Abozuo: An ecological Yi village
Since the development of rural tourism, the livelihood of Li Wengui and his family in Abozuo village, Xinping county in central Yunnan’s Yuxi, has been greatly improved. Under the support of local government, Li started his agrotourism business in the October of 2016, specializing on serving cuisines of the Yi people. At present, this business can bring as much as 100,000 yuan to his household per year. Meanwhile, Abozuo —the village where they live — has welcomed 186,000 visitors which helps generate a total revenue of 37.2 million yuan till the end of 2019.
Abozuo, lying at the foot of Mopan Mountain in Xinping county, Yuxi, is a picturesque Yi village. It takes no longer than 20 minutes to drive from Xinping to Abozuo.
Before entering the village, one might already be mesmerized by the breathtaking landscape nearby. Stretches of golden rice fields glister in the sun while mountains show their grandiosity against the backdrop of crystal-blue sky. Inside the village, traditional Yi-style residences are still remained, which provides tourists with a chance to explore the history and culture of Yi people who have been living here for centuries.
The changes of Abozuo village over the past few years can be identified in various aspects. Tourist infrastructures such as public toilets, parking lots and street nameplates are no longer absent, and areas for fishing and BBQ have also appeared in the village. Abozuo has certainly transformed itself into an ideal destination for rural tourism.
In order to attract more domestic and overseas tourists, the village has been keen on promoting ethic tourism and newly-emerged ecotourism recently. Dancing competitions, fish-catching contests and a range of other cultural activities and events are frequently held in the village, particularly on festival days. And every time, local residents would welcome visitors and tourists near the village, wearing their colorful and exquisite ethnic costumes.
Fish-catching contest is probably the most popular activity in Abozuo. Watching swarms of tourists searching and trying to catch fish in wet-rice fields is also one of the happiest moments for villagers in summertime.
To Liwengui, Saturday and Sunday are normally his busiest time over a week, because he has to prepare meals with local ingredients for dozens of tourists who flock to Abozuo. In the October of 2016, Li started his agrotourism business which specializes on cuisines of the Yi people under the support local government. His dishes soon became popular among tourists as he used to work as a cook at one restaurant in Xinping county before. Today, his small yard is crammed with visitors and tourists almost every day, and the livelihood of his family has been improved significantly. This business can bring over 100,000 yuan of income to them each year.
With an aim to further regulate local tourist market and boost rural tourism, a new mode has been employed by the village to combine itself with a village-fund enterprise named Abozuo Ecological Development Company. Through this means, the village’s capacity to receive visitors and tourists can be largely raised; the income of each household in Abozuo is also seeing substantial increase. Till the end of 2019, Abozuo has welcomed 186,000 visitors which helps generate a total revenue of 37.2 million yuan.
Writing by Duan Jianxin; trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong; photographs by Meng Zhigang