Jichang Shaoguo Korean Ethnic Village

Jichang Shaoguo Korean Ethnic Village

Jichang Shaoguo Korean Ethnic Village

Jichang Shaoguo Korean Ethnic Village is located in the eastern part of Jichang Town, on the left bank of the Yinma River (formerly known as the Little Yellow River), in a river valley plain area. The soil here is predominantly paddy soil. The village committee is based in Shaoguo Tun, from which the village gets its name. It covers a total area of 2.2 square kilometers, with 216 hectares of arable land, including 205 hectares of paddy fields. There are currently 274 households with a total population of 1,153, all of whom are ethnic Koreans. About one-third of the population works away from home, with the majority of those working abroad going to South Korea. The village has one clinic, one cultural room, one club, and two Korean-style restaurants. The entire village has achieved standardized housing with brick and tile structures, unified toilets and fences, and a garden-like environment. The village regularly holds sports events such as gateball, billiards, and soccer. On International Women’s Day and Senior Citizens’ Day, villagers of all ages dress in traditional ethnic costumes to sing and dance in celebration, also performing traditional Korean activities such as seesaw swinging and hat dancing. In 1999, the village invested over 400,000 yuan to build a cultural square covering an area of 500 square meters; 700,000 yuan was invested to construct a roughly 1-kilometer-long illuminated tunnel; and 2.7 million yuan was used to pave the roads leading to and within the village with cement while also beautifying the surroundings. In 2002, the village attracted an investment of 25 million yuan through business recruitment to establish the Dajing Aquatic Products Company, which mainly produces a range of canned seafood products. In the same year, Jichang Shaoguo Korean Ethnic Village was recognized as an Advanced Village in Spiritual Civilization Construction in Jilin Province, and during the annual tourist high season, it receives 5,000 to 6,000 visitors. In 2003, the Pangshi Municipal People's Government included the village in the city’s overall tourism development plan as a folk tourism village.