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Lately， agritourism has sprouted as a hot topic among farmers across Wangcheng District in Changsha， capital of central China’s Hunan province. They recently received a delegation of diplomats and mayors from across the world， treating guests to local tea， fruit and snacks. The visitors were also impressed by the area’s fascinating scenery and local culture.
On October 24， with the theme Draw on Urban-Rural Integration Models to Explore New Urban-Rural Relationship， the First Summit of the World Agritourism Development Forum was launched in Wangcheng， with 46 diplomats and representatives from across the world attending the four-day event.
“We will take this summit as an opportunity to promote agritourism， as a means to accelerate urban-rural integration， and thus enable urban residents to enjoy the beauty and peace of the countryside， and rural residents’ modern life，” said Yi lianhong， the city’s party chief.
His comment was echoed by diplomats.“let’s start here to promote agritourism across the world，” said lithuanian Ambassador to China lina Antanaviciene.
Rural life
“I have great fun in the countryside. On the weekends， I often drive and take my family to Wangcheng District. We eat and play at the farmer’s market. The vegetables are freshly picked from the field. And the fish is from the pond nearby. They taste great，” said Tian Ming， an engineer at a machinery company in the city.
“Besides the food， we also play cards in the courtyard， smelling the green trees and beautiful flowers. It is wonderful，” he said.
Indeed， more urban residents now choose to tour the countryside on weekends or during holidays. After only a short trip， the city of steel and cement is left behind， and a rural landscape with fresh air and good scenery abounds.
Take Tian for instance， it only takes him 20 minutes to drive to Wangcheng from the downtown area. located in the northwest of the city， the district covers an area of 969 square km with an estimated population of 536，800. It is the first choice of urban residents when they want to tour the country.
“A friend once jokingly told me that villagers want to go to town， while people in town now want to go to villages. I believe that in the future， more urban residents will choose to experience life in the countryside，” China’s former Foreign Minister li Zhaoxing said during the summit on October 25. Indeed， this has already become a more and more popular lifestyle among Chinese urban residents amid its ongoing urbanization. It is against this backdrop that agritourism has surged in recent years.
“Agritourism is a new and comprehensive model， which operates via the commoditization of rural landscapes， rural life and folk culture. It attracts tourists to eat， live， travel， entertain and shop in rural areas，” said li Shiqiu， Vice Mayor of Changsha. “It meets the urban aspiration for rural life.”
“Agritourism is a good way of leisure， and means a higher level of consumption. To pick fruit in the orchard， vegetables in the field， and fish in a pond is quite different from buying at a market. The former creates a good sense of happiness，” said Yin Chengjie， former Executive Vice Minister of Agriculture， who also participated in the summit.
Yin’s opinion is shared by all attendants. “It’s a good option to develop agritourism. people can see the beautiful landscape and enjoy culture. In peru， we are also strengthening efforts in this field，” said Carmen Azurin， Minister of peru to China.
“We still have a way to go. For instance， in Western and Eastern European countries， agritourism is very diversified. There is much to learn，” Yin said.
Aspiration regarding agritourism was echoed by Yuan longping， the Father of Hybrid Rice， who has helped solved the food shortage problem in China.
“My dream is not only about feeding people all over the world， but also giving full play to the multiple functions of agriculture， including tourism， education and recreation on the premise of ensuring grain security，” said Yuan.
Cultural flavor
Indeed， culture plays an increasingly significant role in agritourism. A good reason for the popularity of Wangcheng as a destination is its rich traditions.
In addition to natural rural landscapes， welldeveloped eco-farms and eco-gardens， it has several ancient towns and pottery kilns， which have all been developed for tourists.
The ancient Tongguan Kiln was an important base of production during the Tang Dynasty （618-907）. A large number of colorglazed pottery was unearthed here in 1965 and 1978. Decorated with green-colored patterns depicting human figures， animals， plants and natural landscapes， these items represent the excellent craftsmanship of this period.
Now a museum covers the site， exhibiting cultural relics excavated here. What’s more， a studio has been opened alongside， providing pottery lessons to children and tourists. “On the weekend， I often take my son here to make pottery. He has great fun，” said Mo Xianfeng， an English teacher at a middle school in the city， and also the mother of an 11-year-old.
“See those pottery wares？” said Mo， pointing to shelves in the studio that carry ashtrays， pencil cases and cups， etc. Some are not perfect， but still lovely.
“They were all made by tourists. My son can also make those now，” Mo said with a proud smile.
According to her， many parents bring their children here on weekends for lessons and have great fun.
Tea serves as another important part of the local culture. Here tourists can savour sesame tea， made from sesame， beans， peanuts， ginger and salt. locals drink it every day to drive away the cold and keep healthy according to Chinese medicinal traditions.
In addition， people here drink ceremonial black tea， which tourists can also experience.
“I love Chinese tea culture very much. Ceremonies are like a ballet. It demands coordinated body movements. It’s so delicate and elegant，” said Magdalena Kachniewska， a professor with the Department of Tourism， Warsaw School of Economics， poland， who attended a tea ceremony in a local village on October 25.
The importance of culture in agritourism was agreed at the summit. “Tourism should always protect and preserve mother nature， culture， tradition and heritage，” said Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen.
Economic benefit
“Agritourism also increases the income of farmers，” said Yin， former Executive Vice Minister of Agriculture.
According to local government statistics， Wangcheng receives more than 6 million tourists annually， and has realized consolidated tourism revenue of 30 million yuan （$4.76 million）. In recent years， the average annual growth rate of farmers’ net income has reached over 20 percent.
Talking about agritourism’s contribution to the increase of farmers’ income， Jinggang Ancient Town serves as an excellent example. During the National Day holiday， a peak tourism period in China， a shop could sell about 400 cups of sesame tea a day， for 5 yuan （$0.82） each. It could also sell around 3，000 to 4，000 bowls of rice wine a day， for 3 yuan （$0.49） each. Locals have benefited greatly from agritourism.
Indeed， the economic benefits of agritourism have encouraged many countries across the world.
“Our experience in recent years proves agritourism drives agricultural development. It can increase income， promote employment and ensure good operation of rural communities. In Italy， agritourism has surged in recent years. During 2012， rural areas received about 3 million tourists，” said Maurizio Martina， Italian Vice Minister of Agricultural policies， Food and Forestry， on October 27. Indeed， Changsha regards agritourism as a significant means to realize urban-rural integration. “We will explore balanced development between urban and rural areas with Changsha features，” said Yi， party chief of the city.
According to Yi， the city has strengthened investment in agritourism to balance urban and rural development. The Wangcheng District is a focus of such initiative， which has born remarkable fruit.
Since 2009， the district’s GDp and per-capita equivalent has achieved an annual growth rate of 16.1 and 28 percent， respectively， while its competitiveness jumped to No. 2 in the province. The per-capita net income of farmers in 2011 was twice the national average， with an annual growth rate of 21.2 percent. During the first half of 2012， the annual growth rate hit 30.4 percent， far higher than the national figure.
Now the district has become a successful model for China’s central and western regions， especially suburban districts and counties near big cities in terms of developing rural economies with local features and coordinating urbanrural economic growth.
On October 24， with the theme Draw on Urban-Rural Integration Models to Explore New Urban-Rural Relationship， the First Summit of the World Agritourism Development Forum was launched in Wangcheng， with 46 diplomats and representatives from across the world attending the four-day event.
“We will take this summit as an opportunity to promote agritourism， as a means to accelerate urban-rural integration， and thus enable urban residents to enjoy the beauty and peace of the countryside， and rural residents’ modern life，” said Yi lianhong， the city’s party chief.
His comment was echoed by diplomats.“let’s start here to promote agritourism across the world，” said lithuanian Ambassador to China lina Antanaviciene.
Rural life
“I have great fun in the countryside. On the weekends， I often drive and take my family to Wangcheng District. We eat and play at the farmer’s market. The vegetables are freshly picked from the field. And the fish is from the pond nearby. They taste great，” said Tian Ming， an engineer at a machinery company in the city.
“Besides the food， we also play cards in the courtyard， smelling the green trees and beautiful flowers. It is wonderful，” he said.
Indeed， more urban residents now choose to tour the countryside on weekends or during holidays. After only a short trip， the city of steel and cement is left behind， and a rural landscape with fresh air and good scenery abounds.
Take Tian for instance， it only takes him 20 minutes to drive to Wangcheng from the downtown area. located in the northwest of the city， the district covers an area of 969 square km with an estimated population of 536，800. It is the first choice of urban residents when they want to tour the country.
“A friend once jokingly told me that villagers want to go to town， while people in town now want to go to villages. I believe that in the future， more urban residents will choose to experience life in the countryside，” China’s former Foreign Minister li Zhaoxing said during the summit on October 25. Indeed， this has already become a more and more popular lifestyle among Chinese urban residents amid its ongoing urbanization. It is against this backdrop that agritourism has surged in recent years.
“Agritourism is a new and comprehensive model， which operates via the commoditization of rural landscapes， rural life and folk culture. It attracts tourists to eat， live， travel， entertain and shop in rural areas，” said li Shiqiu， Vice Mayor of Changsha. “It meets the urban aspiration for rural life.”
“Agritourism is a good way of leisure， and means a higher level of consumption. To pick fruit in the orchard， vegetables in the field， and fish in a pond is quite different from buying at a market. The former creates a good sense of happiness，” said Yin Chengjie， former Executive Vice Minister of Agriculture， who also participated in the summit.
Yin’s opinion is shared by all attendants. “It’s a good option to develop agritourism. people can see the beautiful landscape and enjoy culture. In peru， we are also strengthening efforts in this field，” said Carmen Azurin， Minister of peru to China.
“We still have a way to go. For instance， in Western and Eastern European countries， agritourism is very diversified. There is much to learn，” Yin said.
Aspiration regarding agritourism was echoed by Yuan longping， the Father of Hybrid Rice， who has helped solved the food shortage problem in China.
“My dream is not only about feeding people all over the world， but also giving full play to the multiple functions of agriculture， including tourism， education and recreation on the premise of ensuring grain security，” said Yuan.
Cultural flavor
Indeed， culture plays an increasingly significant role in agritourism. A good reason for the popularity of Wangcheng as a destination is its rich traditions.
In addition to natural rural landscapes， welldeveloped eco-farms and eco-gardens， it has several ancient towns and pottery kilns， which have all been developed for tourists.
The ancient Tongguan Kiln was an important base of production during the Tang Dynasty （618-907）. A large number of colorglazed pottery was unearthed here in 1965 and 1978. Decorated with green-colored patterns depicting human figures， animals， plants and natural landscapes， these items represent the excellent craftsmanship of this period.
Now a museum covers the site， exhibiting cultural relics excavated here. What’s more， a studio has been opened alongside， providing pottery lessons to children and tourists. “On the weekend， I often take my son here to make pottery. He has great fun，” said Mo Xianfeng， an English teacher at a middle school in the city， and also the mother of an 11-year-old.
“See those pottery wares？” said Mo， pointing to shelves in the studio that carry ashtrays， pencil cases and cups， etc. Some are not perfect， but still lovely.
“They were all made by tourists. My son can also make those now，” Mo said with a proud smile.
According to her， many parents bring their children here on weekends for lessons and have great fun.
Tea serves as another important part of the local culture. Here tourists can savour sesame tea， made from sesame， beans， peanuts， ginger and salt. locals drink it every day to drive away the cold and keep healthy according to Chinese medicinal traditions.
In addition， people here drink ceremonial black tea， which tourists can also experience.
“I love Chinese tea culture very much. Ceremonies are like a ballet. It demands coordinated body movements. It’s so delicate and elegant，” said Magdalena Kachniewska， a professor with the Department of Tourism， Warsaw School of Economics， poland， who attended a tea ceremony in a local village on October 25.
The importance of culture in agritourism was agreed at the summit. “Tourism should always protect and preserve mother nature， culture， tradition and heritage，” said Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen.
Economic benefit
“Agritourism also increases the income of farmers，” said Yin， former Executive Vice Minister of Agriculture.
According to local government statistics， Wangcheng receives more than 6 million tourists annually， and has realized consolidated tourism revenue of 30 million yuan （$4.76 million）. In recent years， the average annual growth rate of farmers’ net income has reached over 20 percent.
Talking about agritourism’s contribution to the increase of farmers’ income， Jinggang Ancient Town serves as an excellent example. During the National Day holiday， a peak tourism period in China， a shop could sell about 400 cups of sesame tea a day， for 5 yuan （$0.82） each. It could also sell around 3，000 to 4，000 bowls of rice wine a day， for 3 yuan （$0.49） each. Locals have benefited greatly from agritourism.
Indeed， the economic benefits of agritourism have encouraged many countries across the world.
“Our experience in recent years proves agritourism drives agricultural development. It can increase income， promote employment and ensure good operation of rural communities. In Italy， agritourism has surged in recent years. During 2012， rural areas received about 3 million tourists，” said Maurizio Martina， Italian Vice Minister of Agricultural policies， Food and Forestry， on October 27. Indeed， Changsha regards agritourism as a significant means to realize urban-rural integration. “We will explore balanced development between urban and rural areas with Changsha features，” said Yi， party chief of the city.
According to Yi， the city has strengthened investment in agritourism to balance urban and rural development. The Wangcheng District is a focus of such initiative， which has born remarkable fruit.
Since 2009， the district’s GDp and per-capita equivalent has achieved an annual growth rate of 16.1 and 28 percent， respectively， while its competitiveness jumped to No. 2 in the province. The per-capita net income of farmers in 2011 was twice the national average， with an annual growth rate of 21.2 percent. During the first half of 2012， the annual growth rate hit 30.4 percent， far higher than the national figure.
Now the district has become a successful model for China’s central and western regions， especially suburban districts and counties near big cities in terms of developing rural economies with local features and coordinating urbanrural economic growth.