Xinyu Changfang Resort

Xinyu Changfang Resort

Xinyu Changfang Resort is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Located in the northern mountainous area of Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, Changfang Resort belongs to Changfang Village, Ouli Town, Yushui District. It is 16 kilometers from the city center and just a mountain away from the national key scenic spot Fairy Lake. Covering an area of 4.2 square kilometers, the resort features 800 acres of mountain forest ecology, lake ecology, and semi-artificial ecological farmland, with a forest coverage rate of 80%, making it a natural oxygen bar. Leisure tourism and fruit tree planting have taken initial shape, and it has been honored as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a national agricultural tourism demonstration site, a national rural tourism demonstration site, an Eco-Village, a National Spiritual Civilization Village, one of Jiangxi Province’s Top Ten Harmonious Villages, a Jiangxi Province Habitat Environment Example Award, a Jiangxi Province Spiritual Civilization Village, one of Jiangxi Province’s Ten Women-Demonstrated Villages, a designated tourism unit of Xinyu City, a New Rural Construction Example Award of Xinyu, and one of Xinyu’s Most Beautiful Villages. Surrounded by mountains and water, with picturesque scenery, murmuring springs, a mild climate year-round, fresh air, and beautiful surroundings, it boasts profound historical and cultural heritage and abundant tourism resources.

The village where Changfang Resort is located, Changfang Village, is like a beautiful painting—mountains greet you at the doorstep, and water is right outside your door. There are 36 hills of various sizes surrounding the village, covered with lush bamboo and trees, fragrant wildflowers and grasses, and birdsong. The area is home to dense growths of plants such as dogwood, honeysuckle, isatis root, camphor trees, oaks, maple trees, and pine trees, as well as wildlife such as wild boars, serows, deer, rabbits, mountain birds, and egrets. Thirty-two springs encircle the village, and the Jinxi Stream in front of the village flows ceaselessly all year round. It is not only the source of the Kongmu River, the mother river of Xinyu City, but also a breeding ground for many native wild fish species. The company has newly developed Snake Immortal Lake and Gathering Immortal Lake, adding new scenery to the village. Along the lakes and streams, willows sway gently, and the fragrance of rice flowers fills the air, making it a great place for leisure. The overall natural environment of the village is characterized by “continuous buildings, a river, and greenery on all sides.” With ancient trees, caves, temples, kilns, wells, ancestral halls, verdant mountains, mirror-like lakes, blue skies, white clouds, birdsong, and floral scents, visitors can respectfully visit temples, enjoy thrilling rafting, relax with fishing, or casually pick and sightsee in the modern agricultural demonstration park. Here, you can explore the cultural square, the village market street, the ecological orchard, and the water-powered oil mill; observe handmade ramie cloth and traditional opera; listen to folk stories and legends, as well as mountain songs and ballads; and savor farm-style delicacies while immersing yourself in the beauty of lakes and mountains, enjoying a full range of high-quality services including dining, accommodation, entertainment, transportation, and shopping—truly a delightful and romantic experience.

To achieve harmony between humans and nature and protect the ecological resources of flora and fauna, the Changfang Resort Assistance Committee held a villagers’ representative meeting to discuss and establish village regulations. First, villagers are strictly prohibited from logging on the mountains or hunting. Second, villagers are strictly prohibited from using explosives or poison to catch fish in the water, and from discharging sewage into streams and lakes. At the same time, to further beautify the environment, barren hills and low-lying areas were fully utilized to develop fruit orchards and lakes. The western part of Changfang Village, Sun Mountain, was once a barren hill with exposed rocks and no vegetation. To green the environment, over 1 million yuan was invested to reclaim more than 300 acres and plant 18,000 honey tangerine trees, transforming the barren hill into an orchard. Additionally, there were two low-lying areas, one in the east and one in the west of the village, that were often waterlogged, overgrown with weeds, and teeming with mosquitoes. In 2005, with the support of the village committee, the company excavated these two areas into lakes—the eastern one named Gathering Immortal Lake and the western one Snake Immortal Lake, covering a total of over 40 acres. The lakeshores are now prime fishing spots, filled with the scent of osmanthus, croaking frogs in the grass, butterflies dancing among flowers, rippling waters, and fish leaping in waves, making it a premier fishing destination in the Xinyu area.

The predecessor of Changfang Resort was the Changfang Tourism Resort Preparatory Command, which operated under one team with two names alongside the village committee. It was established in May 2004. The original intention of developing village-run tourism was to make full use of the village’s mountain, water, land, and historical-cultural resources, adjust the industrial structure, develop the rural economy, improve villagers’ livelihoods, and protect the ecological environment. Over the years, the resort has signed land transfer agreements with 100% of the villagers, and 66.4% of households have invested as shareholders, contributing over 10 million yuan. Following the operational mechanisms of a joint-stock enterprise and company law, some shareholders were involved in enterprise management. Articles of association and various systems were established, along with a board of directors, supervisory board, and various functional departments. Procedures for villagers’ share transfers were completed, and a master plan and phased implementation plans were formulated. This was the city’s first specialized rural tourism plan and Xinyu’s first AAA-level tourist attraction, receiving full recognition and high praise from higher authorities and industry experts.

When Changfang Resort was established, it set the slogan of “Three years to achieve scale, five years to see results” for agricultural tourism development and new rural construction. After several years of effort, over 30 million yuan was raised, and agricultural tourism began to take shape. To protect the ecological environment and develop eco-culture, relevant experts were hired for on-site planning, and a development plan was established. The principle of comprehensive management of mountains, water, fields, roads, and houses was upheld, implementing the “Five Improvements, Four Connections, and One Construction” project—that is, improving roads, water supply, housing, toilets, and animal pens; connecting to cable TV, information networks, and running water; and constructing scenic spots. The resort positioned itself around the idea of “tourism revitalizing the village,” adhering to the philosophy of “development for balance,” and treated the village as a scenic spot for construction. Now, all houses in the village have been “dressed up,” all roads have been hardened, greened, and illuminated, and all open spaces have been planted with trees, flowers, and grass. Through years of tourism development and construction, Changfang Village has become a widely known, beautiful, and prosperous village. Even before the official opening of rural tourism, the number of visitors coming for inspection, sightseeing, tourism, and leisure each year exceeded 100,000.

The main tourism activities at Changfang Resort include: viewing pastoral scenery, experiencing farming, fishing and rafting, picking fruits and vegetables, experiencing rural life, enjoying local flavors, and traditional rural culture. Accommodation, dining, transportation, and recreational facilities have also become increasingly refined.

Source: Xiushui County Tourism Bureau