Silver economy at the flap of a wing

Running homestays

In 2016, Xiong transformed his house into a homestay, offering eight rooms to guests. It has undergone several upgrades over the years and today boasts 18 standard rooms that can accommodate up to 30 guests. Xiong charges 100 yuan ($13.76) per day for a room. His homestay receives about 800-1,000 guests a year.

"Because most of my customers are retirees, they usually have time to stay in my place for three days and take photos at five or six bird hides," he said.

Xiong has three brothers living in the village, who either run bird hides or homestays. Whenever his homestay is fully occupied, Xiong Shengchun directs additional visitors to his younger brother Xiong Shengshui's homestay.

Xiong Shengshui, 56, operates three bird hides and has four rooms for bird photographers. Leveraging his wife's culinary expertise, the couple even prepare meals for Xiong Shengchun's guests. "My guests love my sister-in-law's cooking," Xiong Shengchun said. "Many of them walk the 2-3 minute distance from my place to my brother's to eat."

According to Xiong Shengchun, many of his relatives at the village are engaged in the catering business.

Besides his three brothers, his nephew, Xing Zhongyuan, is a major player in the bird-watching industry. The 41-year-old has been a forest ranger at the Tianbaoyan nature reserve since 2010. However, he said, the income from the job was never enough for him to raise his family of six. "In 2010, it was 300 yuan a month and is now just a little more than 1,000 yuan," he said.

In 2017, he started setting up bird hides for visiting bird photographers. He constructed and opened a homestay in 2021, offering 11 standard rooms for his guests.

He now operates four bird hides, one featuring a backdrop of blooming Rhododendron flowers.

"In April, after several species of Rhododendron flowers start blooming, it will become the most sought-after hide in our village," Xing said.

Win-win cooperation

Balancing his duties as a ranger patrolling the reserve, Xing entrusts the management of one bird hide to his father. "The income from the hide can support my father as his pension," Xing said.

The responsibility of taking care of the other three hides goes to his partner, Xiong Qingwen. The income generated from these hides is allocated based on the terms outlined in their contract.

This division of labor allows Xing to focus on his duties as a ranger while sustaining a thriving homestay business.

Xiong Qingwen was working at an industrial park in Yongan, Fujian province, with his wife, earning 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month. He was persuaded by his then village head to return and convert his house into a homestay for bird photographers, with a 50,000 yuan subsidy from the township government.

Xiong Shengchun emphasizes the demanding and monotonous nature of maintaining a bird hide throughout the year. He describes the task as challenging, requiring daily visits to the hides to ensure the well-being of the birds under their care.

"Even during the period between June and September (characterized by the molting phase of silver pheasants when their plumages are not as visually striking as usual), the responsibility of tending to the hides and caring for the birds remains constant," he said.

The villagers' dedication to the business has clearly paid off. Over the years, Fengtian has attracted bird photographers from over 20 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Singapore. The place sees at least dozens of visitors daily, generating an annual revenue of more than 5 million yuan, according to a report in a local newspaper.