Hongyan is a small village of the Yao ethnic group in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Today, our reporter Wu Jia will take us to the village where people work their way to better lives through farmhouse tours and fruit cultivation.
Among the verdant hills and clear waters, villas with unique ethnic Yao characteristics can be seen over hundreds of acres of ripe golden persimmons. This is the small village of Hongyan.
In the past, when the local economy was behind, the villagers used to struggle with extreme poverty. Since the start of reform and opening up, they have started planting the right crops for the land, such as persimmons, oranges and mandarin oranges. Within a few years, Gongcheng County, where the village is located, was named "the land of persimmons and mandarin oranges in China." Ouyang Junhui is a village official.
"There are 103 families in the village. Persimmons are our main industry. The income per capita from persimmons reached 8,000 yuan last year. Our county has the highest yields in Guangxi."
Hongyan has a history of planting persimmons. Some persimmon trees in the village are 400 years old. One persimmon tree can yield 50 to 100 kilograms of fruit, and an acre can produce 3500 to 5000 kilograms. In harvest season, the golden color lightens the gates and porches of every family, creating a beautiful scene.
Autumn is the best processing time for persimmons. Upon harvest, the fresh fruits go through special procedures to eliminate the sharp taste. The sweet, crisp persimmons are sold well both home and abroad.
Jiang Shuyuan was once in charge of agriculture in the County. He speaks with pride of their persimmon exports and prospects.
"Our county is the only one in Guangxi that is registered to export fruit. Some of our fruits are exported to Southeast Asia. Their tropical area complements ours. 95 percent of the crisp persimmons in Southeast Asia are imported from our county. We plan to fix our share in the European market in the coming year or two."
Planting persimmons has helped the Yao people improve their lives. They have moved to new villas by the riverside. With the picturesque landscape and charming Yao customs, the villagers started a 'joyous farmhouse tour', which offers tourists accommodation in private homes.
Forty-five-year-old Zhu Fangren is busy greeting guests in front of his three-story house. The small building is bustling with excitement. Tourists like Xiao Zhao are impressed.
"This persimmon is delicious. We made our way here especially for the persimmon. I stay here for accommodation. It's nice and clean. The house owner is nice, too. The only problem is that it is hard to make a reservation."
Zhu Fangren, has been running the farmhouse tour for five years now. He says harvest time is also the busiest tour season.
"Fruits ripen in October, and the number of tourists increases a lot. Tthere were still guests coming to my house for accommodation late until two o'clock last night. "
Zhu Fangren says the local government has managed housing plans and offered loan guarantees for all villagers since 2003. It wasn't easy for them to start businesses without government support. Zhu Fangren remembers what it was like at the start.
"It would have taken me at least 5 years to build a new house on my own. But with the government's, my farmhouse tour business got started very soon. To tell you the truth, my house was the first to open the business in the village."
Zhu's enthusiasm and hospitality encouraged even more visitors to stay at the house. Many of them have since become his friends. Tourists can pick fruit in the garden, fish by the riverside or simply enjoy a cup of special Yao tea.
Now Zhu Fangren earns around 30,000 yuan, or some 4400 US dollars, every year. Two years ago, he invested 20,000 yuan to create a more comfortable environment for his guests. His success has made him a role model, and villagers like Zhu Minglun have followed his lead in opening farmhouse tours.
"Frankly, I was envious when I first saw on TV that others got rich running farmhouse tours. Now my own business brings a net profit of 20 to 30 thousand yuan each year. Generations of us have lived here and can't tell the difference. But tourists say the air here is fresh; they call it an 'oxygen bar.'" The tourism industry is flourishing in Hongyan. More than 50 families are running farmhouse tours for more than 100,000 guests every year. Local official Ouyang Junhui talks about the key elements to enrichment of the village.
"There has to be an industry to support the construction of a new countryside. One is fruit. Many industries are suffering from the global financial turmoil, but our fruit is selling well. It is also easy to see that our persimmons are very competitive in the market. The second is the ecotourism we've been promoting. Tourists coming on weekends usually need to make a reservation."
So, if you have the time, why not venture to Hongyan to taste the crisp persimmons, enjoy the special tea and appreciate the picturesque scenery.
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