Tourism changes face of poverty-ridden Hebei county

On a winter morning in Luotuowan village in Fuping county, Hebei province, red lanterns sway gently above stone courtyards tucked into the Taihang Mountains. It's a village that has transformed from one of China's poorest rural communities into a thriving tourism hub.

Villagers rehearse songs for a Spring Festival gala on an open-air stage, while visitors sip hot tea beside underfloor heating systems that did not exist here a decade ago.

For Bai Long, a former migrant worker who once chased opportunity in Beijing, this scene still feels new. "When I left, there was nothing here," he said. "Now people come from hundreds of kilometers away just to stay the night."

Before 2012, Luotuowan's rocky land yielded little, roads were barely passable, and most young residents had left to find work elsewhere. More than 70 percent of villagers lived below the poverty line. Today, the village tells a very different story, shaped largely by minsu, or homestays.

Bai returned in 2017 after local authorities began promoting rural tourism as part of a broader poverty-alleviation strategy. With government support, he renovated his family courtyard and became one of the village's first homestay operators. Others soon followed. The village now has 137 homestays offering more than 300 beds, many run through cooperatives led by the local Communist Party of China branch.

Tourism has reshaped the local economy. During peak summer months, visitors arrive to escape the heat of nearby cities. Winters, once off-season, have grown busier thanks to newly developed ice and snow attractions.

Annual visitor numbers exceeded 500,000 in 2025, helping lift per capita disposable income from less than 950 yuan ($137) in 2012 to more than 28,000 yuan.

Bai promotes his rooms through livestreaming, assuring viewers that the heating is warm and vacancies are plentiful. "Come and see how the village has changed," he tells his online audience.

Sun Zhenze, 78, runs one of the village's more modest homestays. With six guest rooms converted from his family home, he charges a flat rate of 100 yuan a night year-round. "In summer, guests stay for weeks. They enjoy the cool weather and quiet," he said. His children work in Beijing, but Sun prefers to stay put.

The transformation did not happen overnight. Long known as a revolutionary base area and later designated a deeply impoverished county, Fuping became a focal point of China's national poverty alleviation campaign. Since 2013, infrastructure upgrades, ecological conservation, and diversified industries — from edible fungi to high-altitude fruit farming — have reshaped the local economy.

Tourism, however, has proved especially catalytic.

"Homestays created jobs that didn't exist before," said An Xiufeng, the county's deputy head. "They allowed elderly villagers to stay economically active and encouraged young people to return."

In recent years, more than 70 young residents have come back to Luotuowan and neighboring Gujiatai village to open restaurants, manage homestays, or sell local produce online. Some now earn incomes comparable to what they made in cities, but without the rent or commute.

The villages have also drawn international attention. In 2025, Fuping hosted visiting students from overseas universities and welcomed delegations from Brazil studying China's rural poverty governance.

Foreign visitors were particularly impressed by local specialties, such as high-mountain apples and shiitake mushrooms, officials said.

Yet the most visible change may be cultural rather than economic. A longtime village worker observed that over six years, residents' demeanor shifted from cautious and reserved to confident and welcoming.

"People dress differently now," he said. "They're proud to talk about their village."

Luotuowan's story is increasingly cited as a model for culture-led rural vitalization. Leveraging its ecological assets and homestay economy, the village has become a national site for educational tours and grassroots governance training.

With a new high-speed railway expected to open in 2027, linking the area more closely to Beijing and Shanxi province, local leaders anticipate another wave of visitors.

For Bai Long, the significance is more personal. This Chinese New Year, his homestay is nearly full. "Before, people left to celebrate elsewhere," he said. "Now, they come here. That's the biggest change of all."

Contact the writers at weiwangyu@chinadaily.com.cn