Page 19 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (112)

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VILLAGES | 村寨

As warm sunlight spills across Wenbi As tourism continues to grow in popu-
Village’s meandering rainbow road in the larity, new business models such as local
early morning, Scend Café is already wel- homestays built into the mountainside and
coming patrons. Inside, through impressive travel photography spots that bear witness
floor-to-ceiling windows, one can marvel to eternal love have rapidly “gone viral.”
as Erhai Lake glints with golden specks Xu Xiao, a villager born after 2000, keen-
and Cangshan Mountain makes a soft ap- ly spotted business opportunities amidst
pearance through the mist. Li Donghan, the the significant changes in her hometown.
owner of Scend Café, traveled from Lijiang, She returned to the village to operate a
Yunnan, a decade ago. He was immediately comprehensive cultural tourism space inte-
enchanted by the region’s natural splendor. grating accommodation, specialty dining,
His coffee shop has since become a pop- destination weddings, and music salons.
ular destination, famed for its exceptional Her 8 unique sea-view rooms maintain an
panoramic views, and has proudly watched occupancy rate of over 50% even during
Wenbi Village complete its stunning trans- the off-season. “The village has changed
formation from a humble fishing village tremendously, with more and more tourists.
into a thriving internet-famous hub. We are very confident about its develop-
“The transformation began with the ment,” Xu said. At the other end of the
road,” explained Zhao Suohua, Deputy village, Yang Hongxia, a woman from the
Secretary of Wenbi Village’s Party General Bai ethnic group, resigned from her job and
Branch, pinpointing the crucial starting opened a tie-dyeing experience store in the
point of their development. Wenbi Village village. Currently, she has partnered with 7
initiated a significant infrastructure upgrade hotels and plans to open another branch in
by repairing the old Wenbi section of the the village this August to allow more people
Huanhai Road. Crucially, they also paved to experience the blue and white art at their
a new main road connecting the village fingertips.
from its base to its summit with the main Wenbi Village has proactively tran-
Round-Erhai Lake Highway, effectively scended geographical boundaries. By
resolving long-standing traffic bottlenecks. implementing a “sojourning + coffee”
Furthermore, the village entrance roads model, it has collaborated with neighboring
were not merely illuminated but vibrantly villages along the Huanhai Road to estab-
decorated, blossoming into a unique and lish a cluster of distinctive coffee camps.
picturesque scenic belt. Furthermore, leveraging a “sojourning +
In April 2024, Wenbi Village established art creation” approach and resource shar-
rural revitalization companies, jointly ing with Shitou Village, it has attracted 29
owned by the government, the village renowned domestic artists to settle in the
collective, and social enterprises. These Haidong area. This has cultivated a unique
companies mobilized and developed vari- synergy, encapsulated by the motto: “Wenbi
ous resources within the village, including inspires creative endeavors, and Shitou pro-
construction land, idle forest land, and des- vides tranquil residency,” thereby fostering
ignated parking spaces along the Huanhai regional talent aggregation and integrated
Road. They built tourist service stations and development.
micro fire stations, purchased tourist sight- Today, Wenbi Village has evolved into a
seeing vehicles, and hired dedicated person- thriving “sojourning” village, now boasting
nel for traffic management and sanitation. 118 businesses such as guesthouses, restau-
As a result, villagers significantly increased rants, and wedding and travel photography
their income through methods such as house services. In 2024, it welcomed over 400,000
rentals, independent entrepreneurship, and visitors and attracted nearly 600 individu-
local employment. Furthermore, the village als nationwide to live, work, and establish
collective’s income surged from 110,000 businesses within its community.
yuan in 2022 to over 800,000 yuan in 2024.