Rural experience

Local authorities have picked up on the increased demand from urbanites of a serene getaway to blow off steam and reconnect with nature.

The resort Dai runs has tapped into the local farming culture and intangible heritage and is offering related "immersive experiences "for visitors.

People can try out farming tools and view paintings featuring local agriculture during their stay. Planting saplings, applying fertilizers, removing weeds and harvesting vegetables can also be arranged. They can make cakes out of their freshly picked hawthorns and persimmons or try dyeing clothes using plants.

Themed events based on the year's 24 solar terms have also been developed, including spring plowing in March, a planting festival in May, a camping carnival in June and an autumn harvest in October.

Moreover, the resort has rolled out trips to historical sites in the neighborhood, as well as experiences involving traditional crafts such as paper-cutting, seal-cutting, inscribing on animal bones and tortoise shells and performing shadow puppet show.

Rural learning tours are in place for those who want to better understand traditional lifestyle.

Shibanyan has become an accredited sketching-and-painting site for more than 280 art institutes across the country, including the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Since July, a large-scale sketch exhibition has been staged in Shibanyan that will become an annual event, starting this year. Local authorities want to turn the town into "an open-air museum" for travelers.

"The town is presenting a new pattern of industry development and all-around tourism integration," Lu says.