Rural recharge roots start to grow deep

Tourism attraction

Dongtou town is also home to members of the She ethnic group, who bring an exotic touch to the area－making it not only a location for high-quality produce, but also a tourist attraction.

Liu Shiyang, Dongtou township head, said: "The pollution-free environment and high forest coverage of about 88 percent provide good conditions for planting organic produce. We now have specialties such as furong plums, organic rice and Ganoderma (a genus of fungi renowned for their medicinal and pharmacological properties).

"Also, nearly 95 percent of the town's residents－more than 1,800 of them－are from the She ethnic group. Their folk customs, which date back 1,700 years, and costumes make Dongtou a tourist attraction."

Liu said that in 2019, Dongtou was listed as a key township for the rural vitalization strategy, and to date it has received more than 100 million yuan from the county government.

According to a release from the Huichang county authorities, Dongtou has welcomed more than 59,000 travelers since 2019. The town's revenue in 2020 rose year-on-year by more than 22 percent, reaching nearly 36 million yuan.

Liu Xiufeng, Dongtou's Party secretary, said continuous efforts would be made to create a friendlier environment to attract investors in the near future, in turn promoting employment for local residents.

"For example, a factory processing dried bamboo shoots is being built in Shezu village, with investment of 8 million yuan so far. We are also planning to build homestays highlighting She culture, along with a commercial street in Shezu so that travelers spend more time there and boost the tourism-related economy," he added.

Liu Xiufeng said Dongtou town is also promoting the She ethnic group's culture, such as dragon dancing, by liaising with Shezu village and schools in the town.

"Culture is another important part of vitalizing the village. We have the resources, so why not promote it?" Liu Xiufeng said. He added that the town has allocated about 200,000 yuan for this promotion campaign since 2019, providing students at the local primary school with one dragon dancing lesson a week.

Although he is bullish about Dongtou's future, Liu Shiyang, the township head, still has concerns about its comprehensive development.

"The people have just shaken off poverty (in 2019), but their finances are still unstable. We face challenges in continuously improving their living conditions," he said. "Also, there is still no system for managing the town's produce."

Liu Shiyang said that there are plans to help farmers in Shezu and others in the town become vendors at tourist attractions to increase their sources of income. "We will build a trading center in the town to encourage more farmers and residents from the village to land jobs there," he added.