President's visit boosts village tourism

(Ecns.cn)--Tourism in Tianxianyu village in Beijing picked up after President Hu Jintao paid a visit there on the eve of the Spring Festival.

On his last stop of his itinerary, the president took in the traditional rural New Year atmosphere of this small village tucked into the northern mountainous area near the Great Wall.

During his stay here, Hu visited the home of Shao Qicheng, an 85-year-old army veteran, and gave a speech to the villagers gathered under an ancient locust tree.

Shao's home and the ancient locust tree emerged as the new tourist attractions in the village after the president's visit, and tourists lined up to have their pictures taken with the veteran.

Sun Jiankun, the Party branch secretary in the village, told Beijing News that there were usually few visitors during winter, but the president's visit increased that to more than 300 per day.

"We are going to set up a cultural activity center, where the villagers and tourists can enjoy various activities such as reading, watching movies and operas", said Sun.

The village is also planning to establish a new scenic spot around the locust tree, Sun added.