China Exclusive: Indigenous communities in Hunan embrace new life by preserving the old

Xiang Shengquan is a member of an indigenous community who live in the central Chinese province of Hunan. Last year, after working in some of China's biggest cities for many years, he returned to his hometown.

Xiang is now a boatman and his family also runs an agritainment venue at a heritage site in Xiangxi Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan. The site, Yongshun old Tusi fortress, was included on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list last year. Very little is known about the ancient Tusi chieftain system, which once governed Southwest China's ethnic minorities from the 13th to the early 20th century.

The word Tusi refers to the tribal leader appointed as an imperial official by the central government.

The Tusi fortress in Yongshun is estimated to be more than 600-years-old. Lying on the bank of a river, it is considered the largest, oldest and best preserved Tusi fortress in China.

"All of our preservation and development projects aim to stay true to the original site, people, and environment," said Kong Fanwei, director of administrative office of the old Tusi town.

Many of the province's local governments hoped to develop the area's myriad cultural heritage sites into tourist destinations, which would help the indigenous peoples earn more money, said vice head of Xiangxi prefecture Li Ping at a seminar on the Tusi chieftain system and culture over the weekend.

People, like Xiang, will have more opportunities to earn a living wage while at the same time preserving their culture and traditions.

"My family made over 100,000 yuan [about 15,000 U.S. dollars] last year. And my boat job also brought me a steady monthly pay of several thousand yuan," Xiang said.

Development, however, should be controlled.

"In order to better protect the old Tusi structures, the authorities should balance the relationships between protection, tourism and exploration, and ensure the interests of the locals are prioritized," Li said.

However, some of the local older generation are not satisfied with the current changes. "We are not allowed to expand our homes or build new roads. You can't expect us to live in shabby wooden houses for the rest of our lives," one indigenous resident told Xinhua.

The boom in tourism has also had an adverse affect on the price of housing and daily necessities for the people who live in Xiangxi, as tourists flock to experience the lives of -- who they perceive to be -- primitive people.

Some tourist destinations in China face a similar dilemma. A few of them have moved to limit the number of tourists.

Attendees at the seminar said there had been a "rush" by some local governments to open their heritage sites to the public. However, profits should take a back seat, as without careful planning, tourism can damage the sites without producing benefits to the local people.

"Protection and development must be carried out simultaneously. And our indigenous communities must feel the benefits," Li said.

Since the old Tusi fortress officially opened to tourists on May 1, sightseeing boat tours and folk custom performances have been organized, creating over 300 jobs for the local people. Their work and home lives have been improved.

"The incomes of our indigenous communities have increased since 2015, and is forecast to reach 3,000 yuan per capita this year. Our next step is to allocate a certain percentage of ticket sales to members of these communities," Kong said. Endi