Changtang village recognized as national beautiful leisure village

Changtang village in the Ganquan sub-district of Hanjiang district in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province has been listed among China's beautiful leisure villages, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Nov 14.

Two hundred and fifty-five villages across the country made the list.

The village, which is renowned for its cherry blossoms, has held the Ganquan Cherry Blossom Festival for eight consecutive years. More than 1.1 million visitors come to view the blossoms every year. 

A renowned scenic attraction in Changtang village is Chenyuan Garden, a national 3A scenic spot spanning 160 mu (10.67 hectares). The garden receives about 200,000 tourists every year.

The village has been aiming to further develop its industry for the guqin (Chinese zither), a seven-stringed plucked instrument with a history of more than 3,000 years, and the guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument which belongs to the zither family of string instruments. The guzheng is the parent instrument of the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese đàn tran.

The village is currently home to nearly 40 guqin and guzheng companies that employ nearly 2,000 local residents.