Poverty-stricken village in Hainan transforms into beautiful countryside

ehainan.gov.cn | Updated: 2021-07-20

An aerial view of Shenhan village. [Photo/Hainan Daily]

Shenhan village, located in the mountainous area of Qiongzhong, South China's Hainan province, has made great improvements in its economy and community with the development of tourism, especially the family-run hotels that are host to local features.

At an altitude of 800 meters, the village is surrounded by mountains and basins between Limu Mountain and Yingge Ridge. It used to be one of the remotest and poorest villages in Qiongzhong due to its climate disadvantages, transportation system and ecological resources. The annual per capital income of the village was only 946 yuan ($146) in 2009.

As family-run hotels have flourished, the government of Shenhan felt the need to train talents to further boost tourism. The previous farmers have been transformed into professional managers with specialized skills with the efforts from the local government. The young people in the village have set up singing and dancing cooperatives and hiking cooperatives, integrating culture into tourism to make more income. Shenhan is devoted to improving the service of countryside tourism in hopes to offer more unique tourist experiences and a cultural understanding of the Li and Miao ethnic groups that reside in the area.

According to Lin Gang, the first Party secretary of Shenhan village, people worked vigorously to improve the infrastructures and the environment to provide better services and experiences for the tourists in recent years. They have built facilities like a tourist consulting and service center, the Shenhan Culture Square, Li Brocade and Miao Embroidery Workshops, and Dai Nei Dian (meaning "welcome here" in Miao ethnic language) lounges. Shenhan has been recognized as a demonstration village for poverty alleviation through tourism.

"On one hand, the tourists can come here to enjoy its natural beauty. On the other hand, the development of tourism has benefited the villagers directly and indirectly." said Lin, "Tourism and agricultural characteristics bring more and more visitors to the village, and at the same time, villagers get a new means of making a living."

Shenhan's way of development, which utilizes tourism to alleviate poverty under the joint management of the government, enterprises, cooperatives and individuals, benefits all participating parties.

The annual per capital income of the village jumped up to 18,000 yuan in 2020, an increase of 20 times more than that of 2009. Once a poverty-stricken village of the past, Shenhan has now become one of China's flourishing villages.