Xiaowei Cherry Town

Xiaowei Cherry Town

Xiaowei Cherry Town is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Xiaowei Cherry Town Scenic Area is located in Xiaowei Town, Yishui County. Xiaowei Town lies 30 km west of Yishui County and features picturesque landscapes surrounded by mountains, lush forests, and a sound ecological environment. The Wangzhuang River, Xiaowei River, and Zhenjia River all have clear waters and green banks. Historic and cultural resources such as the founding place of the "Masses Daily," the former site of the Shandong Branch, Chen Yi’s command post, and the Catholic church are distinctive and well-known far and wide.

The Xiaowei Cherry Town Scenic Area primarily leverages over 30,000 acres of local cherry orchards as its core asset. Using cherries as a theme, it highlights the advantages of the cherry industry. By hosting the Cherry Culture Tourism Festival, the area cultivates a tourism-friendly atmosphere and enhances the overall tourism quality of the town. To establish Xiaowei as a Cherry Town, in 2015 experts from Huazhong University of Science and Technology were commissioned to draft the "Yishui County Xiaowei Town Rural Tourism Master Plan," which strategically positioned the development of tourism in the Cherry Town. The main focus includes red tourism, natural scenery, eco-agriculture experiences, and leisure vacations. The tourism image positioning for the rural development plan of the town is "A Summer Kiss – Cherry Town."

Xiaowei Town has a long history of cultivating large cherries. The fruit was first introduced here in 1873 by German missionaries and eight original cherry trees still thrive on the Our Lady's Mountain in Wangzhuang Village. Today, there are over forty varieties of cherries planted across more than 30,000 acres. Due to the local environment and soil conditions, the cherries ripen early, boast bright colors, juicy flesh, sweet taste, and rich nutrition, making them truly green, pollution-free, and organic products.

Leveraging “cherries” as the core resource and aiming to build the “Summer Kiss Cherry Town,” the Cherry Town Tourism Area connects various attractions—including the Yimeng Mountain Base Area, Our Lady's Mountain, the founding place of the "Masses Daily," Chen Yi’s Command Post at the Menglianggu Battle, Xiaowei Reservoir, Shuiyuanping Reservoir, and Changling Sweet Potato Starch Noodle Street—through the setup of cherry-picking gardens. This forms three themed cherry-picking tour routes, promoting the key sights of Xiaowei Town and successfully revitalizing its rural tourism elements. It has become a powerful driver for the development of tourism in Xiaowei Town.