Rural tourism boosts incomes in Yunnan's Puzhehei resort area

Xianrendong village, Puzhehei resort area, Qiubei county, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)

Xianrendong village is part of Yunnan province’s Puzhehei resort area and is mostly populated by people who are part of a branch of the Yi ethnic group known as the Sani. The hamlet was poverty-stricken until tourism began to develop in the region and has experienced significant positive changes.

Xianrendong has a lot of water area in its borders and is also surrounded by water on about 75 percent of its perimeter. Its residents eventually harnessed its 666.67 ha of lotus ponds and 20 km’s worth of lovely, winding waterways for tourism purposes in order to increase their incomes, and 190 households developed homestays and family inns on and around their land and their ponds. The undertaking has been well received and has attracted visitors from China and abroad. Xianrendong’s tourism efforts currently bring in more than 40,000 yuan (US$5,724) of annual revenue per capita for its residents.