Wulong Agritainment

Wulong Agritainment

Wulong Agritainment is a new Hakka rural ecotourism attraction in the Gutian Conference Site Tourist Area, integrating pastoral sightseeing, leisure and summer retreats, cultural and sports entertainment, hands-on farming experiences, Hakka heritage exploration, and Red Guard tracing. It is now a Fujian Provincial Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site. The village has a total population of over 1,100, with 284 households, covering an area of 18.67 square kilometers, including 1,746 mu of arable land. The local dialect is the Gujiao variant of the Shanghang Hakka language. The village enjoys abundant rainfall year-round, with mild winters and cool summers, offering a pleasant climate with an average annual temperature between 17-19°C. From 1929 to 1930, nearly every household in Wulong Village hosted soldiers of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army led by Mao Zedong and [others]. While training, the soldiers also helped farmers with production, embodying a close bond between the military and civilians. During the Red Fourth Army’s three assaults on Longyan City, they set out from Wulong Village, traveling via the ancient Song-Ming trade route through Caimei Ridge to Longyan, seizing a strategic advantage to capture the city. To this day, remnants of a Red Army sentry post can still be found on Caimei Ridge. From the late 1960s to the mid-to-late 1970s, Wulong Village became a settlement site where Xiamen-educated youths underwent re-education by local farmers. The villagers were warm and hospitable, forming deep bonds with the youths, who returned every Lunar New Year as if visiting family, making Wulong Village their second home.

Upon entering the village, the first sight is the magnificent “Dancing Phoenix Spreading Its Feathers,” where the distant mountains resemble a beautiful phoenix joyfully welcoming honored guests with its most graceful posture. Strolling through the village, Hakka architectural culture is vividly reflected. The Hakka ancestors had a strong awareness of protecting arable land. Due to the mountainous terrain with limited flat areas, houses were typically built near mountains and water, facing south or east to maximize sunlight while shielded from the northwest wind by the back mountains and drawing in warm southeast winds. The structures were made with local materials—earthen and stone walls, wooden frames, and gray tiles—blending harmoniously with the surrounding green mountains and natural environment, embodying the Taoist philosophy of harmony between man and nature. These ancient Hakka dwellings, nestled among verdant hills and clear waters, add a stunning charm to Wulong Agritainment. Many traditional homes also feature large ponds in front, which not only serve as fish farms for additional income but also function as byproducts of earth excavation for construction. These ponds are used for fish farming, purifying domestic wastewater, and providing firefighting water. Rainwater and household drainage flow into the ponds, playing a vital role in improving the local ecological environment.

Stepping into a Hakka home, you’ll find rows of wine jars stacked under the eaves, exuding a rich aroma of liquor—a hallmark of Hakka culture, where both brewing and drinking are cherished traditions. During festivals and gatherings with family and friends, a few drinks are shared along with lively conversations. Hakka rice wine boasts a history of over 1,800 years, dating back to the second year of the Xingping era (195 AD) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Historical records indicate that mountain dwellers in Shanghang would use spring water and glutinous rice, fermented with qu (a starter culture), aging the brew in cellars for three years until it turned a amber hue.

The wine is richly aromatic, smooth and sweet on the palate, with a lingering aftertaste. Drinking a few cups daily was believed to invigorate the body, prompting widespread popularity and the rise of a brewing tradition. As the saying goes, “No feast is complete without wine, and no hospitality is whole without it.” The Hakka people, known for their warmth, offer a toast of rice wine before meals as a gesture of welcome. Wulong Village is the birthplace of the renowned Wulong Liquor Cake and Chen Gang Wine, which has won multiple national and ministerial-level gold awards. The village still preserves century-old rice wine workshops with over 400 years of brewing history, using premium glutinous rice, mountain spring water, and the traditional Gutian Red Qu (infused with over 20 precious herbs like notoginseng, cinnamon, codonopsis, schisandra, peach kernel, and poria). The wine is crafted through a unique process, aged in cellars, and then sold—Hakka Rice Wine “Red Army Joy” being a prime example.

The off-season vegetable base is another highlight of Wulong Agritainment’s rural tourism. Below are some of the more common crops grown locally.

In spring, as nature awakens, vast fields of rapeseed flowers become a stunning spectacle in Wulong Village. A local saying goes, “Wulong oil flows everywhere.” The variety planted here is Fuyou No. 4, a dicotyledonous plant of the Brassicaceae family, typically sown in October and blooming from March to April the following year.

Tomatoes, also known as tomatoes, are a common crop in Wulong Village, mainly harvested in summer and autumn and sold to coastal regions like Guangdong, Xiamen, and Quanzhou. Nutritionists note that consuming 50–100 grams of fresh tomatoes daily meets the body’s needs for several vitamins and minerals. Tomatoes contain “tomatin,” which inhibits bacteria, as well as malic acid, citric acid, and sugars that aid digestion. With their rich nutrition and versatility, tomatoes are hailed as a miraculous fruit among vegetables.

Rice is one of the most common staple foods. Here, medium-grain premium varieties like Yiyou 673 and Yixiang 2292 are primarily cultivated, sown in April and harvested in September, yielding an average of 500 kilograms per mu. Gutian-grown rice is prized for its fragrant aroma, making Gutian Sacred Rice a popular local tourist souvenir.

Among these crops, don’t overlook the auspicious “Zhuangyuan Dou” (Number One Scholar Bean), also known as Emperor Bean or White Hyacinth Bean, valued for its rich nutrients and loved by many. Sown around February and thriving in temperatures of 16–35°C, the high altitude, humid climate, abundant rainfall, and fertile, flat land of Gutian provide ideal conditions for its growth.

Amidst these crops, we mustn’t forget the unsung heroes of farmers’ prosperity—the waterwheels along rivers and canals, including mother-and-child and lover’s waterwheels. These waterwheels are essential for irrigating farmland, ensuring ample moisture for crops.

The Qingsong Pavilion, located under the three pine trees beside the cycling track, is a great spot for visitors to rest, enjoy the cool breeze, and take in scenic views. Seated in the pavilion, you’ll feel a refreshing wind and enjoy an open panorama. The three characters “Qingsong Ting” (Qingsong Pavilion) were inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Qi Gong, a master of Chinese calligraphy, painting, antiquities appraisal, and Sinology. To the left front lies the “Banling Renjia” (Half-Ridge Homes), one of Gutian’s Ten Scenic Spots, immortalized in poetry: “A subtle aura drifts by Half-Ridge, where black-haired and white-haired coexist. The Peach Garden scene seems to dance in the wind, with tea brewed amid bamboo smoke.” Today, the view remains as picturesque. To the right, the distant Bijia Mountain pierces the clouds, forming the second of Gutian’s Ten Scenic Spots, “Bijia Chaoyun” (Bijia Piercing the Clouds). As the poem goes: “Southern peaks veiled in cloud, northern peaks too; the three Bijia peaks blend as one. With a walking stick, you may explore them apart, but by dusk, you’ll be homeward bound.”

Gutian has a long history, with human habitation dating back over 4,000 years to the late Neolithic Age. Wulong Village is among the earliest inhabited sites in Gutian. Legend has it that the village once had a peculiar field where the rice paddies never dried up, the duckweed never covered the entire plot, leaving patches of blue sky visible. The field ridges twisted unpredictably, resembling lotus petals or ripples, with one central plot said to be tilled by immortals—hence the name Gutian. Near the Shexia Mountain east of the Gutian Conference Site, pristine forests are arranged like a dragon’s head, connected to the sprawling northern mountains, forming a giant dragon. The conference site sits precisely at the dragon’s eye, while the natural village at the dragon’s head is called Huanglongkou. The five hamlets here are dubbed the “Five Little Dragons” swimming alongside the “Big Dragon” of the conference site, giving Wulong Village its name.

As the saying goes, “Visit Wulong and twist a bit, and you’ll return to a noble post; stroll through Wulong and turn around, and wealth will follow.” May this historic, green, and auspicious Wulong leave you with beautiful memories, blessings, and joy.