Doumen's Lianzhou Town will start construction of a 30.38-sq-km (7,507-acre) demonstration belt on rural vitalization that integrates agriculture and tourism in September, where visitors will be able to go sightseeing by trains, boats, and helicopters.

The agriculture park project strives to become a national pioneer in the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas, while aiming to attract 1 million tourists annually in three years. 

The project will launch core products that are expected to be popular on the market, with the goal of increasing local farmers' incomes, said a staff member of the project's operator Zhuhai Culture & Tourism Development.

Surrounded by Luozhou and Hema creeks, Lianzhou Town enjoys abundant natural resources, as well as rich folk culture and intangible cultural heritage items. Ten villages and two communities of the town are covered in the belt.

Lianzhou Town [Photo courtesy WeChat account: meilidoumen]

Two small tourist trains will run on the 5.4-km (3.4-mile) track renovated from the original tractor-plowing roads, with four stations en route. Dredging of about 30 km (19 miles) in rivers, including the Shunliu, Wushimu, and Fenzhou rivers, will be conducted to create a loop with six wharves. Visitors can also take the helicopters to get a bird's eye view of the charming town.

The current cultural creative markets and folk houses at the entrance of Lianjiang Village will be renovated into a commercial street featuring distinctive handicrafts and delicacies, such as shrimp grown in lotus ponds. A small commercial area and parking lot will also be built on nearby land spanning 6 mu (.4 hectares). 

A 3,000-sq-m tourist center with functions like commercial and medical services will be built. Optimized parking facilities will also be constructed. Old streets in the village will be repaired and their facades be upgraded, while preserving the original styles. In addition, lights will be installed to make them dazzling at night. 

An On-Water Wedding Center will provide services including wedding photos, dress rental, and customized ceremonies to enable more people to experience this traditional wedding style.  Advanced technologies will be adopted in the town's greenhouses to control the indoor environment, while a variety of plants will be naturally grown under different climates and scenes. 

In addition, an academy cultivating talents in rural vitalization will be established to support the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.