(Source: China Daily)

Reporter's log: Guangxi county alleviates poverty through sustainable tourism, technology

By Matthew Robert Bossons | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-10-29 09:00

It's a brisk mid-October evening in the settlement of Chengyang Bazhai, a long-established Dong village and scenic area in northern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and hordes of chatty tourists are making their way along the village's narrow, winding laneways. The masses are bound for a courtyard that lies before the village's iconic bell tower and the long-table feast that awaits them there – the Bai Jia Yan, which roughly translates to 'hundred family feast' in English.

The dinner is a popular tourism activity in Chengyang Bazhai, located within Sanjiang Dong autonomous county of Liuzhou city, and attracts visitors from near and afar to sample Dong cuisine while enjoying the ethnic minority's unrivaled hospitality.

At the feast, young Dong women adorned in traditional clothing and jewelry deliver course upon course of delicious local dishes, occasionally breaking to dance, sing and pour strong spirits down the throats of thirsty guests. Diners seem to revel in the experience, posing for photos with their hosts and joining the dancing and drinking without prompting.

"Bai Jia Yan is an important part of Sanjiang's tourism economy, and the tourism industry has driven its development. It promotes employment for the masses, as well as the sale of agricultural products," says Long Xiaoqin, the deputy director of the publicity department of Sanjiang county.

After attending Bai Jia Yan, my first thought is that the dinner event is a fantastic example of sustainable tourism done right. For the uninitiated, the World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as meeting the current demands of tourists and host regions while defending and advancing future opportunities. The organization notes that sustainable tourism should "respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities … make optimal use of environmental resources … and contribute to poverty alleviation," among other attributes.

Chengyang Bazhai's 'hundred family feast' meets these criteria in several ways.

For one, the dishes served at the feast are all prepared with locally produced vegetables and meats, supporting local agricultural workers while limiting the dinner's impact on the environment (local produce travels shorter distances and requires less fuel to transport, limiting greenhouse gas emissions).

The dinner also allows the village's Dong inhabitants to share their culinary heritage and cultural activities – such as singing and dancing – with visitors to achieve twofold benefits: Preserving and promoting their traditional lifeways while also generating revenue for the community.

Unlike cultural tourism in other regions and countries, where large travel companies often position themselves as the primary beneficiaries of tourism packages and excursions to rural areas, Dong residents of Chengyang Bazhai have maintained control of Bai Jia Yan and reaped the benefits of its success.

Organized by Aixian Wu, a local Dong woman who operates a village restaurant, the dinner provides jobs for chefs, servers, cleaning staff and the lively entertainers – all village residents and members of the Dong ethnic group.

This cultural and economic empowerment is palpable while visiting Chengyang Bazhai: Most of the Dong villagers do not hawk generic trinkets in pursuit of a quick buck; instead, they want to introduce visitors to their food, their language, their songs and dance, their stunning handmade silver jewelry and traditional handicrafts and their vibrant garments. While wandering the settlement's warren of small alleys, I sense unmistakable pride in the past and excitement about what the future holds.

The benefits of sustainable tourism and its role in poverty alleviation are not lost on the local government, which has been actively supporting the tourism industry's development in Chengyang Bazhai and other villages.

"Visitors appreciate the unique ethnic customs. Dong tea, suancai and sour pork – these dishes let visitors experience the tastes of Dong cuisine, which is an important link in the tourism-consumption poverty-alleviation industry chain," says Long. "In recent years, Sanjiang county has created good economic benefits while inheriting traditional ethnic nationality culture, combining ethnic culture with tourism and opening up a new way of cultural tourism to enrich the local people."

Long tells me that the government has taken a four-pronged approach to developing tourism, which includes increasing investment in tourism infrastructure, media promotion of Sanjiang's tourism brand and incentive policies to attract visitors and reward travel agencies, among other initiatives.

Local authorities have also committed to using technology to attract more visitors to Sanjiang Dong autonomous county, having launched a tourism-focused WeChat Mini Program in October 2019.

Using the platform, which was built following the 'Internet + Travel Service' development philosophy, travelers can learn about the area's shopping and entertainment options, book tours, reserve a hotel room and secure transportation. Users can also file complaints using the mini-program or request service help. Think of the application as a hyper-localized version of Trip.com.

"You can learn about Sanjiang's food, accommodation options, transportation facilities, attractions and shopping and entertainment amenities through this app. Travelers can realize that a mobile phone will help you experience Sanjiang county in a smart way," Long tells me, before adding that the WeChat Mini Program has been a significant player in local poverty alleviation efforts.

"Through the 'One Mobile Phone Tour of Three Rivers' project, Sanjiang helps the impoverished people of the Chengyangqiao Scenic Area, Buyang Tea Mountain Scenic Area, Danzhou Scenic Area and other scenic areas to lift themselves out of poverty. From January to August 2020, the county received a total of 3.88 million tourists, achieving total tourism revenue of 4.04 billion yuan."

Sanjiang county's mobile tourism platform is entirely Chinese, but – despite my abysmal Chinese-language skills – I could navigate the program with relative ease, thanks to its intuitive layout, generic icons and ample photographs. Through the mini-app, I was able to identify several scenic spots in the county that I was keen to visit, including the iconic Chengyang Shelter Bridge (Fengyu Qiao).

The sheltered bridge stretches more than 60 meters across the Linxi River and is one of the world's most famous historic bridges – alongside the Bridge of Sighs in Venice and London's Tower Bridge. According to local beliefs, the bridge offers shelter and brings wind and rain on time. The Dong people also believe it wards off bad luck.

Interestingly, the historic, cross-river structure was built without using a single nail, screw or bolt. Instead, it was assembled using special joints. It's unquestionably beautiful, and the numerous pagoda-like pavilions that dot the raised walkway help it stand out from bridges in other parts of China.

In addition to the Chengyang Shelter Bridge, Sanjiang's WeChat Mini Program promotes a wealth of other attractions, scenic areas and activities, ranging from culinary experiences (like the aforementioned Bai Jia Yan) to cultural performances and outdoor agricultural activities, such as harvesting tea near Buyang village.

It's the first localized WeChat-based travel platform that I have come across. Its efficiency, ease of use and – perhaps most importantly – its contributions to poverty alleviation efforts in Sanjiang county are all awe-inspiring.

Using modern technology and sustainable development practices, I have little doubt that Sanjiang will become a role model for ethnic and culture-focused tourism development across Guangxi and China at large.

The author is writer with China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise and would like to contribute to China Daily, please contact us at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn , and comment@chinadaily.com.cn