Situated in Liuzhuang Village, a provincial-level civilized village in Haiyan County’s Economic Development Zone (Xitangqiao Sub-district), an emerging rural complex has become a standout symbol of local rural revitalization. In 2023, Liuzhuang Village enlisted a third-party operator to professionally manage the courtyard, gradually transforming it into a comprehensive ecological farm that combines leisure agriculture, natural study tours, farming experiences, and family activities.

This April, the newly upgraded Liu Family Courtyard opened its doors to visitors, introducing special attractions such as camping, barbecues, and fruit and vegetable picking. It has also meticulously crafted diverse tourism routes, including farm stay experiences and natural study tours, each offering its unique highlights. As you enter this “back garden,” you are greeted by the sight of campfire smoke curling upward and the sound of laughter echoing through the fields, painting a lively rural scene.

Camping Economy Fuels “Holiday Consumption”

Upon entering the Liu Family Courtyard through the south gate, visitors pass through the ancient-style Anxiao Corridor, cross a gentle brook, and traverse areas dedicated to poultry breeding, lush forestation, and crop cultivation. This thoughtfully designed route provides an immersive rural experience, instantly transporting visitors into “holiday mode.”

During the recent May Day holiday, the Liu Family Courtyard experienced its first peak season of the year, quickly becoming a trendy “internet-famous” camping destination. Since its outdoor camping base opened in April, the courtyard has welcomed over 12,000 visitors, with a daily maximum of 500 guests. The campsite was fully booked five days in advance for the first two days of the May Day break. The visitors included not only new residents of Haiyan, like Luo Jing, but also tourists from cities like Haining and even Shanghai, drawn by its growing reputation.

The currently favored wild rice, which aligns with seasonal features and incorporates local culinary traditions, has become a tourist favorite. Excitingly, from mid to late May, a series of picking activities will be introduced. In addition to tomatoes, crops like sugarcane, corn, and watermelons will ripen at different times, with a total of 20 mu (~3.3 acres) of fields available for visitors to harvest. Looking ahead, the Liu Family Courtyard plans to add fishing zones, children’s play areas, and other facilities to continually enhance the visitor experience.

“Earth Classroom” Revives Cultural Heritage

Recently, the Liu Family Courtyard hosted a “Neighborhood Youth Palace” farming study tour. Sixty students from four villages (communities) across the county became “little farmers,” embarking on a delightful journey of agricultural cultural experiences. Armed with small shovels, the students enthusiastically harvested potatoes in the greenhouses. Currently, the Liu Family Courtyard boasts 20 mu (~3.3 acres)) of vegetable fields and 8 mu of poultry farms, home to over 200 poultry and livestock, including chickens, ducks, and sheep. The study tour courses feature well-designed activities such as vegetable picking, poultry adoption, duck egg collection, and plant collage, skillfully blending ecological and environmental awareness with leisure and entertainment, making field study tours engaging and educational. Participants gain valuable knowledge while enjoying nature.

As rural study tours and field classes gain popularity, the Liu Family Courtyard leverages its natural ecology and agricultural resources to transform rice paddies, vegetable plots, and woodlands into dynamic classrooms. Driven by market demand, it continually explores a variety of study tour projects. In recent years, Liuzhuang Village has embraced the concept of “promoting rural revitalization through tourism,” with a focus on achieving common prosperity. By developing rural specialty industries tailored to local conditions and fully tapping into rural potential, the village has consistently invigorated the countryside’s “internal driving force,” crafting a vibrant new chapter in rural revitalization.