Doumen District is investing more than 20 million yuan ($3 million) to position Xincun Village into a popular leisure agricultural travel destination with picturesque rice paddies, seas of flowers, distinctive B&Bs, and greenways.

One of Doumen's 12 Model Villages for Rural Rejuvenation, Xincun in southwest Qianwu Town will have 1,000 mu (67 hectares, 165 acres) of paddy fields converted into an agricultural park. A vast stretch of flowers will bloom in the rice fields to improve soil quality, boost rural tourism, and increase farmers' income.

Xincun has fields of rapeseed flowers [Photo courtesy WeChat account: meilidoumen]

The current 200 mu (13 hectares, 33 acres) of rapeseed flowers, 30 mu (2 hectares, 5 acres) galsang blossoms, and 30 mu of sunflowers in Xincun attracted 450,000 visitors during the Feb 11-17 Spring Festival holiday. Many villagers took advantage of the occasion, selling agricultural products, drinks, and fruits alongside the flower fields.

In addition to landscape improvements, flower corridors, rural courtyards, pastoral footpaths, and greenways will be built and more than 100 vacant brick houses will be remodeled into B&Bs. The local environment will also be beautified with the separation of rainwater and sewage, and there will be a crackdown on unauthorized cable connections.

As of now, 90 percent of village alleys and 80 percent of the tourism boulevards leading out of the village have been cleaned up. Both tasks will be wrapped up this June along with the installment of road signs, according to Chen Weizhong, director of the Xincun Village Committee.

In 2020, Doumen listed the fostering of 12 Model Villages for Rural Rejuvenation among its Top 10 Livelihood Projects and invested 240 million yuan ($37 million) to improve their environment, infrastructure, and public services. To date, 76 percent of the work has been completed, and the villages show significantly improved living environments and increasingly distinctive features.