Snacks, ecotourism put Fujian village on track to prosperity

Renowned as "the first village of Shaxian Snacks", Yubang village in Shaxian county, Fujian province has achieved financial stability by developing a local snacks industry and promoting ecotourism.

Yubang village, which is enclosed by mountains, used to be a poor village during the early 1990s due to a lack of land and inconvenient transportation.

The then-Party Secretary, Yu Guangqing, led the people out of the village to open bars where they could sell their traditional snacks at low prices. Their business grew quickly as they worked long hours and relied on razor-thin profit margins.

"In the past, we made a living by selling Shaxian snacks. Now snacks not only make everyone rich, but also will be a key for making our village prosperous," Yu said.

A group of young villagers and experienced snack bar owners started to open Shaxian Snacks bars in Yubang village after achieving success outside the village. In order to strengthen the competitiveness of "the first village of Shaxian Snacks", they have regulated the management mode, explored new snacks, and improved the taste as well as the dinning environment.

In 2021, the per capita income of villagers in Yubang village was 28,320 yuan ($4,355.61), a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.

While gaining profits from the characteristic snacks industry, Yubang village boasts a forest coverage rate of 74.52 percent, still prioritizes ecological protection and gives full play to its ecological advantages to develop rural ecotourism.