By Tao Xing

‘Ben Ge Nei” in the language of the Li ethnic group means“Come here.” It has become the welcoming slogan for tourists stepping into Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County， Hainan Province. Zahan， nestled in between two mountains and one of the highest villages in all of Hainan， is one place in the county you wont regret visiting.

It is rare to see Li and Miao people living together in one village， and subsequently tourists can get the best of both different cultures at the same time. In addition， with its dense forests interrupted by zigzagging streams， and blue skies with cottony clouds floating by， Zahan features some absolutely fantastic natural scenery. However， in contrast to this wealth of natural tourism resources， the villagers annual per-capita income reached a mere 946 yuan （$138） in 2009， well below the national poverty line of 1，196 yuan （$175） at that time， according to Lin Gang， a village official.

Benefiting from a localized， targeted development pattern，“tourism-led initiatives have seen villagers annual per-capita income rise to 18，000 yuan （$2，784） in 2020，” Lin added.

The Zahan pattern

Many regions of China， including Hainan， have launched programs encouraging enterprises to invest in the poorer rural areas to improve the quality of life. Zahan， too， has carved out a path leading to poverty alleviation and vitalization befitting its own conditions. Government， enterprises， rural cooperatives and villagers jointly shoulder the responsibilities at hand.

For example， state-owned Qiongzhong Hotel provides management experience and investment to Zahan to set up bed and breakfast or homestay and agritainment ventures， as well as helps operate these facilities.

The introduction of external investment has also boosted the villagers entrepreneurial spirit. Currently， Zahan has developed 18 agritainments—from an initial two—through the renovation of old village houses. Generally， 60 percent of their profits go to the homeowners， 35 percent to the investors and operators， and the remainder to the village cooperative. Unsurprisingly， the arrangement has managed to stir up enthusiasm all-round.

Such agritainment venues often hold bonfire parties with traditional food， music and dance. “The business is managed by several young couples in the village，” Xu Qian， an enterprise representative in the village， told Beijing Review. Local specialties such as black pork， native chicken and wild vegetables prove very popular menu items during such parties.