Jingmen Qujialing, Hubei: Cultural Heritage Nourishes the Agricultural Valley, Rural Areas Foster New Opportunities

The spring breeze brushes the Jianghan, the cultural veins nourish the agricultural valleys.

In the northwestern fertile land of the Jianghan Plain, the mountains and rivers are picturesque, and the lakes are clear. In 2026, the “Light and Shadow China” photo collection team arrived in the Qujialing Management Area of Jingmen City, Hubei Province, capturing the beautiful scenery with their lenses and light, experiencing the vibrant vitality of spring, and understanding the unique charm of the deep integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism.

Witness the continuation of cultural veins, enjoy the pastoral scenery

“Here, you can both touch ancient civilization and enjoy the pastoral scenery; the perception of history and civilization becomes more intuitive and vivid.” Ms. Chen, a visitor from Wuhan, strolled through the Qujialing National Archaeological Site Park with her child, expressing her admiration repeatedly. The Qujialing site carries the civilizational memory from 5,900 to 4,200 years ago. As the discovery and naming site of the Qujialing culture, the national archaeological site park built around the ruins integrates museum displays, archaeological sites, and pastoral scenery, becoming a public cultural space that combines scientific research, education, and recreation.

Here, the civilizations that have slept for thousands of years are “decoded” one by one. Visitors can not only feel the charm of cultural relics and trace the threads of civilization in the museum but also experience traditional farming in the countryside, engaging in a “deep dialogue” with ancient agricultural civilization.

Visitors tour the Qujialing site museum. Photo by Wang Jian

Visitors shop at the “Meet Valley Civilization·TAO Drunk Qujialing” event market in Qujialing, Jingmen City, Hubei Province. Photo by Chen Bin

With historical depth settled, and cultural charm appreciated, here, the warmth of life and cultural flavor blend together—

Walking in the Bailong Mountain Scenic Area of Qujialing, the scenic trails are distributed without changing the nature of the land or adding construction land, showcasing the natural charm of ecological background.

At the Songyue Resort Hotel, a parent-child paradise, fishing area, and fruit and vegetable picking garden are all available. “We focus on parent-child leisure and plan to officially open in June this year.” Zhang Lei, the general manager of Jingmen Songyue Resort Hotel Co., Ltd., introduced that the hotel will rely on surrounding ecological resources to create an immersive pastoral vacation experience.

Enjoy the peach blossoms of spring, paint a picture of common prosperity

With vibrant spring, dazzling peach blossoms, the peach orchards bloom across thousands of acres. Recently, the “Meet Valley Civilization·TAO Drunk Qujialing” event kicked off at the Qujialing National Archaeological Site Park. Using peach blossoms as a medium, a full-chain agricultural, cultural, and tourism industry system of “flower viewing in March and peach tasting in May” has been established here.

In the Changtan Office, a 15,000-acre yellow peach base has been approved as a provincial-level quality agricultural product production base, driving over 300 farming households to plant, with an average yield of 4,000 to 8,000 yuan per acre and annual sales exceeding 40 million yuan. “We are creating unique cultural tourism brands such as ‘Peach Blossom Festival’ and ‘Picking Season,’ along with supporting projects like homestays, viewing platforms, and RV camps, receiving over 100,000 visitors annually,” said Wang Qiang, the party branch secretary of Yuebaoshan Village in the Changtan Office of the Qujialing Management Area, detailing the development achievements. It is reported that the base also collaborates with research institutions to cultivate new varieties and extend the deep processing industry chain of peach gum, processing 250,000 kilograms of peach gum annually, with a value exceeding 7.5 million yuan.

In Yuebaoshan Village, Changtan Office, Qujialing Management Area, Jingmen City, Hubei Province, tourists pose in the peach orchard. Photo by Chen Bin

The sound of deer calls echoes in the mountains and fields. Observing the deer herd up close, some stroll, while others pause, their forms graceful, rich in leisurely wild charm. In Qujialing, unique breeding industries further broaden the path to increased income and wealth. The Qujialing Management Area vigorously develops the breeding industry of sika deer, currently housing more than 6,000 sika deer, with an annual output value of 63 million yuan for the deer industry. Meanwhile, Hubei Juhui Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. operates on a “company + base + cooperative + farmer” model, with vegetable planting covering about 30,000 acres, resulting in an average annual income increase of over 8,000 yuan for more than 8,000 farming households.

In the Qujialing Management Area, Jingmen City, Hubei Province, sika deer raised by Hubei Jinglu Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. Photo by Wang Jian

Explore scientific innovation empowerment to promote urban-rural integration

“Pastoral joy” also has a “tech vibe.” The connection between industry, academia, and research provides more “imaginative space” for the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism.

Taking the “Two Institutes and One Center” project of China’s Agricultural Valley (Qujialing) Future Food as an example, by integrating a research institute, engineering college, testing center, and incubation park, the project is expected to form a hundred billion-level industrial cluster. “The research institute focuses on synthetic biology and functional foods, while the engineering college cultivates specialized talents to provide talent support for industrial upgrades,” said Zhang Man from the project development department of Jingmen Qujialing Urban-Rural Industrial Development Group Co., Ltd.

From the fields to the workshops, from research to market, Qujialing has streamlined the entire industrial chain, allowing ancient agricultural civilization to “meet” modern food industries: Baoderui (Hubei) Health Industry Co., Ltd. creates high value-added foods using supercritical extraction technology, winning multiple scientific awards; Juhui Agriculture specializes in fermented vegetable processes, with products sold nationwide.

The extraction production workshop of Baoderui (Hubei) Health Industry Co., Ltd. in the Qujialing Management Area, Jingmen City, Hubei Province. Photo by Qiu Huo

Cultural veins continue to carry ancient charm, while pastoral scenery nurtures new opportunities. By integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism, Qujialing shines a spotlight on its unique cultural tourism brand, showcasing the vibrant vitality of ancient civilization.