Kunming (ANTARA) - A visit to villages in Yunnan, China, has allowed\nIndonesian village officials to observe closely how local communities\ntransform natural and cultural potential into economic resources without\nabandoning their traditional character.<\/p>\n
In Sanman Village, for example, they witnessed how three neighbouring\nvillages transitioned from separate development patterns to a\ncollaborative model. For Titin Bainah, a village head from North\nSumatra, her first visit to Sanman Village in Xishulaobanna, Yunnan\nProvince, provided an opportunity to see firsthand how a rural community\ncan convert local resources into new opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis village is very clean, and I am impressed by the blend of\ntourism and culture, as well as the collective economy,\u201d said Titin,\nadding that she hopes to bring some of this experience back to\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
From 12 to 13 September, a group of Indonesian village officials\nvisited rural communities in the Yunnan border region. They did not\nmerely admire the scenery but also inquired about how villagers are\ninvolved, how local industries develop, how traditional culture is\ntransformed into economic resources, and how villagers share in the\nbenefits.<\/p>\n
Sanman is part of the Mangajian Village Committee. Previously, the\nthree villages operated separate industries, relying primarily on rubber\ntapping and migrant labour, while traditional crafts struggled to find\nsuccessors. Since 2023, a team led by Professor Li Xiaoyun from China\nAgricultural University has assisted in planning and management. While\nmaintaining the characteristics of the Dai ethnic village, the local\ncommunity has developed cafes, rainforest tourism experiences, and shops\nfor cultural and creative products, thereby unifying previously\nscattered resources.<\/p>\n
What particularly caught the attention of the Indonesian officials\nwas how villagers benefit from these changes. On the afternoon of 13\nSeptember local time, the Indonesian officials visited Manzhao Village\nin the Menghai region of Yunnan Province. This village is currently the\nonly village in Xishuangbanna that produces traditional Dai ethnic\npaper.<\/p>\n
Revenue from visitor spending is distributed through cooperatives,\nmanagement companies, village collective business entities, and village\ngroups, allowing households to share in the benefits. In 2025, Sanman\nrecorded a business turnover of 2.58 million yuan (1 yuan = Rp2,629).\nThe village collective enterprise earned a revenue of 570,000 yuan,\nincluding 70,000 yuan distributed as dividends to all 140\nhouseholds.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegarding rural development, ultimately the most important thing is\nthat the villagers benefit,\u201d said Titin.<\/p>\n
She stated that rural development requires more than just a beautiful\nenvironment; it also requires industries that encourage villagers to\nremain actively involved. She was particularly interested in how Yunnan\nvillages have transformed cafes, sunset viewing spots, and various\neveryday attractions into new sources of income. This has inspired her\nto consider how Indonesian villages can better utilise their own\nresources.<\/p>\n
From the transformation of Sanman to the revitalisation of\ntraditional crafts in Manzhao, they observed a vital lesson: rural\nrevitalisation is not merely an effort to beautify the appearance of a\nvillage. Rural revitalisation is about integrating ecological, cultural,\nand industrial resources, while ensuring that villagers act as both\nparticipants and beneficiaries of such development.<\/p>\n
In a cultural and creative products shop, Dai ethnic paper has been\nprocessed into various items such as packaging, handbags, gift boxes,\nfans, lamps, and decorative paintings. A villager named Yu Kangkang has\nhelped develop more than 60 products, bringing this craft, which has a\nhistory of over 800 years, into the modern market.<\/p>\n
The visiting officials expressed their hope to bring these\nexperiences back to Indonesia.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/learning-rural-revitalisation-from-villages-in-yunnan-1789535132", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }