Tourists visit the Baduka scenic area in Xiaopu Town of Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province on December 1 (TAO XING) 

The development concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” or “green is gold” has taken deep root in the villages of Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. The villages have made solid efforts to magnify the impacts of this concept, integrating nature and development to help more people achieve wealth. 

Since the complete shutdown of local mines in 2005, Yucun Village in Anji County of Huzhou City has been exploring new pathways to prosperity. Guided by the “green is gold” development philosophy, the village has been translating its ecological resources into economic value. Through the development of a beautiful countryside, the village has evolved into a nationally renowned scenic area and was recognized as one of the Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2021.    

Last year, Yucun welcomed 1.2 million visitors, substantially boosting its collective income to over 22 million yuan ($3.1 million). Its annual per-capita income also reached 74,000 yuan ($10,464), much higher than the national average. In the past 25 years, its collective income has increased approximately 22 times, while its per-capita income has grown roughly nine folds.    

Since 2023, local authorities have been putting over 20 surrounding villages into Yucun’s scenic area under the “Big Yucun” initiative. This clustered development model focuses on promoting ecological tourism, youth entrepreneurship and industry integration.  

“Previously, the collective income of each village was around 500,000 yuan ($70,657) or less. Now it has mostly surpassed 1 million yuan ($141,315),” Yu Xiaoping, Deputy Secretary of the Yucun Village branch of the Communist Party of China (CPC), told Beijing Review.  

Yucun has a population of approximately 1,000, but the “Big Yucun” initiative also encompasses around 40,000 residents in nearby villages, according to Yu.  

Clustered development is also taking place in Changxing, another of Huzhou’s counties. Starting in 2019, five villages in the Baduka Valley of the county’s Xiaopu Town established a cooperative, which later evolved into a “village collective enterprise,” to better integrate tourism resources. Baduka is renowned for its 12.5-km-long ginkgo corridor, home to over 30,000 wild ginkgo trees. The villages have always placed great importance on the maintenance of these ginkgo trees.  

By partnering with professional companies to operate the scenic area, the enterprise generates revenue through ticket sales and supporting ginkgo-themed industries, such as producing related cultural and creative products and ginkgo noodles, while it also encourages young people to start businesses like cafes in the village. Now, beneath the stunning canopy of ginkgo leaves, tourists like to take photos and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee from one of the cozy cafés housed in beautifully renovated old homes.   

“Villagers can sell agricultural products in the scenic area’s market. This model has gradually increased both the collective income of the villages and the earnings of individual villagers,” Wang Chunhua, Secretary of the CPC branch of Dakakou Village, one of the five villages, told Beijing Review. Currently, the annual collective income of this village has increased significantly, and this money is used for improving the village’s infrastructure and funding other initiatives.  

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson  

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