China's Tourism Plan: 'Small but Beautiful' Formats, Homogenization Spurs Differentiation in Songyang, Yuanjia

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently issued the '15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Powerhouse', which requires rational development of rural tourism resources and cultivation of 'small but beautiful' cultural tourism formats.

In some ancient tea mountain villages, ethnic minority villages, and coastal fishing villages, cafes feature white walls and raw wood decor with Kermit camping chairs. Intangible heritage workshops in many ancient towns use the same geometric pattern dyes, and bamboo weaving workshops sell machine-woven trendy handbags and pen holders. Common photo-op installations such as 'I miss you so much in [place]' signposts and heart graffiti are seen everywhere.

In Zhejiang's Songyang, the 'Save Old Houses' initiative adheres to the principle of 'minimal intervention, maximum preservation' for each old house. Shaanxi's Yuanjia Village deeply explores Guanzhong folk customs, implementing a 'one shop, one product, villagers co-build and share' model, relying on cave dwellings, Qindi old tunes, and Guanzhong cuisine to offer authentic sour soup noodles and original old tune performances. Anhui's Jinzhai Huashi Township carries out light renovation, building native bamboo and wood viewing platforms along mountain streams and waterfalls, and placing simple bamboo rafts in shallow streams.