Wulong Agritainment

　　Wulong Agritainment is a new Hakka rural ecotourism attraction within the Gutian Conference Site tourist area that combines pastoral sightseeing, leisure and summer retreats, cultural and sports entertainment, hands-on farming, Hakka heritage exploration, and Red Guard tracking. It is now recognized as a Fujian Provincial Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site. The village has a total population of over 1,100 people, comprising 284 households, covering an area of 18.67 square kilometers, including 1,746 mu of arable land. The local dialect is the Guxiao 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, forging a close bond between the military and civilians. During the Red Fourth Army’s three assaults on Longyan City, they set off from Wulong Village, traveling via the ancient Song-Ming trade route through Caimei Ridge to Longyan. Seizing the opportune moment, they captured Longyan 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 where Xiamen-educated youths underwent re-education among the poor and lower-middle peasants. The villagers were warm and hospitable, forming deep bonds with the youths as if they were family. Every Lunar New Year, the Xiamen-educated youths would return to Wulong Village like visiting relatives, making it their second home.

　　Upon entering the village, the first sight to greet you is the magnificent "Dancing Phoenix Spreading Its Wings" landscape. The distant mountains resemble a beautiful phoenix, overjoyed at the arrival of honored guests, welcoming them with its most stunning posture. Strolling through the village, the Hakka architectural culture is vividly displayed. The Hakka ancestors had a strong awareness of farmland conservation. Due to the mountainous terrain with limited flat land, houses were typically built near water and against hills, facing south or east to maximize sun exposure while shielded from the northwest wind. This design ensures warmth in winter and coolness in summer. Building materials were sourced locally—earth and stone for walls, timber for frames, and grey tiles for roofing—resulting in dignified and unadorned exteriors that harmonize organically with the surrounding green mountains and natural environment, embodying the Daoist philosophy of harmony between man and nature. Nestled amid lush mountains and waters, these unique Hakka ancestral homes add a striking charm to Wulong Agritainment. Many traditional homes also feature large ponds in front, which serve not only as fish farms to boost income but also as byproducts of earth excavation for construction. These ponds are used for fish breeding, 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.

　　Step into a Hakka home, and you’ll find rows of wine jars stacked under the eaves, emitting a rich aroma of liquor—a hallmark of Hakka culture, where both brewing and drinking are cherished traditions. During festivals and family gatherings, raising a glass or two to chat and celebrate is commonplace. 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 collected spring water, brewed it with glutinous rice and qu (a fermentation starter), and aged it in cellars for three years. The resulting amber-colored liquor …

　　… boasts a rich fragrance, a smooth and refreshing taste, and a lingering aftertaste. Drinking a few cups daily was believed to invigorate the body, prompting widespread adoption of the brewing tradition. As the saying goes, "No feast is complete without wine, and no hospitality shines without it." The Hakka people are renowned for their warmth, and guests are often welcomed with a toast of rice wine before meals, expressing heartfelt hospitality through the shared drink. Wulong Village is the birthplace of the renowned Wulong Wine Cake and Chen Gang Wine, which has won multiple national and ministerial-level gold awards. The village preserves age-old rice wine workshops with over 400 years of history, using premium glutinous rice, mountain spring water, and the specially crafted Gutian Red Qu (containing over 20 precious traditional herbs such as notoginseng, cinnamon, codonopsis, schisandra, peach kernel, and poria). The wine is brewed using unique techniques, aged in cellars for years, and then brought to market. One iconic product is Hakka Rice Wine—Red Army Joy.

　　The off-season vegetable base is another highlight of Wulong Agritainment’s rural tourism. Below, we introduce several commonly grown crops in the area.

　　Spring, the season of renewal, sees vast fields of rapeseed flowers become a picturesque feature of Wulong Village. A local saying goes, "Wulong oil flows everywhere." The planted variety is Fuyou No. 4, a dicotyledonous plant of the Brassicaceae family, typically sown in October, with the blooming season occurring from March to April the following year.

　　Tomatoes, also known as tomatoes, are a common crop in Wulong Village, primarily 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 "tomatine," which inhibits bacterial growth, 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 such as 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 strong fragrance, making it a favorite among visitors and a signature local souvenir branded as "Gutian Sacred Rice."

　　Among the many crops introduced, don’t overlook the auspicious "Zhuangyuan Bean," also called Emperor Bean or White Hyacinth Bean, valued for its rich nutrients and popularity. Sown around February, it thrives in temperatures of 16–35°C. Thanks to Gutian’s high elevation, humid climate, abundant rainfall, excellent water quality, fertile soil, and flat terrain, it provides ideal conditions for the bean’s growth.

　　Beyond crops, we mustn’t forget the unsung heroes of farmers’ prosperity—the water wheels along rivers and canals, including mother-and-child and lover’s water wheels. These wheels primarily irrigate farmland, ensuring ample water for crop growth.

　　Located beneath the three pine trees on the cycling track, the Qingsong Pavilion is an ideal spot for visitors to rest, enjoy the cool breeze, and capture scenic views. Seated in the pavilion, a refreshing wind greets you, and the view stretches far. The calligraphy "Qingsong Pavilion" was inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Qi Gong, a master of Chinese calligraphy, painting, cultural relic appraisal, and classical studies. To the left front lies the "Banling Homes" landscape, one of Gutian’s Ten Scenic Spots, immortalized in poetry: "Auspicious mist drifts by Banling’s edge, where elders and children dwell in peace. Peach blossoms sway like scenes in the wind, tea brews amidst bamboo with mist beyond." Today, the scenery remains as enchanting. To the right, the distant Bijia Mountain pierces the clouds, forming the second of Gutian’s Ten Scenic Spots—"Bijia Piercing the Clouds." As the poem goes: "Southern peaks veiled in cloud, northern peaks too; Bijia’s trio of peaks merge as one. With a cane, you may wander through, but by dusk, you’ll lose the view."

　　Gutian boasts a long history, with human habitation dating back over 4,000 years to the late Neolithic Age. Wulong Village was among the earliest inhabited settlements in Gutian. Legend says the village once had peculiar fields where the water never dried up, red duckweed never covered the entire plot, leaving patches of sky visible. The field ridges twisted unpredictably, and the rice paddies collectively resembled lotus flowers or ripples, centered around one plot said to be tilled by immortals—hence the name "Gutian" (Ancient Fields). Beside the Shexiashan Mountain, where the Gutian Conference Site is located, pristine forests are arranged like a dragon’s head, connected to the sprawling northern mountain range, 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 "Great Dragon" of the conference site—thus naming the village Wulong (Five Dragons).　

　　As the saying goes, "Visit Wulong, bend a little, and return with official success; roam Wulong, turn around, and return with prosperity." May this historic, verdant, and auspicious Wulong leave you with beautiful memories, blessings, and joy.