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How did Wangxian Valley transform from a quarry into a hit tourist resort?

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2024-11-22

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Wangxian Valley, once an obscure and desolate mountain range, has been transformed into a popular resort area after careful renovation. Just one year after its official opening, the number of visitors exceeded one million, and in less than two years, its popularity soared, surpassing internationally renowned tourist brands such as Disney. Even more astonishing is that the highest price for a homestay here has skyrocketed to 16,000 yuan per night. Who could imagine that just over a decade ago, this was a busy quarry, a famous granite slab production base in Jiangxi Province, known as the "home of stone materials"? So, how did Wangxian Valley achieve this amazing transformation?

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Editor-in-chief | Yang Ming

Editor | Liu Kaiye

Source |

Dijing Tiancheng Space Creation Society

Former Quarry Transformed into a Popular Check-in Spot

Wangxian Valley, a shining jewel embedded in Wangxian Township, Guangxin District, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, has rapidly become a focal point in the tourism industry with its dreamlike landscape and rich cultural heritage. From a former center of stone mining, where uncontrolled mining led to severe ecological damage, to being featured by mainstream media such as China Central Television and Jiangxi Television, and ranking among the top three of the ten most popular destinations on Douyin in 2022, Wangxian Valley's transformation is legendary.

With the active intervention of the government and ecological restoration measures, Wangxian Valley successfully escaped the shadow of stone mining and ushered in a new chapter of green development. The operating team invested 2.6 billion yuan and spent ten years meticulously crafting this mountain valley into a comprehensive tourist resort integrating natural scenery, human history, and modern leisure.

They cleverly used the traditional building methods of northeastern Jiangxi residences, restoring and building many quaint villages, ancient streets, and ancient paths, while incorporating large areas of rammed earth walls, rubble walls, and wooden windows to create a building group with distinct Jiangxi characteristics.

In addition, Wangxian Valley actively excavates and inherits intangible cultural heritage, such as bridge lanterns and Ziranmen martial arts, and innovatively integrates them into the scenic area, enhancing the cultural connotation and attractiveness of the scenic area. At the same time, Wangxian Valley also closely combines the stories of local historical figures Hu Zhao and Yang Shiqiao, building new imitation ancient buildings such as Wangxian Yang Mansion and Hu Clan Ancestral Hall, providing tourists with rich "celebrity tours" and "study tours" experiences.

While focusing on cultural heritage, Wangxian Valley also keeps up with the times and focuses on the consumption concepts of young people in the new era, weaving together ecology and fashion. They cleverly incorporated the classic game map "Shifang Town" into the scenic area and launched a series of themed activities such as "Immortal Festival," "Shengyue Swordsman," and "New Year's Eve Festival," creating an ideal play space for tourists.

These innovative measures have not only earned Wangxian Valley honorary titles such as "National Intangible Cultural Heritage and Tourism Integration Development Preferred Project," "National Tourism and Leisure Street District," and "Provincial Nighttime Cultural Tourism Consumption Gathering Area," but have also attracted more than one million tourists to check in and experience it, with the maximum daily number of visitors reaching 45,000. Wangxian Valley, once an abandoned mining area, has now been transformed into a highly sought-after online celebrity check-in spot.

Catering + Cultural and Creative + Activities

The Yanpu Street Market in Wangxian Valley is like a vivid commercial scroll of folk culture. This ancient street cleverly relies on the original village, winding along the long valley, strictly following the traditional architectural style and construction techniques of northeastern Jiangxi residences. Ancient buildings, hillside landscapes, and ancestral halls and stages shine together, creating a prosperous scene of an ancient street from the Ming and Qing dynasties, making people feel as if they are in the vivid scene of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."

The street area has carefully set up several cultural nodes and squares, becoming a wonderful stage for traditional folk cultural activities such as Han traditional wedding shows, turning over nine floors, Gan opera, Yiyangqiang opera, and bench dragon dances. Here, tourists can immerse themselves in authentic local culture and experience its unique charm.

It is especially worth mentioning that the traditional village custom long table banquet, spontaneously organized by more than 70 merchants, was opened for booking to tourists for the first time, attracting many tourists from Jiangxi and even Zhejiang and Shanghai to come and celebrate the festival.

In addition, the street's business formats are extremely diverse, with more than ten traditional workshops using local agricultural products as raw materials to create a Gan family-style catering system; there are also snacks, restaurants, tea houses, beverage shops on the right bank of the Gu Creek, integrated with handicrafts, cultural and creative products, souvenir shops, and real-life script killing, creating a natural and comfortable consumption environment.

Yanpu Street Market not only restores the charming rural life and continues the thousand-year-old rural cultural context, but also integrates the comfort and convenience of modern life, achieving a one-stop experience of eating, drinking, playing, and having fun. Among them, the [Workshop Street] showcases the superb skills of traditional ancient handcraft workshops;

The [Hundred Flavors Street] gathers hundreds of authentic Gan family snacks;

The [Shuo Wang Street] is filled with traditional shops such as Yanpu old tea, lantern shops, and umbrella and fan shops with a strong sense of the times;

The [Cicada Alley] gathers handicraft workshops such as carpentry workshops and bamboo weaving shops, where intangible cultural heritage artisans pass down their skills, and tourists can personally experience the fun of handicrafts;

The [Drunk Immortal Street] is full of trendy cultural atmosphere, with trendy elements such as bars, cat cafes, craft beer, and barbecues.

In terms of operation mode, Yanpu Old Street has also carried out innovative exploration, actively practicing the multi-industry integrated development model of "agriculture + culture + tourism," and developing diversified trendy tourism products. By building a maker space and adopting a street management method of never collecting rent and co-creation and sharing, it has attracted many merchants and tourists to linger.

Cliffside Homestays

The homestays in Wangxian Valley, as the essence of the scenic area, have achieved the charm of different landscapes and unique experiences for each homestay due to their unique geographical location. In particular, the cliffside homestays have become a highlight of Wangxian Valley, perfectly integrated into the narrative of the immortal dream.

Over 120 meters high on granite cliffs, more than 30 exquisitely crafted houses of various shapes and sizes have been cleverly built. From guesthouses as small as 20 square meters to an air library of over 50 square meters, they are all breathtaking. Dining at the clifftop restaurant, leisurely reading in the air library, and finally sleeping peacefully atop the cliff—this unique accommodation experience perfectly matches the scenic area's theme of "fairy dwelling" and "immortal heroes."

In addition to the ultimate guesthouse experience, Wangxian Valley's night view is also a key factor in retaining tourists. The scenic area's night view design is ingeniously conceived, with the lights on the mountaintop and in the valley complementing each other, as if transporting visitors into a dreamy time tunnel. If Wangxian Valley resembles a fairyland during the day, then at night it is like a magical world, captivating visitors and making them linger and willingly stay overnight.

Independently operating Immersive + Murder Mystery Games

Since its opening, Wangxian Valley has been committed to exploring diverse "trendy gameplay." By mining local legends and using multimedia technology, it has carefully created the immersive experience drama "I Am the God of Medicine." Simultaneously, traditional workshops for soy sauce, vinegar, oil, rice cakes, and tofu have been established, allowing tourists to experience the production process firsthand, adding interactive fun.

In addition, Wangxian Valley cleverly introduced the innovative element of murder mystery games. Utilizing a century-old house with its unique historical background, layout, and atmosphere, they provide tourists with a cultural immersion experience vastly different from that of urban murder mystery game shops.

Starting in early 2020, the team carefully selected and adapted scripts, while also collecting old objects to decorate the venue. After nearly half a year of testing, the murder mystery game project was officially launched at the end of the year. The game runs daily as long as there are enough bookings, with each round accommodating 6 people and lasting 2-3 hours. It mainly attracts young tourists, especially on weekends, operating approximately 2-3 days a week. Many tourists travel long distances by car from Nanchang, Zhejiang, and other places just to experience this unique gameplay.

This innovative model of integrating immersive experiences and murder mystery games within the scenic area not only injects new vitality into Wangxian Valley, making it more youthful, but also successfully integrates catering, accommodation, and other diverse tourism formats into the murder mystery game project. Through the core element of "play," it effectively links "business" and "accommodation," driving the transformation and upgrading of the scenic area's tourism experience from traditional sightseeing to experiential tourism.

Themed Seasons, Monthly Activities

Wangxian Valley carefully plans themed activities for all four seasons, ensuring "highlights every season, celebrations every month." It cleverly integrates local intangible cultural heritage, historical background, folk customs, and artistic displays into the four seasonal themes of "Spring Wilds, Summer Waves, Autumn Gathering, and Winter Flavors."

In spring, Wangxian Valley uses the theme of "Spring Wilds" to hold a Spring Wind Culture Festival, encompassing cultural and art exhibitions, Hanfu parades, outdoor picnics, Han-style weddings, and creative markets, allowing tourists to intimately experience spring through the fusion of culture and art and immerse themselves in a rich artistic atmosphere.

In summer, Wangxian Valley launches a Summer Cool Festival, featuring three themed activities: "Starry Night Camping," "Summer Electronic Music," and "Ice and Watermelon." This allows tourists to enjoy mountain delicacies and fun activities while experiencing novel consumption scenarios, adding endless vitality to the summer economy.

In autumn, Wangxian Valley holds a Harvest Festival centered around the themes of "celebrating the harvest, inheriting culture, and revitalizing the countryside." Through rice paddy dining tables, agricultural culture exhibitions, and harvest markets, it creates a strong atmosphere of societal attention to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, stimulating farmers' creativity and enthusiasm.

In winter, Wangxian Valley creates a folk festival, using intangible cultural heritage, traditional culture, or cross-border brand cultural elements to hold special cultural activities, presenting a cultural feast blending ancient and modern elements.

In addition, Wangxian Valley launches lifestyle experience activities based on the 24 solar terms, such as the Spring Equinox Spring Banquet and the Winter Solstice Cultural Festival. It combines the 24 solar terms with the scenic area's characteristics and activities to develop cultural and creative products such as calendars, notebooks, red envelopes, and bookmarks, forming a unique cultural brand of Wangxian Valley and deepening tourists' cultural experiences and memories.

Conclusion

Wangxian Valley is committed to maintaining and promoting local traditional culture, excavating its deep cultural roots, and using the local historical context and cultural essence to weave a unique atmosphere for Wangxian Valley that blends historical facts and fantasy, tradition and modernity. Its uniqueness lies in its continuous injection of fresh vitality while respecting the natural landscape and cultural heritage, allowing this fairy-like valley to maintain its peaceful and tranquil essence while exuding vibrant life. Tourists can appreciate its bustling splendor while also finding inner peace in many places. Although Wangxian Valley maintains a tranquil and serene atmosphere, it is never monotonous or boring.

Recommended Important Cultural and Tourism Events

2025 China (Beijing) International Amusement Rides and Equipment Expo

2025 Beijing International Tourism, Leisure and Entertainment Industry Expo

March 19-21, held in Beijing!

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