Protection breathes new life into village

Wuyuan County in eastern China's Jiangxi Province always teems with tourists in spring. A blooming sea of golden cole flowers dotting the land surrounding time-battered grey brick houses compose a vista resembling those of traditional Chinese brush paintings. Reporters from CRI's Portuguese Service on location in Wuyuan have sent a series of photos showing the appeal of the county in its best season. [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]

NANCHANG -- Tourists taking pictures of ancient buildings next to a construction site, materials piled up next to an old tree with a surveillance camera attached to it -- Huangling village is being transformed.

Located in East China's Jiangxi province, Huangling is under the administration of Wuyuan county, a popular tourist destination known for "the most beautiful countryside" in the country.

According to the local tourism commission, more than 450,000 tourists flocked to Wuyuan during the Golden Week holiday (Oct 1-7), turning "the most beautiful countryside" into "the most crowded" one.

For tourists, Huangling offers ancient Hui-style buildings, rare trees and idyllic scenery.

Despite this, Huangling has gone through much hardship.

Dozens of houses in the village have been destroyed by mudslides, with serious damage in 1997 and 2001, according to the Wuyuan government.

"Some of the villagers had to live in dilapidated houses due to geological hazards, and there was a perennial shortage of water in the area," said Cao Qiansong, head of the village.

Tourism has therefore become a solution for many villagers.

Wu Xiangyang, owner of Wuyuan County Cultural Development Ltd, has been engaged in tourism development for more than a decade and has been working with the local government.

Through an equity swap deal with Wu's company, 77 households have moved out of the village to new homes in flat areas of the county, with each new home an average of 200 square meters.