terraced paddies and old-style farmhouses in Jiabang, Congjiang county, provide a playful paradise for photograhers and tourists alike. WU DEJUN / FOR Gaozeng, Bapa, Zhanli and Xiaohuang, all in the north- east of the county. Their col- Rural tourism and poverty of , Qiandong- lective name reflects their alleviation will be the high- nan prefecture, is referred layout, which resembles the lights of the 13th Tourism to as a living museum of the Big Dipper constellation. Industry Development Meeting Miao ethnic culture and is Basha in the southwest of of Guizhou, to be held in Con- listed as one of the top 300 the county is a Miao ethnic gjiang county in Qiandongnan renowned villages in China. village with an intact tra- Miao and Dong autonomous Xiao said the 2008 meeting ditional culture. The locals prefecture on Monday, said the also marked a beginning for a revere the gods of the trees, province’s offi cials. new era of tourism develop- rivers, mountains, sun and Wang Wenxue, deputy chief ment in the prefecture, featur- moon. The men carry knives of the Guizhou Tourism Devel- ing rapid growth, improving and guns to hunt in the sur- opment Commission, told a infrastructure and services, rounding forests. They are news conference on Tuesday and involvement of more peo- called “the last hunters’ that the theme of the forth- ple and industries. tribe” in the country. coming meeting is “developing According to local statistics, Congjiang is a hilly coun- rural tourism to boost poverty Qiandongnan has received 224 ty, with mountains and hills alleviation”. million tourists since 2016, accounting for the largest Guizhou is a province with generating 191.1 billion yuan part of its land. a number of areas where pov- in revenue and maintaining Farming is not easy there, erty relief is still a pressing an average annual growth of but over hundreds of years task. more than 30 percent. locals have constructed ter- Mountains and hills account Xiao said rural tourism, raced fi elds to solve the prob- for a large proportion of Gui- which is now a dominant sec- lem. zhou’s landscape, which have tor in the prefecture’s tourism Jiabang village, at the hindered the development of industry, has played an impor- heart of the Yueliang Moun- agriculture and other indus- tant role in rural development tains in the west of the coun- tries. and poverty alleviation. ty, is said to have the best ter- However, Wang said the Since 2017, rural tourism raced rice paddies in China. mountainous landscapes and in Qiandongnan has created Extending some 25 kilome- rich ethnic culture have prov- 21,800 new jobs for local resi- ters, the terraced fi elds are en to be a big draw for tourists dents, according to Xiao, who a harmonious combination in recent years. added that a total of 95,500 of human eff ort and natural “Tourism is one of the rural residents have increased beauty. important measures for tar- their incomes through work- The farms present various geted poverty alleviation,” said ing for or operating tourism pictures in diff erent seasons: Wang, adding that he hoped and related businesses. the silhouette of farmhouses the industry can involve the The prefecture-level offi- in the foggy mornings of participation of more of the cial said standardization of spring, refl ections of clouds impoverished population, services, protection of ethnic on the water in summer, helping them to get rich. cultures and use of the latest golden rice grains in autumn Wang said one of the goals information technologies will and white snow in winter. of the meeting is to attract be crucial for ensuring sustain- The scenery changes with investment from the rest of Clockwise from top right: Dancers perform during a able tourism growth in Qian- each season to make it a par- the country and the world to lotus festival in Congjiang. Miao ethnic people play the dongnan. adise for photographers and fuel tourism development in lusheng, a pipe instrument made of bamboo, in Nancen “Guizhou’s tourism author- tourists alike. Congjiang county, Qiandong- village in Congjiang. Shui ethnic people in Gaoliang ity has recently issued three Zengchong village in the nan prefecture and Guizhou village, Congjiang, make sticky rice cakes using traditional regulations to standardize the northwest of the county province as a whole. techniques. A villager dries peppers in Miaopeng village, industry,” Xiao said, noting is famous for Dong ethnic According to the offi cial, 21 Congjiang. Basha village is known as the home of the “last “We will use these regulations buildings, such as roofed tourism projects for the pur- hunters’ tribe” in China. WU DEJUN / FOR CHINA DAILY to improve tourism services bridges, drum towers and pose of poverty alleviation will and facilities”. traditional houses. be signed during the event, He also said that a number The locals call the roofed with investment totaling 68 of tourist destinations will be tions will be another impor- ang county and Zhaoxing Dong He said the third Tour- of smart tourism platforms bridges wind and rain bridg- billion yuan ($10.2 billion). the focal point of these invest- tant part of the meeting, village in . ism Industry Development will be established to make es, as they off er protection The projects cover such ment projects, including Jian- according to Wang, who said Xiao Minglong, deputy Meeting of Guizhou, which tours in Qiandongnan more from the wind and rain. The areas as the development of he Hot Spring Town, Danzhai that representatives of travel chief of the government of was held in Qiandongnan in convenient. Zengchong Drum Tower is tourist destinations and con- Wanda Town, Xijiang Miao vil- agencies and the media will Qiandongnan Miao and Dong 2008, successfully presented said to be the earliest Dong struction of roads, catering lage, Langde Miao village and visit local destinations such as , spoke the Xijiang Miao village to the Contact the writer at drum tower in China. and shopping facilities. Luanli Dong village. Xiasi ancient town in , highly of the meeting’s role in industry. zhaoshijun@chinadaily. The county features typi- Construction and renovation Promotion of local attrac- Basha Miao village in Congji- promoting local attractions. The village in the northeast com.cn cal karst landforms, with the Douliu River and other smaller streams weaving through the numerous beau- tiful mountains and caves. The local authorities rec- Social welfare key in developing, improving economic conditions ommend three travel routes designed to enhance tourists’ By HAO NAN other in promoting tourism The Congjiang govern- visits. The fi rst is the Dou- [email protected] and organizing related per- ment’s efforts to develop line, connecting a sonnel training. rural tourism have benefi ted great number of ethnic vil- A mountainous county in The newly built - many local residents, most lages. The second is the line Guizhou Southwest China’s Guizhou Expressway, which of whom have earned sig- circling the Yueliang Moun- Kaili province has placed tourism opened last October, has nifi cant incomes by opening tains, where terraced fi elds development at the top of its Congjiang attracted more State-owned nongjiale, or farm homestays, are the major attraction. The agenda in recent years, launch- companies to invest in tour- where tourists eat locally pro- third is the line linking “the ing a series of large-scale proj- ism projects in Congjiang. duced food and experience a seven-star villages”. ects supported by government Yunnan An intangible cultural heri- more rural lifestyle. Congjiang is located in the policies to increase social wel- tage park in Luanli village, Jia Meilan, a woman of southeast of Guizhou prov- fare in the area. for example, is under con- the Dong ethnic group from ince, about 450 kilometers Earlier this year, Congjiang struction and scheduled to be Xiaohuang village, now oper- from Guiyang, 252 km from county poured 500 million completed before the opening ates a homestay featuring Kaili and about 280 km from yuan ($76 million) in invest- Members of the Dong ethnic group sing Grand Song. of the 13th Guizhou Tourism food and Dong ethnic sing- the Guangxi Zhuang autono- ment into the development WU DEJUN / FOR CHINA DAILY Industry Development Con- ing performances. From 2014 mous region cities of Guilin of several tourism projects, According to the agreement ference in the county on July to 2017, Jia earned more than and Liuzhou. including the building of ter- related to tourism, routes 16. 200,000 yuan through the raced fi elds in Jiabang town- nurtured a group of rural and Agriculture Organization, from Macao to Congjiang Tourists can experience business. ship and scenic spots in Xiao- cooperatives to combine since 2011. People in Congji- will be developed in future, and enjoy intangible cultural The 36-year-old learned huang and Zhanli villages. tourism with local agricul- ang still keep fi sh and ducks and the Macau Chinese Enter- heritage items in the park, Grand Song singing from The county also added 50 ture and ethnic culture. It in paddy fi elds, an ecological prises Association will take including farming and tra- her parents and grandfather tourist information signs now has about 86 such coop- farming tradition which dates charge of organizing 2,000 ditional medical treatment when she was a child, and along the Xiamen-Chengdu eratives, with nearly 14,000 back hundreds of years. tourists to visit Congjiang popular among local ethnic became a famous singer in Expressway and main roads impoverished residents from In May, the Macao Special annually as well as to promote communities. the village by the age of 10. in popular tourist areas, 3,440 households working Administrative Region signed the county’s agricultural prod- In 2017, Congjiang received The ethnic songs feature and built new public service there. nine cooperation agreements ucts. 2.72 million visitors, an multipart singing performed facilities, including six pub- Congjiang has been listed with the Congjiang govern- The county established a increase of 32 percent year- without instrumental accom- lic toilets, a tourist service as a protection site of Globally ment, covering education, partnership with the tourism on-year, and generated 2 bil- paniment and act as a chan- People in Congjiang still center in Jiabang and a park- Important Agricultural Heri- healthcare, tourism and labor bureau of Xiaoshan district in lion yuan in revenue from nel for passing on the Dong keep fi sh in paddy fi elds, as an ing lot in Basha village. tage Systems, an initiative run services, in a bid to help the the city of , Zheji- tourism, up 50 percent year- culture from generation to ecological farming tradition. The local government has by the United Nations Food county to alleviate poverty. ang province, to support each on-year. generation. WU DEJUN / FOR CHINA DAILY