Yucun Village sits in Zhejiang Province on the Chinese mainland and just pulled off the ultimate glow-up 🌱✨. Once blanketed in limestone dust, this sleepy spot is now a top eco-tourism gem loved by locals and wanderers alike.
Back in the 1980s, villagers blasted the hills for high-quality limestone to feed booming cement factories. Sure, families saw their bank balances grow, but the air got choked, and the land paid the price.
Then came a bold pivot: the village committee shut down the mines and said hello to a leisure economy. Instead of selling rocks, they started selling the scenery. Think rice paddies swaying next to sunflower fields—imagine Bali’s Ubud vibes but with a Zhejiang twist 🌾🌻.
On August 15, 2005, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, dropped by and praised the move as “brilliant,” coining the idea that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” That moment sparked a green revolution here.
For villagers like Pan Chunlin—once a tractor driver in the mines—the shift was life-changing. In 2005, he opened Yucun’s first guesthouse. “We were miners; now I run a small business and lead a team of colleagues,” Pan told CGTN, proof that sustainable tourism can power real dreams.
Fast forward to 2024: Yucun welcomed 1.22 million visitors and raked in 22.05 million yuan (~$3.1M). With over 1,000 residents, average incomes hit 74,000 yuan, and annual dividends per person jumped from 600 to 3,000 yuan. Talk about leveling up 💰🚀!
Today, where dust ruled, stylish countryside cafés buzz in repurposed cement plants and eco-trails weave through the hills. Yucun’s story shows that protecting nature can be the ultimate money-maker—and a blueprint for green growth across Asia and beyond.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
