Secluded village becomes well-known for rural tourism

Sanwang Village in Guangfuqiao Town, Cili County, which was once remote, isolated and impoverished, is now a modern new village with prosperous industries and a well-known holiday resort with convenient transportation that makes it in a 1.5-hour rural tourism economic circle.

A village hidden in deep mountains Sanwang Village is located deep in the southeast of Cili County.

Sanwang Village has magnificent natural scenery and rich tourism resources. It looks like a winding dragon lying in the emerald green of the canyon when seen from the sky. 100-odd unique peaks in various shapes add beauty to Wulei Mountain (a Taoist holy land) and the 48 Stockaded Villages Scenic Area. In the canyon, Sanwang Stream meanders out and passes through the village, on both sides of which, there are lush forests, bamboos and towering ancient trees. Villagers build their houses against the mountains.

According to a local villager, Sanwang Village has a long history. It’s said that King Qinhou of Tujia (leader of the peasant uprising in the late of Yuan Danasty), Li Zicheng (a Chinese rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty) and Wu Sangui (a general of the Ming dynasty who later helped the establishment of Qing dynasty) ever stationed troops here, so that it is called San Wang (which means three kings). Meanwhile, there is another saying that Li Zicheng’s three generals became sworn brothers and once stationed troops here, revered by the locals as three kings.” Those historical legends have added extraordinary qualities to Sanwang Village.

The road up along the stream is one of the important passages to Wulei Mountain for blessing, where the ruins of 36 palaces and 72 temples are scattered, and most of them are distributed on both sides of the canyon. There are five county-level cultural relic protection units like Sanyuan Palace Site and Generals’ Temple in the village.

The beautiful natural scenery, the profound historical and cultural heritage, and the colorful cultural legends constitute the main connotation of Sanwang Village.

Rural tourism for village development In Sanwang Village, what’s particularly eye-catching is Zhuxi Valley homestay hotel converted from private residences, which are in harmony with the nature. The hotel is equipped with guestrooms, teahouse and cafe. The interior decorations are very exquisite.

The poetic dwelling cannot be separated from Hunan Coal Group Co., Ltd. Sanwang Village was classified as a poor village by Cili County in 2014, but all households were lifted out of poverty in 2018. Due to the weak economic foundation and the single industry of the village, the village collective economy developed slowly. In April 2020, Hunan Coal Group began to offer paired-up assistance for Sanwang Village.

After the work team of Hunan Coal Group was stationed in the village, they finally decided on rural leisure tourism industry as one of the leading industries through interview, survey and discussion. The decision wasn’t understood at that time, but it’s the decision that showed the ingenuity of the team in carrying out rural revitalization in accordance with local conditions.

The sightseeing trail along the stream was completed in just three months. Sanwang Village, where weeds were overgrown and the water rose in the event of heavy rain, has become a famous tourist attraction, with newly decorated rural homestay inns, wide cement roads and neatly arranged street lights. The cultural relics scattered in the village have also been effectively protected. The efficiency of the work team was so impressive and its effort has indeed promoted the development of the rural tourism in the village.

Intangible cultural heritage Tujia Bamboo Dance, the long table banquet, bonfire party, and parent-child camping...... Sanwang Village has amazed everyone. Villagers, once skeptical of the rural tourism industry, are joining in it. At present, Sanwang-Zhuxi Valley Homestay has 116 beds, 146 dining seats and can receive 110 people for conference services. It achieved an operating income of 3.5 million yuan in 2022.

Sanwang Village known to more people Sanwang Village is becoming more and more popular and attracts dozens of media. The parent-child food program of Hunan TV was specially filmed here. Besides, Sanwang Village has reached formal cooperation with 6 travel agencies and hosted 8 provincial and municipal level large-scale events with high standards. By the end of February 2023, Sanwang Village had received over 60,000 visitors in total. 1.5-hour rural tourism economic circle of Sanwang Village has become a new landmark of rural tourism in Zhangjiajie and Changde.

Rural tourism has become an important pillar industry and also promotes the development of other industries. In 2022, the villagers sold the local specialties of 548,000 yuan and cured products of 480,000 yuan. The annual revenues of the village collective economy increased to 650,000 yuan from 1,300 yuan and the annual revenues per person was from 6,500 yuan to 15,000 yuan. At present, Sanwang Village has been rated as a demonstration village for high-quality rural tourism in Hunan Province. In the future, Sanwang Village will develop Chinese herbal medicine processing industry and install charging stations and solar panels.

The beautiful Sanwang Village, though in deep mountains, is shining brightly with its unique charm.