Cross-strait sightseeing, leisure agriculture, rural tourism development

Author: Guo Huancheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Preface
Sightseeing and leisure agriculture is a new type of industry that combines modern agriculture with tourism. It primarily utilizes agricultural resources, farmland landscapes, agricultural production, agricultural products, agricultural culture, and rural life to provide people with opportunities for sightseeing, leisure, agricultural experience, and an understanding of rural areas. Rural folk tourism mainly takes advantage of rural cultural landscapes, village architecture, folk customs, traditional culture, and festive activities to offer people leisure, entertainment, and an experience of rural charm. Sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural tourism have developed alongside the growth of the social economy, the improvement of people's living standards, and the establishment of vacation systems. They are a highly cultural, nature-oriented, and agriculture/rural-focused interdisciplinary industry that serves both spiritual and material needs, offering multiple functions such as economic, social, educational, recreational, health, cultural, and environmental benefits. It is an important new approach for the rational and effective utilization of agricultural resources, the optimization of agricultural structures, the enhancement of agricultural efficiency, the increase of farmers' income, the expansion of employment, the strengthening of urban-rural exchanges, and the promotion of rural development and modernization.
China is a historic agricultural nation with vast rural areas, abundant agricultural resources, diverse production types, a long history of agricultural culture, and colorful folk customs, providing favorable conditions and broad space for the development of sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural folk tourism. Since the reform and opening-up, the social economy of mainland China has developed rapidly, and people's income and consumption patterns have also undergone new changes. The focus has shifted from basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to new demands such as sightseeing tourism, leisure and vacation, and a return to nature. This shift has driven the rise and development of sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural folk tourism, making them emerging phenomena in agricultural and rural development and a new highlight in rural economic growth.
Entering the new century, Chinese agriculture and rural areas have entered a new stage of comprehensive construction toward a moderately prosperous society. Thriving rural economies, accelerating rural urbanization, improving agricultural efficiency, and increasing farmers' income will be key tasks for China's agricultural and rural development in the future. To adapt to the new trends and demands of China's agricultural and rural economy and tourism development, the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development of the Chinese Society of Geography, the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Taichung Health and Management College of Taiwan, and the Yanqing County People's Government of Beijing jointly organized the "Cross-Strait Conference on the Development of Sightseeing and Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism." The conference was hosted by the Beijing Society of Geography and the Yanqing County People's Government Office, with the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Yanqing County Science and Technology Association, and the Yanqing County Tourism Bureau as co-hosts, and supported by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the School of Resources, Environment, and Tourism at Capital Normal University, and the School of Resources and Environment at Hebei Normal University as co-sponsors. It took place from September 6 to 9, 2002, at the Badaling Resort in Yanqing County, Beijing.
Attendees included experts and scholars from research institutions, universities, and colleges in geography, agriculture, and tourism across mainland China's provinces and municipalities, as well as seven experts and scholars from Taiwan University's Department of Agricultural Extension, the Taichung Health and Management College's Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, the Department of Agricultural Enterprise Management at Pingtung University of Science and Technology, the Department of Landscape Design at Fu Jen University, and the Department of Leisure Industry Management at Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology, along with representatives from relevant departments in Beijing and Yanqing County. A total of over 170 people participated. The conference was chaired by Yao Zhixiang, Vice Mayor of the Yanqing County People's Government, with an opening address delivered by Guo Huancheng, Researcher and Director of the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development of the Chinese Society of Geography, a speech by Tian Xiaoping, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, and a welcome address by Li Changshuan, Mayor of Yanqing County. A congratulatory speech was given by Wu Chuanjun, an economist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Land and Resources, and relevant departments in Beijing attended the conference.
Delegates engaged in lively discussions and explorations on topics such as sightseeing and leisure agriculture, urban agriculture, rural folk tourism, ecotourism, rural landscape planning, and agricultural and rural development. The papers submitted for this conference were the result of in-depth practical and theoretical research conducted by experts and scholars from mainland China and Taiwan, as well as practical experience summaries from national agencies and grassroots rural workers. The content is rich and the perspectives are innovative, representing the achievements of geographers, tourism, and agricultural science workers who have long dedicated themselves to the development of sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural tourism.
Based on the academic papers provided by the conference, an edited and selected collection titled Cross-Strait Development of Sightseeing and Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism (a symposium volume) will be published. The book includes 84 papers totaling over 800,000 words, serving as an important scientific treatise that comprehensively and systematically studies and explores the development of sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural tourism. It holds significant guiding value for the current and future development of these industries.
Main Content of the Book:
1. Sightseeing and Leisure Agriculture
Discusses the concept and significance of sightseeing and leisure agriculture, its types and functions, development principles and conditions, agricultural park planning and layout, and problems and solutions in its development.
2. Urban and Modern Agriculture
Explores the connotation and significance of urban agriculture, its structural types and functions, agricultural production characteristics and regional distribution, development directions and approaches, and the relationship between urban agriculture and urban development.
3. Rural Folk and Cultural Tourism
Examines the connotation and significance of rural folk and cultural tourism, its content and types, tourism resource development and planning, and the relationship between rural tourism and rural economic development.
4. Ecotourism and Landscape Planning
Discusses the concept and significance of ecotourism, its main types and layout, the content and methods of landscape planning, and the relationship between landscape planning and rural tourism.
This conference was greatly supported by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology and the Yanqing County People's Government of Beijing. The publication of the book was supported by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the School of Resources, Environment, and Tourism at Capital Normal University, and other co-sponsoring institutions, as well as the China University of Mining and Technology Press.
Comrades who participated in the conference organization and leadership include Guo Huancheng, Zheng Jianxiong, Yao Zhixiang, Wang Yongchang, Chen Lixin, Wang Lindi, and Wu Sheng, among others. Comrades who contributed to the editing of this book include Guo Huancheng, Wang Lindi, Liu Shenghe, Cai Jianming, Chen Ou, and Yang Yanru, among others. Gratitude is extended to all.
The academic conference on "Cross-Strait Development of Sightseeing and Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism" and its accompanying field visits were featured in CCTV's "Wealth Creation" program under the theme "Experiencing Rural Charm." The program provided a 25-minute special report on January 31, 2003, during the Spring Festival, which had a certain impact both domestically and internationally. We believe that at the beginning of the new century, the publication of this scientific treatise on the development of sightseeing and leisure agriculture and rural tourism in mainland China and Taiwan will provide valuable reference for workers in production, research, and education sectors related to geography, agriculture, tourism, and the environment.