【媒体看吕梁·CGTN】乡村振兴: 旅游业让华北古镇焕发生机

China has declared an end of extreme poverty. Now the government is seeking to inject vitality into poorer rural areas to ensure that people do not fall back into hardship. One way to do that is tourism. CGTNs Hu Chao reports.

Sixty-year-old Yang Yanmei is performing for tourists in the yard of her house. She lives in Lijiashan Village outside Qikou Old Town.

In the past, Yang and her husband made a living by farming. Now as more tourists come, they have transformed their old house into a homestay. Yang has also become a tour guide. In peak season, she has earned up to 2,000 yuan in a day.

YANG YANMEI Lijiashan Village "Tourism has brought big changes to us. Many elderly women here like me now work as tour guides and earn more than before. Decades ago, life was hard, and my family could only earn about 2,000 yuan a year. But now we can earn tens of thousands of yuan a year. Im very happy."

Lijiashan Village dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The distinctive architecture has been well-preserved. Most are courtyards and cave houses, creating a spectacular view that attracts photographers and culture enthusiasts.

PAN TAO School Teacher from Jiangsu Province "Im amazed by the architecture, preserving the architecture and improving living standards are not contradictory."

The Lijiashan Village is a tourist highlight of Qikou Old Town, which was once a famed trading location along the Yellow River during the Ming and Qing dynasties. But the town declined and sank into poverty amid the rise of highway and railway transport.

But officials have encouraged villagers to cater to tourists, built transport infrastructure and improved living facilities.

LI SHIXI Lijiashan Village "The homestay business here is good. During the holidays, every homestay here is full of guests. This is all thanks to official support."

In , tourism was credited with lifting Qikou out of extreme poverty. The towns annual average income per capita doubled to 6,000 yuan from .

Unfortunately, the number of tourists has fallen because of the pandemic. But officials say if the pandemic eases, they expect the annual number of tourists in the town and its surrounding areas to reach three million by 2026. Hu Chao, CGTN, Shanxi Province.

来源：CGTN

原标题：《【媒体看吕梁·CGTN】乡村振兴: 旅游业让华北古镇焕发生机》