Yongshou Agricultural Park

Yongshou Agricultural Park

Yongshou Village in Bowangshan Town, Xingwen County, located in the Wumeng Mountain area, has 502 farming households with a total population of 1,859, including 107 poor households with 420 people. In 2013, the per capita net income was 4,376 yuan, with a poverty incidence rate of 22.27%. Since 2015, with the support and assistance from the municipal and county organizational departments, Yongshou Village has fully leveraged the political and service functions of its grassroots organizations, united the strength of Yongshou, inspired the spirit of Yongshou, and created the speed of Yongshou. It has vigorously developed crop farming, animal husbandry, and rural tourism. By the end of 2016, the per capita net income of farmers in Yongshou Village reached 8,920 yuan, and the village’s collective economy income increased from zero to 41,900 yuan annually. At present, Yongshou Village has completed the planned goal of lifting all 107 poor households with 420 people out of poverty. The entire village has been officially removed from the list of impoverished villages, with both county and city-level inspections completed. Among them, the proportion of poor households lifted out of poverty through tourism development accounted for 45% of this year’s total poverty alleviation cases.

The village has implemented 19 infrastructure construction projects, including the blacktopping and hardening of 22.8 kilometers of village roads, the laying of 8 kilometers of production paths, and the hardening of all access roads to homes. A new water treatment plant has been built, along with 41 water tanks and pools and 3 mountain ponds, ensuring unified garbage and sewage treatment to guarantee safe drinking water for villagers. Power grid renovations have been carried out for 472 households, and 3 new mobile communication base stations have been constructed to ensure electrical safety. Mobile phone signals and television broadcasts now cover the entire village, ensuring smooth communication networks. A new party-masses activity center, which also serves as our visitor center, has been built and is equipped with a consultation room, library, cinema hall, public activity room, clinic, convenience service supermarket, fire station, and police office. It also includes an exhibition hall for clean governance culture and legal culture. A 1,100-square-meter public activity space has been added, complete with a full-color LED display screen and fitness equipment. Yongshou Primary School has been upgraded and expanded, and a 400-square-meter kindergarten has been added. Garbage pits, fuelwood sheds, and waste disposal sites along the roadsides and at family farms and guesthouses have also been improved.

Moreover, based on comprehensive analysis of soil, climate, rainfall, frost-free period, and altitude, and in consideration of market demand, we have identified Cuiguan pears as the leading industry for Yongshou Village. A 3,000-acre Cuiguan pear industry base has been planted, creating a spectacular sight. Leveraging platforms such as the “Pear Blossom Festival,” “Black-Bone Chicken Culture Festival,” and “Mountain-Stepping Festival,” we have vigorously developed rural tourism, integrating Yongshou into the “Two Seas” tourism route. The development has also radiated to five surrounding villages to grow Cuiguan pears, creating a “Happiness Avenue” ten-thousand-mu orchard sightseeing belt. Scenic spots along the route, such as Huayu’an Ecological Farm and Fengming Mountain Villa, have been upgraded. Enterprises have been introduced to open black-bone chicken experience halls to attract visitors. We have also promoted the brands of “Selenium-Rich Cuiguan Pears” and “Green-Shell Eggs.” Using a “company + cooperative + farmer” model, we have encouraged farmers to raise black-bone chickens, establishing the brand of the “Home of Chinese Black-Bone Chickens.” Fruit trees and ornamental bamboo have been planted along main roads, at family farms, and at agritainment spots to promote the “Green Ecotourism” brand.

Here we come to the Giant Stone Array of the Bo people, one of the core attractions of Yongshou Agricultural Park. Through long-term geological evolution, this incredibly precious geological relic has formed. The typical karst landform has given birth to a labyrinthine stone forest of diverse shapes—both surreal and captivating—that forms a uniquely charming spectacle. Under the forces of geological change, a natural Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Stone Array has emerged, guarding generations of ancient villagers.

The mysterious Giant Stone Array of the Bo people also bears witness to the tragic history of an entire ethnic group. In 1573 (the first year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty), the Ming government dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops to suppress the local Bo people. Despite their fierce resistance, the Bo people could not escape extinction. This battle is historically known as the “Suppression of the Southern Barbarians in Xunan.” Though this battle has become history, the Giant Stone Array of the Bo people still records that chapter—bearing witness to the iron-willed spirit of an entire ethnic group.

In terms of overall village appearance, we have carried out unified renovations on the houses of all visible households within the village. The murals on the walls incorporate unique ethnic minority cultural elements from Yongshou Village, vividly reflecting the characteristics of local agricultural production and the lives of farmers. Villagers have spontaneously hung national flags on their roofs and in front of their homes, creating a unique scenic view. Two editions of the Yongshou Village Miao Ethnic Mountain-Stepping Festival and the first Xingwen County Black-Bone Chicken Culture Festival have been held, integrating ethnic costumes, performances, and rice wine culture into the events, allowing visitors to experience Yongshou’s local culture and folk traditions. Designated personnel are assigned to maintain cleanliness, ensuring a pleasant sightseeing environment. There are sufficient, up-to-standard homestays to ensure guests stay comfortably, and agritainment venues that meet food safety standards allow visitors to enjoy Yongshou’s distinctive culinary culture. Visitors can tour and relax here, take peaceful walks along clean and safe paths to admire Yongshou’s misty landscapes and pear blossoms blanketing the mountains, or sit under the trees, sip tea, and reminisce about life.

All tourism practitioners undergo unified pre-service training before starting work. Training sessions are organized every three months for veteran staff through partnered institutions, establishing unified service standards and a cohesive marketing management approach. In addition to dedicated personnel appointed by operators to oversee service quality and market order, the village committee also assigns specific individuals to supervise and inspect these efforts. Tourism complaints are addressed promptly without delay or backlog. In 2016, there were a total of 3 complaint cases—all resolved with a 100% resolution rate.

Additionally, the Black-Bone Chicken Banquet and Liming Breeding Farm have been awarded the title of Star-Rated Agritainment. Yongshou Village has received honors such as China’s Model Rural Tourism Village, Model Rural Tourism Household, and Model Rural Tourism Demonstration Village.

Source: Yibin Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism