Across China: Rural revitalization breathes new life into east China’s ancient village
Xinhua2025-11-05 16:10
This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a view of a lake area, which was an abandoned open-pit mine, in Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)
NANCHANG, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nestled in the hills of Jinxi County in east China's Jiangxi Province, Youdian Village -- established hundreds of years ago -- was once defined by abandoned mines and crumbling ancestral homes. Today, it buzzes with tourists, its ancient architecture restored and its landscape transformed into a natural resort.
This remarkable turnaround, driven by China's national rural revitalization strategy, showcases a blueprint for injecting sustainable economic and cultural vitality into the countryside, reviving a forgotten village into a place of hope and opportunity. "Our village is getting livelier as more people come here," said 74-year-old villager Liu Meirong with a smile.
In October, the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee concluded its fourth plenary session, where participants deliberated and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.
The document emphasizes the need to accelerate agricultural and rural modernization and take solid steps to advance all-around rural revitalization.
It also urges that policies aimed at strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching rural areas should yield more substantial outcomes.
Today, visitors to Youdian Village are captivated by the beauty of its ancient architecture, where houses dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties feature intricate brick and stone carvings on their timeless facades. Nearby, a clear blue lake offers stunning views, and visitors can enjoy a variety of lakeside activities on the adjacent hillside.
However, just a few years ago, the scene was entirely different. Fallen trees blocked the roads, historic dwellings lay in disrepair, and the lake area remained an abandoned open-pit mine.
Mi Xiulan, an official from the Natural Resources Bureau of Jinxi County, noted that the area had suffered severe soil erosion and barren land due to past stone mining. "The soil was so depleted that saplings planted by villagers could hardly grow," she recalled.
The turning point came as China began prioritizing rural revitalization. Efforts have since focused on protecting the village's cultural heritage, improving its ecological environment, and boosting local incomes through tourism development.
In 2018, with the support of the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation, the county government launched a program to rescue precious ancient houses in local villages. The initiative raised 80 million yuan (about 11.29 million U.S. dollars) and restored more than 1,000 endangered structures.
Hu Liang, a 38-year-old villager, welcomed the transformation. "An ancestral house of my family was included in the program and repaired for free. Before that, its roof tiles had fallen off, and the wooden beams were broken," Hu said. He now earns 2,000 yuan annually by renting the house to a local tourist company.
Since 2023, the county government has been restoring Youdian's former mining sites through soil remediation and the reintroduction of native flora. By integrating the landscape into a cohesive cultural tourism route, the project has enhanced local natural tourism.
To enhance its appeal to tourists, the village has introduced new experiences, including dining and homestays in historic dwellings, an underwater book house, a lakeside café, and a traditional Chinese medicine experience center.
Thanks to improved infrastructure, ecological restoration, and the addition of cultural and entertainment activities, Youdian is attracting a growing number of visitors. In the first ten months of 2025 alone, it welcomed over 100,000 tourists.
During the five-year period from 2026 to 2030, China will prioritize fostering and expanding rural industries, creating more local employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and fundamentally addressing rural population decline, said Professor Zhao Xia from China Agricultural University.
Seizing the opportunities brought by rural development, more young people are returning home. Earlier this year, Hu moved back from Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province to his hometown, Youdian, and started working as a baker at a newly opened trendy bakery in the village.
Earning a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, the young man is optimistic about his future. "If everything goes well, I plan to start my own business here," he said.■
This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a view inside a building in Youdian Village of Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)
Hu Liang works at a bakery in Youdian Village of Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Oct. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a view of the Youdian Village in Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo by Deng Xingdong/Xinhua)
A tourist practices dance in Youdian Village of Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Oct. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a view of a lake area, which was an abandoned open-pit mine, in Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo by Deng Xingdong/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a view of the Youdian Village in Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)
This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows the bakery of Hu Liang in Youdian Village of Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)