Chixi: Chixi village near Ningde in east China’s Fujian Province is a great example of China’s innovative tourism success.
Although it has natural advantages in an area of rich resources and as a fishing port, Ningde used to be one of 18 contiguous poverty-stricken areas in China.
This all changed as part of China’s poverty alleviation efforts, in particular an innovative approach to tourism. Du Jiazhu, Chixi village Party secretary, recalls the poor conditions which existed when he was younger.
“At that time the streets were in poor quality. When it rained they were wet with mud.” This all changed after the country and the province’s successful poverty alleviation efforts.
According to local conditions, Chixi village developed rural tourism and tea industry. The local government also encouraged investment by tourism enterprises, providing jobs to the villagers.
For Chixi village, this meant taking advantage of the surroundings to encourage tourism.
China’s innovative form of tourism gives full play to the local culture and natural advantages to develop the industry. There are two rivers in Chixi and here tourists can come to try fishing and enjoy the surroundings. Tourists also appreciate learning about the local customs and culture in Chixi, such as net making and the local dress. This approach has led to positive economic outcomes.
“In the past, if you were industrious you could feed yourself, but now you have to be more innovative to live a better life,” Du said.
In 2020, the income per capita was 30,127 yuan, according to Du.
“This is a good example of how the villagers have improved their lives,” he said. – Agencies
