The New Life of Niu Zhuang Village - ‘Shan Yin’ (Mountain Hidden) New Hometown Hometown Benefactor Team Creates a Leisurely Resort

On a spring afternoon, the sun hadn't yet descended from West Mountain, and the entire old village of Elder Niu's was quiet and serene. We heard that the village's tea factory was undergoing renovation, so we drove over to take a look. 'This is truly a courtyard hidden in the mountains, completely unrecognizable as a guesthouse.' We parked our car in a vacant space in front of the guesthouse, with mountains surrounding us on four sides, making us feel as if we were in a quiet mountain valley. The accompanying journalist couldn't help but be captivated by the elegant scenery,'

According to Village Secretary Lian of Elder Niu's Village, this guesthouse is primarily based on agricultural culture, built in 2018 by a new local benefactor, Mr. Chen, at a cost of 5 million yuan. Approaching the guesthouse, the first thing to catch the eye is the stone staircase and the old wooden door. The housekeeper heard us talking and warmly greeted us, leading us on a tour to introduce the courtyard, outdoor tea bar, and guesthouse library…

After passing through the back entrance, you can see the tea forest wooden boardwalk. The tea forest is layered and dense, a sea of green stretching from low to approximately 20 layers of tea tree bushes. This was originally Elder Niu's Village's collective tea mountain, leased by Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen graduated from the China Academy of Fine Arts. In his eyes, life is full of art. This purely tea-picking tea mountain has been enhanced with wooden walkways, tea mountain pavilions, and green tea tasting, instantly blending tourists and the green foliage together!

The housekeeper told us that the newly developed tea forest is located at the village entrance, and we snapped out of it, saying goodbye to the housekeeper to interview the destination. The stone walls and tiles of the old tea factory seemed to be telling us how the older generation of Elder Niu's Village worked so hard. This is a 'talking house,' embodying the village's deep cultural heritage. The tea factory was built in the 1950s and 60s, and due to a lack of basic construction on the hillside, the old factory was severely damaged. To restore the tea mountain factory's harvesting production function, the 'Mountain Hidden' team renovated the tea factory's roof and new environment, and repaired the tea mountain roads. On the construction site, more than a dozen villagers were either carrying bricks and tiles or directing operations, this is also the village's 'past construction team'.

The undeveloped tea mountain is 5 minutes away from the tea factory, and the main road is mainly mud road. To facilitate tourist travel, it will also be renovated recently. The tea garden is lush and green, covering 130 acres. The renovated tea factory will produce up to 50,000 kilograms of tea annually.

Considering the existing resources, green tea is difficult to store and the varieties are aging. The 'Mountain Hidden' team plans to produce some 'Qingming Tea' (Clear Ming Tea) during the Qingming Festival, and the remaining tea will be produced in red tea varieties. At the same time, to improve the overall tea quality and brand effect, they will register a tea brand and upgrade products through packaging and sales.

Elder Niu's Village has beautiful natural scenery and fresh air, with favorable natural conditions. With the village's residents emigrating and becoming fewer, villagers are increasingly nostalgic for the old village. Mr. Chen's hometown sentiment became the inspiration for his design, resulting in the creation of an agricultural and tourist project. With further upgrades, 'Mountain Hidden' guesthouse will showcase a collection of boutique guesthouses, agricultural tourism children's park, coffee shop, handicraft workshop, Confucian learning center, and natural health center. At the same time, it will achieve the creation of jobs for villagers, self-management, and a series of beneficial public projects.

It was almost 5 o'clock when it was time to say goodbye. Looking back at the old village's sedimentation and warmth, with the pace of rural revitalization, we believe that the scenery of Elder Niu's Village will definitely be more beautiful in many years!

Mountain Hidden Location: Jixue Street, Xiangshan County, Elder Niu's Village