Abandoned stone quarry turned into flower valley
2023-03-13 19:03:00
Jiangnan Flower Valley recently opened to public and nearly 5,000 visitors made their way to Niuzhaping Village to visit the park in its first two days of operation.
The first flower-themed family park in Yichang was made by converting an old abandoned quarry which had been used for stone mining up until 2014. The park has a large flower glass greenhouse, which cultivates nearly 100 species of flowers and plants. There are nearly 30 amusement activities, restaurants and outdoor lawns, aiming to provide the public with a family-friendly place to spend the day.
“Niuzhaping village is close to the Gezhouba Dam, which used stones from quarry to block the Yangtze River during its construction," said Jiang Shaohua, Party Secretary of the village. “For a long time, most villagers made a living through growing oranges and mining stone.”
Villager Ni Gaofu said he started to quarry stones in his early 30s and didn’t change professions until he turned 52. “There is basically no other livelihood option. Many people built their houses with money earned through stone mining,” Ni said.
The quarry was closed in 2014. Jiang said: “Given the geographical advantages of Niuzhaping village, we decide to develop a plant seedling industry, with ecological protection and restoration at its core. Additionally, we aim to build the village into ‘Yichang’s backyard’ by integrating agriculture with tourism.”
Today, Niuzhaping village has become a popular tourism destination, with various outdoor amusement parks, farmers’ inns, picking gardens and entertainment activities like rock music festivals and cross-country cycling games.
Photo by Zhou Xingliang
The first flower-themed family park in Yichang was made by converting an old abandoned quarry which had been used for stone mining up until 2014. The park has a large flower glass greenhouse, which cultivates nearly 100 species of flowers and plants. There are nearly 30 amusement activities, restaurants and outdoor lawns, aiming to provide the public with a family-friendly place to spend the day.
“Niuzhaping village is close to the Gezhouba Dam, which used stones from quarry to block the Yangtze River during its construction," said Jiang Shaohua, Party Secretary of the village. “For a long time, most villagers made a living through growing oranges and mining stone.”
Villager Ni Gaofu said he started to quarry stones in his early 30s and didn’t change professions until he turned 52. “There is basically no other livelihood option. Many people built their houses with money earned through stone mining,” Ni said.
The quarry was closed in 2014. Jiang said: “Given the geographical advantages of Niuzhaping village, we decide to develop a plant seedling industry, with ecological protection and restoration at its core. Additionally, we aim to build the village into ‘Yichang’s backyard’ by integrating agriculture with tourism.”
Today, Niuzhaping village has become a popular tourism destination, with various outdoor amusement parks, farmers’ inns, picking gardens and entertainment activities like rock music festivals and cross-country cycling games.
Photo by Zhou Xingliang
