Yongding (CNS) -- Composed of five round and more than ten square earthen buildings, the Chuxi tulou cluster has well preserved its natural appearance since its development plan was initiated seven years ago. It is now, however, confronted with the puzzle of how to make profits.
Among a total of 46 Fujian Tulou sites, this cluster, along with Tianluokeng tulou cluster, Hekeng tulou cluster, Gaobei tulou cluster, Dadi tulou cluster, Hongkeng tulou cluster, Yangxian lou, Huiyuan lou, Zhengfu lou, and Hegui lou, was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
Being both "original and natural" is the marketing slogan of the Chuxi cluster. Most businesses were moved outside the village. Only several rural homestay services were permitted, on the premise that they complies with the general view.
A project to bury all electric wires in the earth was carried out in 2002, sticking to the idea that modern facilities shouldn't affect the original style.
A Cantonese visitor named Dai Mengru was deeply impressed by the strong Hakka atmosphere at Chuxi: "Being free from over commercialization is exactly where its charm lies. Most ancient towns are occupied by fancy shops and bars, without any traces of the local lifestyle."
September is usually the best travelling season in Chuxi, but has recently seen only a few tourists.
Xu Changsheng, the village party secretary, attributed the tourism depression to late development and the remote location of the village. Located distantly south of the Yongding tulou scenic zone center and three-fourths surrounded by mountains, the Chuxi tulou cluster has limited access. This creates difficulties for tourists to design an efficient route to get there.
Li Zhoulian, a local villager, told CNS that she can barely make a profit with a monthly income of no more than 300 yuan minus a 50 RMB monthly rent. "All the young have gone to cities and towns for better-paid jobs."
Li also mentioned her wish that Chuxi could be developed in a way like that of the Hongkeng tulou cluster. The latter's closed management method has made the village a typical cultural village, allowing individual tourism business at the locals' own houses. It is to Li's belief that business will certainly get better after the change.
Another villager, Xu Baoying, also doubts the effectiveness of the current strategy. Her restaurant was shut down owing to lack of customers.
Though the village development plan started in 2004, until now the largest income comes from agricultural gains. Most stand owners grow crops on weekdays and sell self-grown camellia and souvenirs on weekends when the number of tourists relatively increases.
The price of a Chuxi tulou entrance ticket has risen from one yuan seven years ago to 50 yuan. The ticket income last year amounted to 2 million yuan, only 100,000 yuan of which was distributed to the villagers as a bonus. On average, Li can only get no more than 100 yuan from ticket sales.
A month ago, mainland and Taiwanese legal experts had a meeting on the "Fujian Provincial 'Fujian Tulou' World Heritage Protection Regulations (draft)." The entrance ticket income was one of the heatedly discussed topics.
Dean Gao Fuping at the Intellectual Property School of East China University of Political Science and Law held the view that a self-managing organization should be set up, under governmental supervision.
Most experts agreed on a certain amount of commercialization of the tulou management. A few business attempts might not only serve financial purposes, but also promote the precious cultural heritage of the area.
Secretary Xu admitted that it is inevitable to increase the sense of commerce in attracting more visitors. A tourist service center and parking lot construction project will be under way one kilometer away from the village. The highway to Chuxi was just finished last year. "It is still too early to judge the effects of all measures," said Liao Yi, a local tour guide.
