Suiyang, Zunyi, Guizhou: Specialty Aquaculture Drives "Agritourism Integration" Development

In April, during the Grain Rain season, grasses flourish and birds soar—creating a poetic rural scene everywhere: in fields, under greenhouses, and even on rolling hillsides. In Huilong Village, Qinggangtang Town, located about 60 kilometers from Suiyang County town, villagers are busy releasing a fresh batch of fish fry into ponds. These tiny fish will soon be raised indoors as part of an aquaculture project focused on cultivating "baby fish"—a unique aquatic species known for its fascinating, frog-like appearance.

"This is a company we brought in two years ago through investment promotion—it integrates high-end commercial fish breeding, aquaculture, processing, research, and agritourism and leisure activities," explained Zhu Yuanhuan, the town’s organizational committee member. He added that the project is located 2.3 kilometers from Provincial Road S303 and features a 100-acre specialty aquaculture farm, primarily focused on cultivating rare species like Chinese giant salamanders and sturgeon.

"Located in the vicinity of the Kuankuoshui Primitive Forest Experimental Area and right next to the Qingxi Gorge Scenic Area, this site boasts a pristine natural environment and excellent water quality—perfect conditions for cultivating giant salamanders and sturgeon. Currently, we’ve already raised 5,000 baby Chinese giant salamanders, with over 1,000 mature fish ready for market. As we now enter the peak sales season, our products are primarily distributed to regions such as Zhejiang and Guangzhou." According to Fu Qiangang, the company’s head, the facility primarily adopts a "company-plus-family farm" model, leveraging local resources to recreate the natural, wild-like habitat for the fish while implementing an integrated, end-to-end production and management system that covers every stage of the supply chain.

It is reported that the base is currently developing new specialty agricultural tourism and experience parks, such as "farmhouse-style attractions," aiming to boost eco-tourism agriculture—primarily focused on sightseeing and leisure farming—to deepen industry integration and forge a path of integrated agri-tourism development: "agriculture drives tourism, and tourism revitalizes agriculture." Once the entire project is completed, it will create over 300 jobs, benefiting cooperative farmers in two nearby villages by generating annual incomes exceeding 20 million yuan, ultimately helping local farmers increase their earnings and achieve prosperity.

The leisure and sightseeing agriculture integrating farming and animal husbandry in Huilong Village is just a microcosm of Qinggangtang Town’s efforts to boost rural revitalization through the seamless integration of agriculture and tourism. This year, the town has taken implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy as its overarching priority, treating the tourism industry as its top development initiative and key project for improving people's livelihoods. It has accelerated efforts to enhance connectivity with the county, city, and surrounding regions, while simultaneously shifting mindsets, carefully crafting detailed plans, precisely defining its market positioning, and driving deep integration between agriculture and tourism—ultimately forging a unique "Qinggangtang Model" of agro-tourism convergence and sustainable growth.

"This year, Qinggangtang Town has been actively exploring a path of leapfrog development tailored to its unique growth conditions, firmly upholding the "eco-economic" development philosophy. With boosting industrial efficiency and increasing farmers' incomes as its core objectives, the town has successfully attracted investments, leading to the creation of attractions like Qingxi Lake Scenic Area and the Baishao Eco-Agriculture & Livestock Farming Tourism Project. These initiatives are accelerating the town’s progress in eco-tourism and agritourism integration, helping lift local communities out of poverty while simultaneously advancing rural revitalization and poverty alleviation efforts in tandem. Ultimately, the town is committed to achieving its ambitious goals: becoming a renowned "Green Mountains and Clear Waters" town, a premier destination for forest-based wellness tourism, a top-tier leisure and vacation hub, and a model center for specialty industries," said Zheng Qiang, Party Secretary of the town.