An aerial drone photo taken on July 19, 2024 shows the view of Azheke Village in Yuanyang County of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. – Xinhua photo
BEIJING (Nov 17): Seven villages in China have been honoured as Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) in its 2024 selection, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Announced at a UN Tourism meeting held in Cartagena, Colombia on Friday Beijing Time, the seven new additions bring the total number of Chinese villages recognized as Best Tourism Villages to 15, making China the country with the highest number of villages holding this title.
The seven Chinese villages picked by UN Tourism this year are Azheke Village in Yunnan, Guanyang Village in Fujian, Shibadong Village in Hunan, Taoping Village in Sichuan, Xiaogang Village in Anhui, Xitou Village in Zhejiang and Yandunjiao Village in Shandong.
Tourists visit Guanyang Village of Nanjing County, southeast China’s Fujian Province. – Xinhua photo
Spanning eastern, central and western regions of the country, these villages are highly representative in terms of geography, culture and development models – highlighting the remarkable achievements of rural tourism development across China.
For example, Yunnan’s Azheke Village, nestled in the heart of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has embraced a unique approach to tourism development.
An aerial drone photo shows the view of Shibadong Village of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hunan Province. – Xinhua photo
Villagers have contributed resources such as terraces, houses and traditional ways of life, creating a model of collective participation and shared prosperity.
Shibadong Village in Hunan, meanwhile, serves as a landmark in China’s poverty reduction efforts.
An aerial drone photo shows a view of Taoping Village in Lixian County of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. – Xinhua photo
It is the birthplace of the concept of “targeted poverty alleviation” – a key strategy that enabled China to lift nearly 100 million people out of poverty.
By integrating culture and tourism to drive new momentum for rural development, the once-impoverished village now showcases China’s rural revitalisation success to the world.
An aerial drone photo shows the view of Xiaogang Village in Fengyang County of Chuzhou, east China’s Anhui Province. – Xinhua photo
Anhui’s Xiaogang, a village where China’s rural reform began over four decades ago, is another location making strides on its new journey toward achieving rural revitalisation.
Today, visitors from across the globe can witness the profound changes China has undergone by exploring this village.
An aerial drone photo shows a view of Xitou Village of Longquan City in Lishui, east China’s Zhejiang Province. – Xinhua photo
To promote rural tourism, UN Tourism launched the Best Tourism Villages project in 2021 to recognise villages across the world that are leading the way in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values and culinary traditions. – Xinhua
Photo taken on Dec 17, 2023 shows a view of the snow-covered Yandunjiao Village of Rongcheng, east China’s Shandong Province. – Xinhua photo
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