China News Service, Hohhot, April 7th: A small fishing village on the Yellow River has become a "top stream" by relying on delicious food to divert traffic.
China News Service reporter Zhang Wei
The wind blows the willow buds, and the breath of spring fills the Hetao Plain at the moment when the Yellow River is fully opened. The Qingming Festival is the first peak of the "Spring Economy" in Haojiayao Village, a small fishing village by the river. The 67 "Yujiale" households in the village are full. You must book in advance to taste the authentic seasonal "Stewed River Fish" .
Haojiayao Village is located in Tuoketuo County (Tuoktuo County for short), Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is located at the dividing point between the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and has a century-old history.
In September 2023, Haojiayao Village will usher in the grape harvest season. (Data map) Photo by Wu Ligeng
Hao Zhengping, who is over sixty years old, is the founder of fishermen's entertainment in the village and the "head" of the village history museum. In the past few days, in addition to being busy receiving diners from afar, he also shouldered the responsibility of the commentator of the village history museum.
"Haojiayao Village is surrounded by mountains to the east and the Yellow River to the west. The water and soil are fertile and form a unique microclimate. 300 years ago, the Hao brothers who migrated from Shanxi built a village here. The Yellow River culture and farming culture blended and took root, and it was rich in delicacies. Food." Walking into the village history museum, Hao Zhengping explained to reporters.
"However, due to geographical terrain, natural disasters and other reasons, the villagers' lives were extremely poor." Hao Zhengping said that before the rise of local tourism, most of the young and middle-aged people in the village went out to work, and the remaining villagers made a living by farming and fishing. The per capita annual income is about 3,000 yuan (RMB, the same below).
Around 2003, driven by the rapid development of China's tourism industry, Hao Zhengping discovered that every year when the Yellow River was opened or closed, tourists in twos and threes came to admire the rivers, but they suffered from no place to eat and rest.
According to historical records, during the Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, the Hetao area presented "river fish" to the emperor every spring. Haojiayao is the main production area of the royal tribute "Kaihe Fish" and the unique variety "Tuoxian Grape". Hao Zhengping wanted to try to retain the guests with delicious food.
In 2005, he opened the first fisherman's restaurant in the village in his courtyard. “During the peak season at that time, we could receive two to three hundred people every day.”
In September 2023, during the grape harvest, tourists came to pick grapes. (Data map) Photo by Wu Ligeng
Since then, the "Tuoxian Fish Stew", which is fragrant but not spicy, and bright red in color, and the "Tuoxian Grapes", which have thin skin and sweet flesh, are cool and reduce the heat, have doubled in value and gradually attracted tourists from all over the world.
"It's a joy to admire the Yellow River, visit the sacred springs, and taste delicious food." Liu Yan, a tourist from Tianjin, and a group of eight people drove here by themselves and spent the short vacation leisurely.
In recent years, nearly a hundred farmers in the village have joined the wave of employment and entrepreneurship in rural tourism. Yang Xianlan, a post-90s generation who majored in human resources, returned to Haojiayao Village after graduating from university and learned fish stew and grape planting techniques from her elders. In her view, these two delicacies that have been passed down for centuries are both industries and cultures and must not be discontinued.
Since 2014, Yang Xianlan has been helping her family take care of the Yujiale business, learning technology, and planning the construction of the industrial chain. By the end of 2023, she not only gradually expanded Yujiale into a hotel with food and accommodation, but also planted apricots, apples and prunes in the vineyard.
"In order to extend the sales season, I built a row of refrigerated warehouses so that the fruits can be kept fresh and stored until the Spring Festival and sold without any problem." Yang Xianlan told reporters, pointing to a row of warehouses outside the hospital.
On April 4, Yang Xianlan got up early to stew fish for the guests who had made reservations. Photo by Uligeng
Yang Xianlan's industrial chain is taking shape step by step, with an average annual income of 500,000 yuan, which makes the villagers envious. When she is not busy, she will receive neighbors who come to inspect from time to time and patiently explain to them. “Now, more and more young people who have returned home come to me for advice.”
Yang Xianlan said that in the next step, she will focus on cultivating her own team to strive for excellence in rural tourism.
Nowadays, the increasing popularity of tourism has driven the development of fishermen's entertainment and grape industries in the village. Qin Jian, secretary of the Party branch of Haojiayao Village, said that at present, Haojiayao Village Yujiale receives nearly 520,000 visitors a year and has an annual income of 55.89 million yuan; the grape planting area reaches more than 3,000 acres, with an average annual output of more than 2,700 tons. The grape industry alone can generate an annual per capita income of more than 20,000 yuan. (over)