"Wow! How beautiful!" On the afternoon of September 22, a reporter walked into Xixia Garden, a rural café in Yangtaoqing Residents' Group, Xinfa Community, Dabanqiao Subdistrict, Dian Zhong New Area. Everywhere the eye turned, flowers bloomed in abundance: cream-colored dahlias unfurled layer upon layer of petals; pink and pale-blue hydrangeas grew in dense clusters; orange roses leaned out from branches by the wooden windows by the wooden windows; Mexican sage sent up velvety purple spikes; purpletop vervain raised tiny purple flowers like stars scattered across the sky; globe amaranth and cosmos spread all along the stone path…

Xixia Garden in full bloom.

When a breeze stirred, flower fragrance wafted through the air, and small bees flitted among the blossoms; wooden cabins, a tower, and a pond were reflected under a blue sky dotted with white clouds, making the place look like a secret garden in a fairy tale.

"There is an event today. The guests have not arrived yet, so we are making careful preparations." Li Jianqin, proprietor of Xixia Garden, and other staff members were busy setting up the newly added coffee lounge: a long wooden table was laid with a table runner, and flowers, cakes, and seasonal fruits filled the table, as a country gathering was about to begin. Outside on the lawn, a white tent offered a patch of shade; a cat curled up dozing in a leather chair, and time slowed its pace here.

Proprietor Li Jianqin is busy arranging the coffee area.

In 2016, Li Jianqin came to Dian Zhong New Area from Shunde, Guangdong, and has called Yangtaoqing home ever since. "The climate is pleasant, transportation is convenient, and it is not far from the city," Li Jianqin said.

It is understood that Yangtaoqing Residents’ Group in Xinfa Community is about 5 kilometers in a straight line from Terminal 1 of Kunming Changshui International Airport and about a 17-minute drive away. From the village’s lush, wooded slopes, one can overlook the airport, while the original rural courtyards have been preserved. "There are also more than 120 vacant old houses, which provides a foundation for putting them to good use and developing long-stay tourism," a Xinfa Community staff member said, adding that the establishment of Xixia Garden had also received community support.

Terminal 1 of Kunming Changshui International Airport can be seen from the slopes of Yangtaoqing.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, the garden is taking on an increasingly festive atmosphere. "We are still improving our facilities and will do our best to serve the guests who come. This is a village in Dian Zhong New Area, and we hope visitors to the garden will leave with beautiful memories," Li Jianqin said.

The newly arranged coffee area quietly awaits guests.

The bright coffee lounge, woodland cabins, and four-season garden… the rural café in Yangtaoqing, Dabanqiao Subdistrict; Shicui Valley, a long-stay retreat for livestreamers; and the eco-vegetable growing base built by urban residents in Adi Community—gave the reporter a glimpse of the vast potential for rural development in Dianzhong New Area. The countryside is a field full of hope. It needs more urban residents like Li Jianqin to come to the new area with their dreams, join hands to make the countryside more beautiful, and let urban people’s pastoral dreams blossom and bear fruit here.

As the two holidays approach and the flowers are at their best, Xixia Garden in Yangtaoqing is quietly welcoming old and new friends with its flowers in full bloom and fragrance filling the air. (Dian Zhong New Area News, Reporter Ma Fengcui)

Click here to view the Chinese report

(Editors: Jennifer, Rachel)