Chongqing - On October 10, the "High-Quality Development Research Tour" Chongqing-themed interview activity ventured into the heart of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County's Qiaotou Town. As the team climbed the long stone steps leading to the Wawu Village, locals dressed in traditional Tujia attire warmly invited everyone to sample the special local delicacy, "Rice Tea."

Wang Dong, the Secretary of the Qiaotou Town Party Committee, introduced, "This place used to be full of dilapidated houses. With the arrival of several enterprises, the houses have been renovated, tourists are flocking in, and residents are earning rental and employment wages."

Introducing Over 60 Enterprises

Qiaotou Town is one of the 17 key towns in Chongqing prioritized for rural revitalization. In 2021, when the work team from the Publicity Department of Chongqing Municipal Party Committee arrived to assist the region, there were few substantial industries in the area, and it lacked development vitality.

"To help Qiaotou Town find a clear development path, the work team conducted in-depth surveys and research across the villages. This information helped craft a development plan for rural revitalization," Wang Dong explained. 

During their research, the work team identified the unique culture that had evolved over a thousand years in Qiaotou Town. Combining this with existing industries like the crispy plum and Cuiguan pear, along with the Tengzigou National Wetland Park and the Yangjiao Village natural scenic spots, they decided to pursue an integrated development path merging agriculture, culture, and tourism.

At the end of 2021, Qiaotou Town held its first-ever talent recruitment event for Shizhu.

Business people from Fujian Province established a clothing factory here, an agricultural company developed the crispy plum industry, and several enterprises from the city's catering business association have successively set up shops.

Some enterprises from the city's catering business association have set up shops in the Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County's Qiaotou Town. (Photo/James Alexander)

Qiaotou Town has seen a real social capital investment that exceeds 50 million yuan, with over 60 enterprises introduced. This has led to the clustering of catering and homestay businesses, significantly increasing tourism popularity and reception capacity and providing residents with an average annual increase of over 30,000 yuan in income.

During the recent National Day holiday, Qiaotou Town received over 20,000 visitors, and the homestay occupancy rate exceeded 50%.

Elevating the Quality of Agri-Culture-Tourism

As the group traveled the winding mountain road, they arrived at a special homestay and were immediately captivated. 

Traditional Tujia-style homestays nestled into the mountainside with their rustic exterior evoked a sense of nostalgia. A closer look revealed that these courtyard homes, transformed from old farmhouses, retained their ancient rammed earth walls and featured numerous antique objects bearing time marks. Yet, the living arrangements were decidedly modern.

The living arrangements of the traditional Tujia-style homestays were modern. (Photo/James Alexander)

Liu Xiaobo, the homestay manager, has been involved in transforming and operating old courtyards in Chongqing's Banan District for many years. 

"With the support of the work team, I decided to establish a homestay in Shizhu. The location is excellent, with stunning natural scenery and convenient transportation. Leveraging my channels for customer sourcing, I believe that future development here will be promising," Liu Xiaobo added. 

During the past National Day holiday, he organized a group of tourists to experience the place, and their feedback was very positive. He plans to formally launch operations this month.

Creating an Artistic Creation Hub

Last month, the Chongqing Tianlai Education Group sent its first batch of 176 students to Qiaotou Town for a week-long artistic creation excursion. "This represents a significant step forward in our efforts to build an artistic creation hub for the entire city."

With strong support from the Shizhu County Government, the Tianlai Education Group has partnered with Qiaotou Town to integrate internal and external resources fully. Together with more than 30 universities, they are vigorously promoting the development of the Qiaotou Artistic Creation Hub.

Three students are creating works of art on the creative platform, with a stunning landscape in front of them. (Photo/James Alexander)

"On one hand, students need artistic inspiration; on the other, Qiaotou Town's unique Tujia culture is very suitable for artistic creation. Therefore, our group has decided to participate in the rural revitalization of Qiaotou Town. In the future, we will continue to organize students to come here for artistic creation, supporting local development," said Gong Bin, the founder and vice president of the Tianlai Education Group.

Wang Dong added that Qiaotou Town plans to establish an artistic creation hub for the entire city. Currently, the town is actively seeking investment and planning to build artistic creation reception centers, art exhibition halls, art lecture halls, and artistic creation platforms, further enhancing the attractiveness and market competitiveness of the hub.