Huamao village: A rags-to-riches story to tell

Ceramics products can be seen everywhere in Huamao village in Zunyi city. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

As a matter of fact, rural tourism is not the only achievement to show off in the village. Huamao is also renowned for its ceramic industry with a history of more than 400 years.

Moutai liquor once won the golden medal in the Expocomer International Trade Exhibition partly due to the bottle was made of ceramics in Huamao village, which helped Huamao earn the reputation both at home and abroad.

In the high-tech dominated era, many local people still have chosen to stay at the traditional workshops. And Mu Xiangang is one of them.

"To continue the ceramics workshop is not a easy decision to me, as the business in the past decades was slack. However, I do not want to lose our family traditional culture and skills, so I just stayed in the field," Mu said.

"Since last year after Xi Jinping's visit to my workshop, my life has changed considerably as the business has gained huge momentum. People paying a visit to our village, more often than not, will come to my workshop to purchase some artworks or just experience the fun of making ceramics," Mu added.

As I left the village, what impressed me most was the smile in every local's face. From a barren placed to a rural tourism demonstration zone, Huamao has made a new leap forward in economy and people's daily life.

"Find your memorable nostalgia here" is a slogan in red set in one of the hotels in Huamao village, which really attracts the attention of every passerby. To me, it is not an empty promise but is worthy of the name.