In the Miao embroidery base of Lizi Village, Shi Shunlian, former secretary of the village, is busy embroidering with several embroidery women, and the table is filled with exquisite circular fans, shawls, backpacks and other products.
Yang Dongshi, a retired teacher of more than 80 years old, is warmly receiving more than 10 tourists with delicious cured meat in his “Happy Family” agritainment. With the development of tourism, Yang Dongshi transformed his house into agritainment. Many tourists to Shibadong Village will come here to taste the Miao special dishes, and drink rice wine.
With the increase of tourists, many businessmen come here to invest. In June this year, Ma Lianzhen, head of a batik company in Fenghuang County, opened a batik experience center in Zhuzi Village. “Dozens of people come to experience batik every day, and countless tourists visit here, which not only brings economic benefits but also promotes the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage,” Ma Lianzhen said.
In order to facilitate tourists to visit and villagers to walk, Zhuzi Village repaired the ancient stone road.
The market, located next to the parking lot of Zhuzi Village, has many exquisite cloth shoes, bamboo baskets and other hand-made products loved by tourists.
“With the growing popularity of tourism in the village, many villagers went to the parking lot to sell goods. In order to protect the villagers from wind and rain, the village set up a market here,” said Long Ke, leader of the rural revitalization team in the village. At present, Shibadong Village has set up three markets with a total of 104 stalls to help hundreds of villagers find jobs nearby.
Shibadong Village consists of four natural villages: Lizi Village, Zhuzi Village, Feichong Village and Dangrong Village. The four villages achieved the historic leap from poverty alleviation to overall well-off society and then to rural revitalization and common prosperity by developing Red, green and historic tourism resources.
The construction site of the Shibaodong Comprehensive Service and Care Center and the cultural square in Feichong Village is a hive of activity. The rural complex project of Dangrong Village, integrating modern agriculture, cultural tourism, rural communities, brand building, education and training, and conferences and exhibitions, will have been completed and put into use by the end of October.
Red rural tourism has driven 398 people in Shibadong Village to engage in tourism services and peripheral industries. In addition to the elderly and children, almost 900 people in the village have achieved employment nearby.
“We benefit from targeted poverty alleviation policy, and we will strive to achieve rural revitalization,” said Shi Jintong, secretary of the Party branch of Shibadong Village, adding that Shibaodong Village is working hard to promote the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries, and has formed an industrial system of rural tourism plus kiwi fruit, labor export, or mountain spring water.
Moreover, the per capita annual income of villagers has increased from 1,688 yuan in 2013 to 23,505 yuan in 2022. The income of the village collective economy has grown from a blank in the past to 3.8 million yuan in 2022.