——Interview with Shi Guoping, Chairman of Jiangxi Nanchang Xixia Scenic Tourism Management Industry Co., Ltd.

News from this website (Consumer Daily reporter Hao Haixia □ Gao Junlai, Wu Jiangping) is located in Xinjian District, Nanchang City, only 20 kilometers away from the city center. Among them, the Weishiling Ecological Park has gained fame in recent years and has gradually become another scenic spot for tourists from inside and outside the province to stop after they come to Nanchang. It attracts many Nanchang citizens and surrounding tourists to visit every year. The life philosophy it advocates, "Climb a mountain once a week, wash your lungs once a week, and be healthy for a lifetime", has also begun to take root in the hearts of the people. With its unique "strange" and "special" style, Guishiling Ecological Park has retained a large number of tourists in a hurry and has become a benchmark for Nanchang's tourism development.
It is Shi Guoping, chairman of Nanchang Xixia Scenic Tourism Management Industry Co., Ltd., who set up this benchmark. This forty-year-old man from Xixia, with his hard work spirit and persistent "stupidity", spent nearly ten years turning a barren mountain into a paradise for tourists.
In order to explore Shi Guoping's entrepreneurial trajectory, a group of reporters from Consumer Daily made a special trip to Xixia a few days ago to interview Shi Guoping and experience his ups and downs in a legendary life. the
From rushing to Nanchang with 20 yuan to become a leader in the washing industry
Shi Guoping’s entrepreneurial experience has to start in 1998. When he was young, Shi Guoping experienced many things and worked in various industries. But nearly 30 years old, there is no improvement in career and life. In 1998, when he returned to Nanchang, only a few tens of kilometers away from his hometown, to find a job, he only had 20 yuan on him. It was also a coincidence. When Shi Guoping was at a loss, the dry cleaning shop that a relative of his was partnered with was looking for someone to transfer due to poor management. Shi Guoping didn't think much about it, and took it over at a price of 80,000 yuan, all of which were owed first. This dry cleaner has been in operation for only one year. By November 1999, when he let go, the operating income was 85,000 yuan. In addition to the 80,000 yuan to repay the debt, the annual profit was 5,000 yuan.
This is Shi Guoping's first venture. Although he did not get the first pot of gold as expected, it allowed him to clarify his own development direction. More importantly, this attempt established his confidence and determination to start a business. From May 2000, Shi Guoping began to explore a way to enter the washing industry by contracting hotel laundry rooms. He successively contracted the washing business of Nanchang Xiangshan Hotel, Jinchangli Hotel, Nanchang Beijing Hotel and Nanchang Hotel. Three years later, in March 2003, when he acquired 80% of the shares of Nanchang Jiajiale Washing Company and established Jingdong Pacific Washing Company in Nanchang Economic Development Zone, he had already taken the lead in Nanchang's washing industry. Top chair. the
For Shi Guoping, 2003 was an important year in his life. In this year, Shi Guoping became attached to Xixia Tourism. After several years of hard work in the washing industry, not only has accumulated a certain amount of funds for Shi Guoping, but more importantly, he has gathered a lot of contacts. At this time, Shi Guoping is already an accomplished entrepreneur. In 2003, Nanchang City carried out environmental protection reforms, and the washing industry began to transform. Shi Guoping needed to find a new path of sustainable development. Under the guidance of the nostalgia, he turned his eyes back to the hometown where he was born - Xixia Town, Xinjian District, Nanchang City.
After repeated investigations and deliberation, Shi Guoping spotted an industry with great prospects but still unfamiliar to him—tourism. In 2003, the tourism industry in Nanchang was still in the early stages of development, and the probability of success in this industry itself was not high, and it was an "industry that could not see the light". But Shi Guoping has such a "stupid spirit". What he sees is the other side of tourism: "Tourism is an industry that makes people's lives full of vitality. It is an industry that benefits the people and an industry that can drive the development of the local economy."
Shi Guoping first took a small piece of land in Xixia Reservoir, built a "Guoping Villa", and started the early stage of Xixia tourism. In 2005, he contracted Xixia Reservoir and Xixia Guest House, bought several speedboats, signed a land use contract of 30 square kilometers with the government for 50 years, and constantly invited people from all walks of life to come to Xixia to help him make suggestions.
Although Shi Guoping has done well in the washing industry, tourism is still a layman for him. In 2005, not only did he not make any money, but he lost more than 700,000 yuan. To do tourism, one needs to "understand tourism". An urgent and realistic question before Shi Guoping is: what kind of tourism do you want to do? Shi Guoping began to ponder carefully, visiting various tourist attractions across the country to learn from them. He finally realized that for a place as big as Xixia, it is impossible to build it completely by one's own strength. He can only concentrate on one "point" and build it with all his strength. For this "point", he chose Weishi Ridge.
On October 2, 2007, the second day of the National Day, the first-phase investment of 57 million yuan in the Weishiling Ecological Park was officially opened. Weishiling Ecological Park covers an area of about 4,200 mu, including 4,000 mu on the mountain and 200 mu below the mountain. It is planned as a tourist area and leisure area. the
The development of Guishiling Ecological Park has not been smooth sailing. By the end of 2007, only a few thousand tourists were received. But Shi Guoping has a "stupid spirit". For this "can't see a bright career", he dared to "smash" all his belongings, never thinking about whether there will be rewards. "Guishishiling has three characteristics: lots of stones, lots of wood, and a stunned head." He told reporters that when he invested in Guishiling, almost no one, including his family and relatives, was optimistic about the prospects. Everyone was too familiar with this piece of land in their hometown. No one believed that Shi Guoping could carve flowers on stones, but this instead aroused Shi Guoping's fighting spirit. "In three years, I will create a paradise for you to see."
Over the past few years, Shi Guoping has hardly left Guishiling. From planning to construction, every plant, tree, brick and stone in the Guishiling Ecological Park has been infiltrated with his painstaking efforts. Hard work pays off, and under his careful construction, Guishiling Ecological Park is also stepping towards his dream step by step: in 2010, Guishiling Ecological Park declared and was approved as one of the top ten rural hotels in China and a national four-star leisure agriculture demonstration park; in 2013, it was approved as a national agricultural five-star leisure agriculture demonstration park, with the number of tourists exceeding 160,000; in 2014, it became the only privately-run national 4A scenic spot in Nanchang. Since February 2016, more than 200,000 tourists have entered the park, and more than 20,000 tourists have been received on "May Day" alone.
Today, Shi Guoping has invested more than 200 million yuan in the Guishiling Ecological Park. There are not only all kinds of strange stones in the scenic area, but also the only Great Wall in the south of the Yangtze River. The tourist experience of "listening to the singing of stones and walking like a gecko" has attracted a large number of repeat customers. Xixia Tour is just like a girl in a deep boudoir, she gently lifts her veil to reveal her beautiful face.
"I'm a river bed digger"
In Xixia Scenic Area, there are many farmhouses and country hotels along the roadside. Every weekend or holiday, as the Guishiling Ecological Park is full of tourists, these farmhouses are also very popular, and it is hard to find one. Chen Dinghe, director of security in Shizui Village, was the first villager to open a farmhouse in a scenic area. Since the establishment in 2011, over the past few years, he has not only built two small buildings, but also a parking lot that can accommodate dozens of cars. Every time it was busy, the family of six was too busy, and had to hire several helpers. Asked about income, Chen Dinghe told reporters that the estimated operating income this year is around 700,000-800,000 yuan. "It's much better than working outside. My two sons used to work outside, and now they're back to open this farmhouse."
There are currently more than 40 farmhouses and country hotels around the Guishiling Ecological Park, and more than 20 of them were opened in just a few months after the end of this year. These villagers' self-run catering service facilities dotted among the green water and green mountains with a strong local flavor have not only become an important source of income for the villagers, but also complement Xixia's tourism and become another major industry in the village.
The rise of these vibrant farmhouses and country hotels also benefited from Shi Guoping's support and planning. Shi Guoping is a native of Xixia, who was born and raised in Si and started a business in his hometown. "To drive the interaction between local villagers and enterprises, tourism is not only a one-man show for an enterprise, but also a local industry," Shi Guoping said. Under the guidance of this concept, Shi Guoping made a decision that was difficult for others to understand.
In 2010, it was the third year that Shi Guoping founded the Guishiling Ecological Park. With the development of Xixia tourism, Shi Guoping began to mobilize villagers to open farmhouses to promote Xixia tourism to form a relatively complete industrial chain. However, in the face of investment projects with uncertain futures, the pragmatic villagers did not respond positively. Faced with this situation, Shi Guoping came up with a solution. He first took the villagers to visit other tourist areas to see the development of their farmhouses, so that the villagers could have a personal experience and stimulate their entrepreneurial enthusiasm. Back in Xixia, Shi Guoping made an unexpected promise to the villagers: for every villager who intends to start a farmhouse, Shi Guoping will subsidize 10,000 yuan in cash for each establishment, and he will make up for the shortfall of the farmhouse with a turnover of less than 100,000 yuan. Unsurprisingly, this commitment has had immediate results: In 2011, Chen Dinghe, director of security in Shizui Village, received a subsidy of 10,000 yuan to open the first farmhouse in Xixia——Director Chen’s Farmhouse, and it has become a success. Afterwards, under the support of Shi Guoping and the inspiration of role models, Xixia’s farmhouses sprung up like bamboo shoots springing up in the mountains. From one or a few to more than 40 now, they have gradually formed an industrial scale. Shi Guoping pays close attention to the operation status of the farmhouse, introduces and guides tourists to go to consume, and regulates their services. Using the same method, Shi Guoping also subsidized the villagers to establish five chicken farms, and the amount of subsidy was increased to 50,000 yuan per household. "The government guides us, and we guide the people," Shi Guoping said. There are only about 200 households in Shizui Village, and his idea is to open about 100 farmhouses. "Who wouldn't be willing to spend 1 million yuan to support local industries? Of course I would be happy to do it." He said with a smile. the
The rise of farmhouse music has brought benefits to the people in Xixia Scenic Area, and has also attracted many villagers to return to their hometowns to start businesses and find employment. It is estimated that more than 40 farmhouses accommodate 500 to 600 villagers, plus more than 200 villagers who are directly employed in Guishiling Ecological Park. Shi Guoping has led villagers engaged in tourism-related industries to account for more than 1/3 of the total number of villagers in Shizui Village. The vigorous development of farmhouse music not only increases the income of local villagers, but also improves the public security environment. It is advisable to take a long-term view. In the fourth consecutive year of supporting the development of farmhouses, Shi Guoping thinks even further. "Agritainment is relatively a shallow product of tourism, with obvious limitations. It is not enough to just stay in the creation of agritainment. Tourism is just a platform. How to drive other industries needs to be considered as a whole." Improving the style of villagers and making them gradually become "tourists" with a strong sense of tourism services is Shi Guoping's next plan. He took the villagers out for inspection again, but this time he went to Hongcun in Anhui and the ancient city of Fenghuang in Hunan. "Every villager is a business card of Xixia tourism, and it is also the image of Xixia," Shi Guoping said. "Let them see the future."
During the interview, Shi Guoping made an impressive analogy: "I am just a person who digs the river bed. I dug the river bed and let them put fish and shrimps in it, so that the whole water will be alive." Only seeds are given, not vegetables, and the villagers are supported and guided.
Culture is the longest lasting charm of Xixia tourism
Affected by family conditions and the environment of the times, Shi Guoping did not receive much school education. However, during the interview, his conversation was very good. He could casually say some philosophical and intriguing words, which made people convincing and thought-provoking at the same time. During the conversation, Shi Guoping frequently used words such as "Buddha nature" and "practice". He believed that human cultivation and conduct are very important for the development of society. Shi Guoping is not a layman, but he shows a lot of compassion in his dealings with others. From him, people can feel the higher pursuit of contemporary private entrepreneurs beyond money.
How can we maintain the long-lasting charm of Xixia tourism? When talking about this topic, Shi Guoping said two words: "culture". "Climb a mountain once a week, wash your lungs once, and be healthy for a lifetime." According to Shi Guoping's understanding, this kind of health is not only physical health, but also mental health. To make people healthy physically and mentally, culture is an essential factor. Xixia itself lacks cultural context, which is a major shortcoming of Xixia tourism development. "Because of the lack of cultural context, we must pay more attention to culture. If we don't do it now, we will always lack cultural connotation." From this kind of thinking to understand the relationship between culture and Xixia tourism, Shi Guoping has a profound vision. At present, Shi Guoping is committed to building the cultural brand of Xixia tourism, using various methods to attract the attention of literati and contemporary famous scholars to Xixia, and also doing everything possible to allow ordinary tourists to get acquainted with culture in Xixia, so that in the future Xixia will become the intersection of contemporary culture, Zen culture and traditional Chinese culture.