In recent years, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province has continuously promoted the construction of livable and business-friendly beautiful villages. Combining this with the development of rural revitalization demonstration areas, they have selected villages with favorable resource endowments and a solid development foundation to further explore rural characteristics, striving to promote the popularity of "village-based IPs."

Transforming Through Art: Awakening the Village

"Before 2016, who knew about our Xicun Village?" Xu Xinhong, a villager from Xicun Village in Ningguo City, pointed to the colorful murals on his house and chatted with reporters. "Look, doesn’t the village now feel like an art exhibition?"

The combination of murals and the countryside has created a wonderful "chemical reaction." In 2016, Xicun was selected as a pilot for the "Beautiful Courtyards" initiative in Gangkou Town. After the courtyard renovations were completed, Xicun adopted the theme "Meeting the Child You Once were" and invited a professional team to create playful murals on the village's outer walls.

Once hidden, Xicun now showcases a vibrant, childlike charm, creating its own "six firsts": the nation's first photography art village, the first village-level Huagu Opera troupe in southern Anhui, the first art village in the province, the first digital live-streaming and influencer incubation base in the province, the first 3A scenic village in the province, and the first village themed around night tourism. Today, Xicun receives 300,000 visits annually, generating over 6 million yuan in tourism revenue, with the village's collective economic income exceeding 800,000 yuan in 2023.

Integrated Village Operations: Scenic Area Merges with the Countryside

Vehicles pass through Yulinba in Jingxian County, Caicun Town, heading straight for the central village of Zhaocun. A few years ago, this small village, facing the bustling Moon Bay Scenic Area across the river, could only sigh at the booming tourism. Now, it has become the new "internet celebrity village"—Zhaocunli.

At the end of 2020, Zhaocun was designated as a comprehensive reform demonstration site for rural revitalization in Jingxian. Since the establishment of the reform demonstration site, a total of 132 mu of idle or inefficient land, 16 vacant farmhouses, and 2 orchards have been collected, ensuring that rural industrial projects can successfully land, transforming idle properties into tourism resources and creating operational assets for increased income.

In 2023, the demonstration site in Zhaocun generated an additional 950,000 yuan for the village's collective economy, bringing the total collective economic income to 1.3667 million yuan. Since the implementation of a points-based rural governance system in Zhaocun in June last year, villagers have collectively received 22,580 yuan in dividends through participation in village management.

Jiangsu-Anhui Cooperation: Empowering Villages through Industry

On the morning of November 5, a bus with a Su D license plate slowly pulled into the bus station in Lingda Town, Langxi County, Xuancheng City. As the doors opened, passengers with a slight accent hurriedly disembarked and rushed to the nearby vegetable market.

Xiawu Village, located at the border of Langxi County and Liyang City, is an important part of the Jiangsu-Anhui Cooperation Demonstration Zone "Tianmu Lake-Lingda-Qiucun-Xinhang Block." Due to its proximity to Tianmu Lake and cultural ties, Lingda Town launched a direct interprovincial tourist bus line to Tianmu Lake in May last year, facilitating seamless transportation across the provincial border and promoting economic and cultural exchanges.

The mutual benefits for residents have been significant. Focusing on the town's 23,000 mu of high-quality yellow and white tea and the frequent tea trade with Liyang and Anji, Lingda Town is building a tea trading market in Xiawu Village to promote brand sharing, stabilize the market, and increase farmers' incomes.

As of now, Xuancheng City has established 13 national-level beautiful leisure villages and 28 provincial-level leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration zones. In 2023, the city's leisure agriculture and rural tourism revenue reached 10.2 billion yuan. There are 69 rural e-commerce enterprises with annual online sales exceeding 10 million yuan, and the retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas reached 18.14 billion yuan, growing by 10.8%.

Source: Anhui Daily