A view of Zoumatang Village. (Photo by Xu Tianchang and Zhou Lingfeng)
On the morning of October 2nd, when I arrived at Zoumatang Village, an ancient village, I could see "Chinese Red" everywhere: Red lanterns are hung on flagpoles, lightboxes, and trees at the village entrance, parking lot, and on both sides of the road. Chinese knots hang at every household's doorstep, exuding a strong festive atmosphere.
Walking to the lotus pond, I heard a burst of cheerful laughter. Following the sound, I saw large lotus leaves spread out in the pool, connected to the blue sky and clear water. Among the lotus leaves, several little girls were taking photos. They were dressed in light colored dresses, with small flowers embellishing the hem of their skirts, and their smiles were as warm as sunshine.
Beside the lotus pond, villagers set up stalls selling local specialties such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, tomatoes, mochi, black rice, Mulian jelly, and Zhuangyuan cake, with a dazzling array of products. “Sweet and juicy oranges! Local potatoes.” “Two boxes of Zhuangyuan cake, with each flavor... "In front of the booth, tourists can taste or choose, satisfying their taste buds and mood.
Chen Lijun's Blue Dyeing Workshop opened early in the morning. With her skillful hands, the patterns on scarves, clothes, and handicrafts came to life vividly. While making Scholar Cakes, she introduced Zoumatang Village to tourists; The business of rural homestays in Zouma Village is booming, and long queues often form at the ordering point.
According to Feng Xiaoting, the person in charge of Zoumatang Village's operation, during the National Day holiday, the village not only organized intangible cultural heritage exhibitions such as Loong Boat making, coopering, bowl nailing, gold and silver colored embroidery, lantern making, bamboo weaving, but also launched experience activities such as hand knitting, hairpin flower making, and hand beading.
In the past two years, with the theme of "Rice Fragrance in South Yinzhou", Zoumatang Village has actively developed rural tourism. It has not only carried out protective repairs on more than 80% of the historical buildings in the village, but also created oil paper umbrella alleys, colorful hiking trails, etc. It has also seized every festival and holiday to launch activities such as spring plowing of flower fields, cool lotus viewing, autumn strolls, and welcoming the new year.