A corner of Changfang village.

A bull sculpture stands outside Changfang village.

A creek is seen in front of Changfang village.

Cultural activity center of Changfang village.

The villagers' reading room at the cultural activity center.

The Chang Ancestral Hall in Changfang village. Ancestral Hall is a symbol of supreme power for unity, rewards and punishment as well as education of clansman. The Chang Ancestral Hall was first built in 1439 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is the most famous historical relic of Changfang village.

Changfang village has made rapid progress since 2004 by developing tourism services. In the past four years, it has built up 15,000 square meters of new houses to improve the living condition of villagers. It invested as much as 6.33 million yuan (about US$ 855,000) to build the Villager Culture Square and renovated a series of historical relics to improve the living environment of its villagers as well as attract tourists. In 2006, the average per-capital net income of its villagers exceeded 8,000 yuan (about US$1,080), making it one of the richest villages in Xinyu city and even in Jiangxi Province.

(China Daily December 20, 2007)