During the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, an endless stream of visitors made a usually tranquil village in Taixing city a hive of activity – the newcomers heading there to taste the local signature dishes and experience folk customs.
Yongxin, a remote village in Binjiang town – in Taixing city, in East China's Jiangsu province – once had difficulties in developing its collective economy due to land planning constraints and the limited potential of traditional agriculture.
However, in recent years it's been expanding its rural vitalization by setting up new enterprises. The town has also encouraged the establishment of joint businesses with several villages.
Such joint startup businesses cover asset management, social services, manufacturing to order and engineering contracting, according to Shi Feng, a town official.
In 2021, Yongxin village invested 6 million yuan ($822,370) to open an agricultural development company with ecological tourism as its focus.
The company provides tourists with various experiences of rural life, such as strawberry picking, fishing, parent-child games and farm stays.
On the move: A bird's-eye view of Binjiang town. [Photo/article.xuexi.cn]
About 200 local villagers – including nine from low-income families – are now employed by the company, said Chen Wenting, Party chief of the village.
In the first half of 2023, rural tourism generated about 100,000 yuan in revenue to the collective and the sales of farm produce and labor services increased the per capita income of the villagers by about 2,000 yuan, she noted.
To date, Binjiang has incubated a total of 11 village companies.
Visitors take in the lush environment in Binjiang town. [Photo/article.xuexi.cn]