Chongqing- On the morning of May 23, President Xi Jinping visited members of the economic circle who participated in the third meeting of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and participated in the joint meeting to listen to opinions and suggestions.

Mr. Liu Qi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Commission, delivered a speech on the theme of "transforming characteristic ecological resources into poverty alleviation and development advantages” during the meeting.

A case example discussed in the meeting was the formerly impoverished district of Wulong. In the past, the development of this remote, mountainous area was highly impractical due to the poor state of transport infrastructure. However, great improvements in this respect have allowed Wulong to rise out of poverty through the incorporation of cultural tourism.

President Xi expressed his deep satisfaction at the achievements of poverty alleviation through development in tourism, and stipulated this new course of development through cultural tourism should continue, providing there is no damage caused to the wealth of natural scenery.

Liu Qi recalls meeting with President Xi

On the afternoon of May 23, the video link with the reporter introduced President Xi Jinping to participate in the economy During the scene of the joint meeting of the world committee members, Liu Qi was still full of excitement and could not hide his excitement.

As Wulong leads poverty alleviation in Chongqing through development in tourism, Liu Qi specifically listed three instances of high-level official recognition. Firstly, the area of outstanding natural beauty is now designated as a ‘Practical Base for Innovation.’ Secondly, Wulong received the ‘Sustainable Development Model Award’ issued by the United Nations. Lastly, the achievements of Wulong was listed as a ‘Case Example of Poverty Reduction’ by the World Tourism Alliance in 2018.

Xi emphasized that the wealth of natural scenery in the mountains of Wulong is a precious resource and that all efforts should be made to protect the environment whilst alleviating poverty through development in cultural tourism.

In response, he said that Wulong will become a demonstration zone for the integration of culture and tourism, whilst exemplifying the necessity to protect the ecological environment and take the road of high-quality development.　　

Secrets behind the monetary potential of scenic areas

Wulong, located among the Wuling mountain range and Dalou mountain gorge areas, was identified as a key county for national poverty alleviation and development in 2002, and as a key county in Wuling Mountain's contiguous poor areas in 2011.

Practicing the development concept of "The Green Mountains and Rivers as a Source of Wealth", in 2017, Wulong eradicated poverty in the poor counties, and 30,000 poor households rose out of poverty through tourism.

Now Wulong has been rated by Chongqing Ministry of Ecology and Environment as the only Practical Innovation Base for the policy of 'The Green Mountains and Rivers as a Source of Wealth,' and is also among the first batch of “National Tourism Demonstration Areas”.

Among them, rural tourism alone received 10 million tourists, with a comprehensive income of 2 billion yuan, and nearly 30,000 poor people with card-building benefits from development driven by tourism.

According to statistics last year, Wulong received 36 million tourists, with a comprehensive income of 17 billion yuan, helping nearly 100,000 people increase their income through the tourism sector. To date, the incidence of poverty in the district has dropped to 0.03%, the per capita disposable income of rural permanent residents is 14,030 yuan.

Upon the high slopes of Jiangkou Town, 383 acres of crisp plums have been yielded fruit, along with pears, persimmons, cherries, and yellow essence. This orchard means a bright future for the 48-year-old villager Wang Gang.

‘Many people have started to pick your own farms for tourists, so I wanted to try myself." 48-year-old Wang Gang inspected everywhere and decided on crisp plums.

In 2019, the orchard produced 3,000 kg of crisp plums that sold out with the help of local poverty alleviation cadres.

‘There are more than 200 acres of tiger ginger planted on the mountain, and now it is beginning to bear fruit." Yang Zongsheng, the first secretary of Jingzhuba Village, told reporters that Jingzhuba Village could not engage in the development and construction of large projects, and so they relied on cultivation in the mountains to escape poverty.

Among them, rural tourism alone received 10 million tourists, with a comprehensive income of 2 billion yuan, and nearly 30,000 poor people with card-building benefits from development driven by tourism.