China News Service, Changde, September 27 (Liu Man) Baking bread in kilns, visiting village art galleries, and experiencing the creation of hemp paintings in Changde... During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Zhou Yutong, a "post-00s generation" from Changsha, Hunan, experienced the fun of rural leisure at Yihe Cultural Creative Farm in Yidu Village, Danzhou Township, Wuling District, Changde City. "There is no rush and anxiety of rushing to schedule, only a strong literary atmosphere and a sense of relaxation of slowing down."
On September 16, the interior space of Yihe Cultural and Creative Farm, which was transformed from an abandoned pig house, was seen in Yidu Village, Danzhou Township, Wuling District, Changde City, Hunan Province. Photo by Yuan Jie
Yihe Cultural and Creative Farm was transformed from 5 abandoned pig houses, covering an area of 30 acres. It has functional areas such as an intangible cultural heritage experience hall, an art therapy hall, a library, and a village cafe. Chen Long, a young entrepreneur who has returned to his hometown and the owner of Yiheyuanmai Bread and Bench Cafe, said that during the renovation, the spatial layout of the old pig house was deliberately retained and new business formats were implanted. It is favored by tourists, and reservations are required in advance during peak season weekends and holidays.
"Danzhou Township is located on the outskirts of the city. Many villagers have bought new houses in the city, and the old houses in the village have become idle." Zhang Juan, secretary of the party branch and village director of Yidu Village in Danzhou Township, said that there used to be more than 100 "hollow houses" in the area. The local area explores the "cooperative + house owner + new villager" model and establishes a farm-house cooperative. Villagers use their houses as shares, and the houses are rented out to literary and artistic workers after contiguous planning.
Starting from 2021, potters, painters, carving craftsmen, folk singers, calligraphers, etc. will gradually come to Danzhou Township and become "new villagers". The characteristic small courtyards renovated by them are scattered along the Yuanshui River embankment, gradually forming the "Yi Dan Yuan" literary tribe, a new rural public cultural space, and becoming a new leisure choice for many tourists.
On September 16, sculptor Liu Yong perfected his work in the "Mortal Residence" he renovated. Photo by Liu Man
Pushing open the "Mortal Residence" of Liu Yong, a carving craftsman, the courtyard is filled with the fragrance of sweet osmanthus, and the room is filled with handicrafts such as root carvings, bamboo carvings, jade carvings, and pottery. "I signed a 20-year lease. At first I only rented an old house, but now I rent a total of 4 acres of land with a yard." Liu Yong said that at first he just wanted to find a quiet place where he could carve and meet friends. Unexpectedly, the small yard gradually took shape, and more and more people came here to admire it.
Countryside·Meeting Family Farm is an experience courtyard with a nostalgic style. It reproduces scenes such as the People's Cinema and the childhood canteen in the 1970s and 1980s, and displays old items such as old radios, old projectors, record players, and food stamps. "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, tourists come one after another to check in." The manager Yao Jin said that the courtyard also has a football field, a rural stage, a special market, etc. People of different ages can find their own fun here.
Up to now, the "Yi Danyuan" literary and art tribe has a total of 56 characteristic courtyards. Folk artists, returning creators and local people jointly plan to launch special brand activities such as riverside concerts, "Go to Danzhou and catch up with the big market" folk life festival, grassland music festival, and regularly carry out intangible cultural heritage experience, cultural and creative exhibitions, rural markets, parent-child study and other activities.
The large number of characteristic small courtyards have gained popularity and brought benefits to local villagers. Through various channels such as housing stock dividends, working at home, and selling agricultural products on behalf of others, villagers' income has steadily increased. In the past five years, the annual income of people in the "Yi Danyuan" area has increased by 2,000 yuan to 70,000 yuan; the collective economy of Dansha Village and Yidu Village has achieved annual growth ranging from 25,000 yuan to 73,000 yuan.
