Finding its feet

Wei Kaizhong doesn't have to sweat in the field all day and plant crops that were barely enough to keep his family afloat, as he did three years ago.

The former farmer has rented his family's 0.26-hectare plot for tourism purposes in Guyuepo village in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's capital, Nanning.

He earns about 8,000 yuan ($1,130) a year from leasing his land.

"Life is comfortable and I'm content," Wei says.

Since Wei's family has been liberated from farming, he and his wife started to work at Guangxi Buffalo Investment Group's operations in Guyuepo in 2017. This brings in over 4,000 yuan a month for the couple.

Their son will enter college next year, and Wei's income is enough for his son's tuition and living expenses.

"We won't leave him in want of things now that we have our feet on the ground," Wei adds.

The company has modernized agriculture to produce dairy products and "green" crops since it began making inroads into the village in 2015.

Residents can sign contracts to lease their land or become partners with the company.

Tourism and agricultural development have also created job opportunities. The company brings in about 2 million yuan a year for villagers, which equals roughly 30,000 yuan per resident.

Guyuepo is located 38 kilometers by road from Nanning. It used to take four hours to reach downtown. In 2014, the Nanning government decided to give Guyuepo a face-lift.

It first improved transportation, reducing travel time between the city center and village in Qingxiu district to just over half an hour.

Recently, the focus has been on building leisure tourism and local culture.

Homestays, hotels, art-training facilities and a concert hall have been set up.

Culture and tourism festivals have been held during the National Day holiday week since 2016. China-ASEAN piano and accordion contests have also been staged.

The efforts have helped to put Guyuepo on the national tourism map, and many urban residents have been camping there and taking in the rural life on weekends, says village official Huang Yingyong. "Most locals can stay at home and make a living."

Visitors can observe birds, enjoy archery and ride boats, as well as pick fruit on farms in Guyuepo. The village has seen more than 500,000 tourist visits since most such projects were up and running, and raked in more than 5 million yuan in tourism revenue.

More than 20 people from the fields of literature, music, photography and painting have been invited to settle in and help promote local traditions and culture.

Liang Hanchang was among the first outsiders to move to the village. He had observed rural culture and tradition as a reporter during his trips since 2002.

He says he felt the effects of modernization on villages and that not enough attention was given to protecting traditional culture.

"Many (rural) handicraftsmen and folk singers were forced to leave their homes and work outside for a living," Liang says. "So I wondered if I could use my photography skills to do something."

He quit his job and started recording life in Guyuepo. Some folk traditions were on the verge of disappearing.

Now, Liang is working with officials to build an ethnic-culture exhibition center in the village.

"I hope it helps people to recall their history and culture, and stir up feelings toward their own ethnicity and country," Liang adds.

Guyuepo has been able to keep some of its original elements during the development. Various buildings have retained their style and look, featuring tiled roofs and redbrick walls.

All has been done to preserve the original image of Guyuepo, according to the village official.

Guyuepo was praised as "a distinctive village with ethnic minority elements" by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission in mid-April.

The village will continue to protect the local ethnic culture, better living conditions and raise incomes in the future, says Chen Bingfen, a senior official from Qingxiu district.