Text and Photos : Anne Kern
Founded over 500 years ago, Chuandixia provides a rare example of original Ming architecture set in the heart of Hebei Province’s remote mountains, approximately 90 kilometres west of Beijing. The town’s tourism initiative can be traced back to the early 1990’s, when many members of the younger generation moved to bigger cities. At one point, only 17 people remained in the town. Then, as tourism began to flourish in China, word circulated in Beijing about Chuandixia and its pristine architecture. In 1995, experts from China’s Cultural Relics Bureau verified the authenticity of the buildings, and in 1998, a local tourism development business was founded.
Now, villagers, who all share the same family name, collect a fee from visitors when they enter Chuandixia. The money is used to build and repair roads, as well as to supply water and electricity to each villager’s home. Most families run small restaurants and rent rooms to weekend visitors. Though they pay a small fee to the government in order to get licensing from the business, tax, and health bureaus in Beijing, families keep over 90% of their earnings. Average families make around 3-4000 RMB per month, which is a considerable amount compared to their negligible income of past years.
The town offers a retreat from the bustle of Beijing and a chance to see history in perspective. The buildings are traditional courtyard style, and many of the walls are covered with portraits and calligraphy. Also painted on these walls in bright red are Mao-era propaganda slogans. Guests can sleep on traditional kang-style beds, which have small coal stoves underneath them and warm up nicely on cold winter nights. Local specialties, including wild vegetables, locally made cornbread, and red rice, garnish restaurant tables.
The lack of modern bathrooms and the lack of English speakers in Chuandixia might be two deterrents to would-be travelers, but the unspoiled, commercial-free ambiance of the village is worth these inconveniences. In addition, the villagers are friendly and interested in visitors, a quality that is rarer in other areas developed for tourism. Also rare in these other areas is the truly community-based initiative seen in Chuandixia. Meanwhile, Chuandixia’s tourism development plan has directly paid off for its residents. As of July 2005, the population of Chuandixia stabilized at 35 households with a population of nearly 200 people. Though trade caravans no longer travel the difficult roads from Shanxi and Mongolia, the village is alive again with another kind of traveler sure to both appreciate the past and value the future of Chuandixia.
Hikers can enjoy trails in the surrounding hills, passing local temples and enjoying views of the village in the valley below. A remote section of the Great Wall is also within hiking distance. Villagers give free walking tours of the town in Chinese.
The town is a three-hour drive from Beijing. It can also be reached by a combination of a public bus from Pingguoyuan Subway Station and a local van near Chuandixia.
Contact
Chuandixia Travel Information Center
Tel. : 86 101 6981 9333
E-mail : cuandixia@gwebinfo.com
Internet : www.chuandixia.com
Language : Mandarin
Other contacts
WildChina, Zhao Bei
E.mail : info@wildchina.com
Internet : www.wildchina.com
Agency located in Beijing can do the booking for your stay in chuandixia.