Xucheng

Farm town finds new path to growth

Updated: 2010-05-20 11:08

A township that survived on agriculture down through its history, Xucheng in Xuyi county of Jiangsu province now has a plan to benefit from its lack of industrialization.

The intact ecology is now a wealth helping Xucheng development such environmental-friendly industries including modern agriculture and tourism.

With its livelihood long dominated by crops and livestock, the natural environment is intact in Xucheng, offering possibilities in eco-friendly modern agriculture and tourism, say local authorities.

Tourism

Recent moves to promote tourism are closely related to agriculture, with farmlands and daily rural life offering a novel rustic experience to urban dwellers.

The township’s major tourism attractions include Sishan Lake Ecological Park, the Qingniushan Agriculture Sightseeing Park and Shagang Ecological Park.

This year Xucheng began to develop the Tianlong Mountains Resort and Sannongle Garden, a joint venture between a local enterprise and investors from Macao.

The sites now offer a wide range of experiences including wine tasting, fruit picking, fishing and sightseeing, as well as leisure and recreation tours.

The Sannongle Garden combines eco-agriculture and tourism with visitors experiencing farm life by harvesting fruits and vegetables.

The Tianlong Mountains Resort is a leisure tour facility composed of villa, barbeque and outdoor adventure area.

The Shagang Ecological Park, having 200 hectares of water including the Swan Lake, is a renowned fishing resort in Xucheng.

An increasing number of investors from home and overseas have now funded agriculture projects such as high-yield grapes, medical herbs, aquatic vegetables and high-quality paddy rice grown in Xucheng.

Large agricultural developments this year include the Xinhuacun grape farm and a Xuyi medical herb garden.

The new farms have not only changed the township’s agricultural model, but also helped increase the income of farmers.