Investor from Taiwan promotes rural tourism in Fujian

Wang Shuzhen is hoping to attract more professional teams from Taiwan for community building and rural reconstruction. She wants them to invest and help revitalize the rural economy of the Chinese mainland after successfully transforming a local village into a leisure resort for sightseeing and camping in Quanzhou, Fujian province.

Wang, an investor from Taiwan, said Quanzhou — where the mountains are green and the water is clean — has ample space for the development of tourism. Over the last year, Wang made Xiadai, formerly a barren village, into an idyllic resort.

She arrived in Xiadai in February last year and immediately found that the village, with its convenient transportation facilities, was suitable for building a resort. Located against the mountains and overlooking the sea, Xiadai has farmland, landscapes and simple villagers — similar to conditions at some famous scenic spots in Taiwan.

Wang has been deeply engaged in developing leisure farms and rural tourism, and she has been involved in community construction for many years on the island of Taiwan.

She and her team began to work on Xiadai, improving the appearance of the village, rehabilitating farmland and transforming abandoned mines.

"We first cleaned the entire village and renovated some dilapidated houses," she said. "Then we opened up wasteland, built roads on the mountains and planned and built a wooden plank path and footpath from which to view the whole landscape. The village took on an altogether new aspect in less than a year."

From Monday to Thursday, families with autistic children and elderly members with dementia are invited to come for free agricultural therapy. Tourists come to camp, barbecue and participate in leisure activities from Friday to Sunday, she said.

"We have also brought soul music therapy here from Taiwan, so that tourists can release their stress with a week in the village," Wang said.

In the coming months, she added, Taiwan's characteristic agricultural products will be introduced to local farms, along with homestays, mountain book bars, mine concerts and art centers. Taiwan's service and management concepts will be adopted at the scenic spot to help create a quiet, safe and secure ecological leisure and health resort, Wang said.