Mao Xun renovated his old house into a residential inn. Wu Yongbing photographed the new appearance of Tianzi Road in Wulingyuan.
Old Houses Transformed into New Inns
"Without the good policies of the party and the government, it would be impossible to transform our old houses into new inns." Mao Xun, a 60-year-old man who lives in Wulingyuan District, Zhangjiajie City, said with a smile as he looked at his four-story residential inn.
The “good policy” in Mao’s words refers to the Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Urban Village Renovation Project launched in 2013. Benefiting from this project, Mao Xun raised nearly 10 million yuan to transform his old house into a residential inn with more than 50 guest rooms. He also built a sky-high glass plank road, a sightseeing elevator and an open-air swimming pool in the inn. The construction specifications and quality are considered first-class among Wulingyuan inns.
Known as "an enlarged bonsai, a shrunken wonderland", Wulingyuan is famous for its three thousand peaks and eight hundred beautiful waters. The number of tourists visiting the mountain at one time every year exceeds 3 million. However, as the "parlor" of the World Natural Heritage Site, the urban area is disorganized and criticized. Tourists often comment on it as "a first-class scenic spot and a third-class city."
Urban Village Renovation Project Launched
Faced with this situation that urgently needs to be changed, in early 2013, the Wulingyuan District Committee and District Government took advantage of the "improving the quality of Zhangjiajie and creating an upgraded version" and started the "urban village" renovation project as a key project based on the interests of the masses. The project is divided into three steps: reconstruction and expansion of Tianzi Road, renovation of residential houses, and lighting of small streets and alleys. 272 residential houses on the south side of Wuling Road and the north bank of Suoxi River in the urban area are included in the renovation project. Residents can carry out overall renovation of the houses, and can operate tourist catering, tourist inns, tourist shopping stores or hotels; the government has invested 60 million yuan to improve the reconstruction and expansion of Tianzi Road and the renovation of small streets and alleys, and provide extended services such as unified design and fund raising for the renovated households.
After the completion of the Tianzi Road reconstruction and expansion project with an investment of 8 million yuan, the properties on both sides of the road suddenly appreciated in value. "The rent of the storefront has increased threefold, with the annual rent reaching more than 800,000 yuan. The cost was recovered in more than a year." Wu Yuanchi, who lives next to Tianzi Road, was the first person to renovate the house in the urban village project. He borrowed more than 1 million yuan from the bank to renovate the old house. As soon as it was completed, businesses came to rent the storefront.
Residents Follow Trend and Invest in New Businesses
Wu Yuanchi's success allowed other residents to see the "money path" and renovated their houses one after another. Many private investors also invested funds in the construction of the project, setting off an investment boom in new tourism formats such as tourist inns, gourmet restaurants, and folk experience centers. Data shows that currently, 236 of the 272 households involved in the project have applied for house renovation, of which 152 households have completed the main building, accounting for 64.5% of the total applicants.
"The urban environment has become more beautiful, residents' income has increased, and the tourism image has also improved." Wu Xiaochu, who runs an inn, told reporters that after the "urban village" took on a new look, his renovated guest rooms have increased from 30 yuan a night to more than 300 yuan a night, and they are often full.
Urban Area Undergoes Magnificent Transformation
Wulingyuan Urban Village has now undergone a gorgeous transformation. The streets are orderly, the houses are scattered and unique, and the signboards are antique... When you stroll through Tianzi Street and Wuling Road, you will see thousands of lights, and the neat Tujia-style buildings on both sides are fresh and unique; while strolling through the small streets and alleys, specialty inns, teahouses, bars, and specialty shops are prospering and attracting tourists.
Benefiting the People Is Key to Success
"The transformation of urban villages has created a new urban environment and created new vitality for development." Wulingyuan District Party Committee Secretary Zhu Yongwen believes that the key to the success of this project is to insist on benefiting the people, so that the people can become the biggest beneficiaries of the transformation of urban villages and fully enjoy the development results of the inhabited city.
At present, the successful model of urban village reconstruction in Wulingyuan has been continuously replicated in the district. Many residential buildings in Tianzishan Town and around the Forest Park are stepping up their efforts to "dress and wear hats". The government is only responsible for infrastructure planning and construction.