My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 557 Sustainable Development is Not Just Empty Talk

Wei Dong suddenly remembered, "Yes, yes, yes."

The reason he had this idea of ​​creating an ancient town was because there was an ancient town in this small canyon that was later completely submerged.

It is said to be of great historical research significance, so the entire ancient town was relocated and rebuilt on the nearby mountain.

And then no more.

Many people attribute the problem to the fact that the rebuilt ancient town has lost its original charm, but the experienced inspectors and tax officers in the tax office say that's just a minor, insignificant reason.

Shangzhou is already quite remote, and Kuimen is even more remote. The county with small canyons is located inside the Grand Canyon, so remote that it is almost invisible.

This ancient town is located 30 kilometers upstream from the county seat, at the end of the small canyon.

I just want to know how well it's hidden.

Moreover, this 5A-level scenic area's small canyon is characterized by its unique, dangerous, beautiful, and majestic scenery, making it a condensed version of the Three Gorges.

After the dam is built and the water level is raised by how many meters to submerge the ancient town, the previously perilous terrain will naturally become insignificant.

It's a wide and easy-to-flow river, but that greatly diminishes its charm.

Naturally, there are fewer tourists.

That notoriously dangerous nature is the selling point.

For example, the captain from Jiangzhou dared to defy the instructions of the leaders of Shangzhou and the county leaders here, and bluntly said that he dared not sail in casually.

He was familiar with the hydrological conditions of the Yangtze River shipping section, and he dared not venture into such tributaries casually, as it was easy to run aground and damage ships.

Therefore, they had to dock at the county pier to seek local support.

We also took care of dinner.

As expected, the major authorities here rushed to the dock upon hearing the news, and certainly dispatched their best motorboats and sailors to lead the way.

Well, the working meeting turned into a regional expanded working meeting.

In fact, this small canyon scenic area has only been developed recently, in other words, there are not many facilities prepared, and of course, there are not many tourists.

It's not even a proper cruise ship.

There's definitely not much scenery to see at night; we'll rely entirely on the boat leading the way to be familiar with the water conditions.

In some areas at night, sailors had to jump off the boat and stand on the dangerous shoals to direct the rescue, and then take turns picking up the items from the stern. They were quite surprised by this high-end yacht from a prefecture-level city.

What surprised me even more was that so many high-ranking officials were having a meeting on the ship.

The county officials here probably only give a rote introduction; they're not as familiar with the details as the older leaders.

They know the dilapidated ancient plank roads in the canyons along the way better than anyone in the county.

He didn't criticize the coercion, but only mentioned the progress of the Kuimen scenic area, emphasizing that the area should also fully cooperate with the Municipal Tourism Development Corporation.

Wei Dong explained his thought process in detail, trying not to act arrogantly or take advantage of others.

The undeniable advantage is that it can advertise to attract people to come here, but the key is how to make people spend money when they come, and not just let them take pictures and leave after being amazed.

We can't just focus on ticket revenue to make money.

In other words, we cannot allow tourism-related departments to monopolize the profits.

It cannot be the kind of profiteering that involves extortion; rather, tourist attractions should be developed into a service industry.

The aim is to provide accommodation, food, and leisure activities to encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more, generating significant consumption in various rural areas.

Only then can it be considered a tourism industry that truly benefits the entire countryside.

The smaller canyon actually has a much greater advantage than the Kuimen Gorge.

The mere existence of this river has already solved the transportation problem of building a walkway and cable car on the other side.

Several towns and villages along the way can participate.

Instead of the tourism sector having a monopoly and not allowing others to interfere and share the profits.

Finally, there's the current state-owned factory management outcome.

The key now is to focus on tourist spending. For example, this ancient town, as the end of the small canyon, can serve as a convenient stop for tourists after their visit. If they can stay here for a day or two, or even longer, then the scenic area can be considered a success.

Otherwise, it would be like the Grand Canyon outside, where tourists only see it from the passenger ship, and there's no benefit to be gained from the few counties. It would be better not to do tourism at all.

To be honest, this insight alone was already quite profound in 1986.

Firstly, various regions haven't realized how big the tourism industry is, and secondly, they don't have the money to invest, nor have they considered how big and strong it can become.

The main problem is that no interest chain has yet formed in various regions to control tourism resources.

Even privately contracting tourist attractions is still a very risky business, so there aren't many other ideas.

Now, after listening to this, I feel quite enlightened.

Just then, Qin Yuye poked his head out excitedly: "Monkey! There's a monkey calling..."

There were too many people, and they were all smoking in a group. Lao Geng, Dawa, and Shitou all went to the boats at the front, while Lamu stayed behind to do the service work.

Qin Yuye carried Xiaodie to the bow of the ship and curiously operated the searchlight, looking around.

This is the place that later generations often refer to as the yacht's young models, where they recline on the soft cushions of the foredeck, pose provocatively, and take photos.

Xiaodie's experience is quite advanced; it's rare to see her now echoing the monkeys' calls!

Is this what it feels like to find siblings?

Now, if you listen carefully, you can indeed feel the wild, untamed atmosphere of the mountains and fields, with the endless cries of monkeys on both banks.

The meeting was paused for a moment.

The county officials described the area as having stunning autumn foliage, with the mountains covered in vibrant red leaves, while in spring and summer, monkeys are a common sight.

Let Weidong guide us again, that's the right thing to do, to explore the unique characteristics of each part and find more ways to promote the unique features of each township.

The former leader reminded that the tourism development company still needs to manage this situation of each company operating independently in a comprehensive and holistic manner.

My thinking suddenly opened up a lot. Someone even suggested, following the manager's earlier suggestion, that we should have a monkey feast, since I heard that landlords used to eat like that in ancient times.

The Hong Kong girl clicked her tongue and didn't want to say anything more, only leaving Xiaodie with a "Holy crap..."

Wei Dong was both amused and exasperated. With so many Sichuan and eastern Sichuan dishes in the area, why did he have to mess with protected animals like monkeys?

Even winning by surprise isn't that surprising; you absolutely cannot touch any wild game.

As we talked, the twenty or thirty kilometers of tributary river finally led us to the ancient town in the pitch black, accompanied by the calls of monkeys.

Having already experienced some ancient town tours in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, Rang Weidong could sense, even in the darkness of night, why this ancient town was worth the huge investment in its relocation.

This is exactly what he imagined a tourist destination to look like.

Late May is considered the high-water season, which is why a 16-meter yacht can travel upstream to reach this location.

Without a pontoon dock, mooring is done by tying the ropes to the stone slabs along the stone steps on the shore.

A long row of various awning boats and small motorboats showcases the prosperity of this small town deep in the canyon.

A few steps up, beside the miniature stone city wall archway, was a huge banyan tree. Children were playing in the open space outside the city gate on a summer night. Qin Yuye couldn't help but put Xiaodie down and try to let her get close to it and feel the warmth.

Because the entire town exudes the neatness and elegance of a Jiangnan water town, with its quaint streets, refined architecture, lanterns, window lattices, wooden buildings, and brick and tile walls all conveying a traditional charm.

That's outrageous, like a well-educated and refined young lady hiding in the deep mountains and forests, smiling gently.

The little girl looked on in astonishment, her face a picture of confusion. She turned and ran into her father's arms, and then listened to the old man recount his past.

It has a history of one or two thousand years. It is said that the ancient kingdom of the canyon, which covered several counties, had its capital here. Later, it became the site of the salt merchants and tea trade, and later, all the rare medicinal herbs in the entire mountain area had to be traded through here.

Therefore, it was an extremely wealthy salt industry center.

Therefore, the entire ancient town here is very well-preserved, covering an area of ​​50,000 to 60,000 square meters, and is actually a very standard Hui-style building.

It was built by merchants from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong over a thousand years.

Just like those bizarre churches and mosques on West Second Street in Shangzhou.

Only in the long process of commodity economy can these seemingly irrational yet intricate historical traces be formed and preserved.

It's the style and design that Wei Dong and his team created for the rooftop garden.

Now, walking along the stone path under the lamplight, I suddenly sighed, "What kind of pathetic imitation is this?"

Even Lao Geng, who rarely takes photos, raised his camera and took several pictures. He had just moved upstairs and was now scratching his head, wishing he had come to see this authentic place sooner.

The former leader personally led the way, and they went to stay at the most famous family's house in town, a two-story courtyard house covering an area of ​​five or six hundred square meters.

Now, the descendants, who have been passed down for more than ten generations, certainly don't have the arrogance of landlords and wealthy merchants. They are very proactive in arranging receptions and even offering to pay for accommodation.

This is what sustains the huge courtyard.

Normally, you have to pay a dime to enter the yard.

They even asked if I wanted a late-night snack.

In fact, the old leader was already exhausted after a day of intense tourism, so Director Zi finally had the opportunity to make sure he got some rest.

Tell Wei Dong and Lao Geng to wash up and go to bed quickly, and take a closer look tomorrow morning.

Only Lao Geng knew Wei Dong's general idea.

This ancient town is a model.

Wei Dong would never mention that this place would be completely submerged, let alone think about relocating the entire place to Kuimen. Cost is secondary; the main issue is that the county town here would never give up.

Only Stone returned mysteriously at the end, saying he saw the golden flag and that there was a gang behind the docks there.

Wei Dong even jokingly scolded him for inheriting Shen Laosan's tricks and told him to go to sleep.

He was also extremely tired.

It was clear that Qin Yuye wanted to temporarily assume the role of a mother, but with so many county and city leaders present, how could she possibly appear to be having an affair with a Hong Kong businessman?

In the end, the Hong Kong businessman shared a room with Li Erfeng.

No matter what, Xiaodie refused to mingle with the aunties and insisted on curling up contentedly next to her father.

So the next morning, Wei Dong was woken up by the children who wanted to eat, allowing him to witness the charm of the ancient town in the hazy light of dawn.

The early summer morning mist still shrouded the streets. The stone-paved road, worn smooth by time, was simple and elegant. The Hui-style architecture with its white walls and blue tiles was mottled everywhere, and the high-pitched gable walls were covered with weeds.

It has a very historical patina.

It's entirely conceivable that the houses lining these streets will be transformed into guesthouses, bars, and restaurants in twenty or thirty years.

How beautiful it would be.

It's a pity this place was flooded, and even more a pity that it never became a tourist hotspot, so it was slowly forgotten and disappeared.

These counties and towns, hidden deep in the mountains, have no other means of generating economic growth.

Based on the experience of those days, the old security guards could even guess that the massive relocation was nothing more than something else.

If there were another way to preserve this place as it is, that might be the best option.

Aside from the rustling sounds of street sweeping and cleaning, there were the sounds of people washing their faces, rinsing their mouths, and cooking. Every now and then, a child would rush out onto the street with their schoolbag on their back, which led Wei Dong to point out a breakfast stall.

I sat with my child in a shop that has been like this for over a thousand years.

Looking at her daughter, who was curiously looking around.

It felt like traveling back to the Eastern Jin and Northern Song dynasties.

The reborn transmigrator, who had never traveled in his previous life, decided to preserve all of this.

Let future generations see how beautiful this place is.

Only then can we make life better here.

(End of this chapter)