Rejuvenating customs

About three years ago, Zhang was invited to set up a shop at Linglongwan, a tourist site near the river, to keep the tradition alive and use it to spice up the experience for travelers by making scaled boat models through traditional techniques.

While Zhang's "boatyard" is a must-see, it's just one thread in the cultural tapestry of Shengfeng village, where winding paths and stone bridges arching over the river lead to ancestral halls etched with fading calligraphy.

The village embodies the quintessential water town of Jiangnan — the region along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River — characterized by houses with whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs.

This once-obscure village has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis, emerging as a provincial exemplar of rural cultural tourism through strategic preservation of intangible cultural heritage, according to local authorities.

Shengfeng closed down over 400 pig farms, clearing the path for ecological restoration efforts over time. Concurrently, art projects that accentuate local cultural heritage have been initiated to enhance the tourism experience.

Over 200,000 visitors came last year, contributing more than 3 million yuan ($413,000) in collective income for villagers, a testament to the village's successful "culture-plus-tourism" development model, according to local officials.

The Linglongwan site has served as the heart of cultural experience in the village.

"Beyond the celebrated boatbuilding, visitors discover cultural charm behind local sugar cake, farmers' paintings, and a pigsty-turned-ceramics studio where a Jingdezhen-trained potter gives class," says Ding Weizhe, who is in charge of the site operations.

"We're seeing exceptional foot traffic in April," Ding notes, referencing a national farmers' painting biennale that drew in artists from across the nation on April 20.

Weekends see families enjoying public lawns, while weekdays host study groups examining Shengfeng's successful rural vitalization model, Ding says.

Within walking distance from Zhang Laisheng's workshop, Zhang Jinquan is also guarding the centuries-old tradition of sugar cake mold carving — an intricate folk art that blends woodworking, paper-cutting and spiritual symbolism.