Poverty reduction + tourism change lives in Hainan

A photo of the information center of Beiren village, Jiaji town, Qionghai city, Hainan Province [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

With the approach of the 30th anniversary of Hainan's status as a province and a special economic zone, villages on the island are going through an economic transformation and flourishing in their own ways.

A photo shows the winding roads which connect the cottages, forests and fields in Beireng village, Jiaji town, Qionghai city, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

At Beireng village, in the district of Jiaji, in the city of Qionghai, a saying goes: "When you hear Qionghai, you think of happiness, when you hear Jiaji you think of tasty foods, when you hear Beireng, it reminds you of home." The municipal government's "Poverty Reduction + Tourism" development mode has been increasing the income of locals, and also making Beireng a nationwide tourism attraction. From October, 2017 to February, 2018, Beireng village received a total of 300,000 domestic and international tourists.

Visitors from a nearby hot spring resort stroll through Beireng village, Jiaji town, Qionghai city, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

The "Poverty Reduction + Tourism" mode is also providing benefits to Shijin village in the Baoting Li Autonomous County in Hainan, which has been listed as a "national-level poverty-stricken county."

A photo shows the traditional house gate in Beireng village, Jiaji town, Qionghai city, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

The mode, introduced to the village a decade ago, has made a huge difference in incomes, as the village lies between two famous tourist attractions: Penang Valley and Yanoda. The average annual income in Shijin has been elevated from 2,000 yuan to over 13,000.

Visitors to Shijin village are welcomed with traditional rice wine, in the Baoting Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

The village receives over 1.5 million visitors annually.

A photo shows an old home, said to remind villagers of their hard-won happiness, in Shijin village, Baoting Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

A photo shows new homes in Shijin village, Baoting Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]

A photo shows new homes in Shijin village, Baoting Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province. [Photo: ChinaPlus/Ge Anna]