The 13th Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference kicked off in Congjiang county, Guizhou province on July 16. As the site of the conference, Congjiang has enjoyed a boost in both tourism infrastructure and reputation. Basha Miao village has benefited greatly from the event.

Villagers in Basha are deemed the "living fossils" of traditional Miao culture because they have maintained the same general lifestyle for over two thousand years. Basha villagers have received special approval from the Ministry of Public Security to own guns its leading to its nickname "the last gun-wielding tribe in the world".

With the development of rural tourism in Basha, many young people who left for work are now returning to start their own business or join the local tourism cooperatives.

Booming tourism is bringing in more and more tourists, and various nongjiale, or farm homestays, can also earn additional income for villagers. Shi Qingxiang opened a nongjiale called Gunner Household to help villagers escape poverty.

"We mainly employ local residents. At present, there are seven impoverished villagers, and each of them gets at least 2,200 yuan a month," according to Shi. Shi's nongjiale purchased agricultural products valuing 1.03 million yuan from 123 impoverished households last year, and paid above market price.

Su Aiping, deputy director of the Tourism Development Service Center of Congjiang county, said that Basha village makes more than five million yuan a year from selling tickets, of which 80 percent is allocated to villagers or local economic development. It is reported that the annual income of each household is now more than 5,000 yuan on average.

Relying on its unique cultural resources, Basha began to develop rural tourism as early as the 1970s. The village has eared various titles over the years, including Chinese Traditional Village, National 4A Tourist Attraction, and National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Point.

Located in Congjiang county, Basha Miao village is known for the last gunner tribe in the world. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A distinctive feature of Basha is how, with special approval from the Ministry of Public Security, inhabitants have been given permission to own guns. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

People of Miao ethnic group in Basha remain the production and life style over two thousand years ago. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]