How did the “vertical” Chinese village of Wangxian appear and who lives in it?
It's no secret that people settle in the most unexpected places. Settlements can be found in deserts, in the middle of lakes, and even among eternal ice. But the Chinese village of Wangxian in Jiangxi province looks special even against the backdrop of these miracles of adaptation. She “stuck” to the wall of a sheer rock at a great height. Why did people decide to settle in such an unusual place and how do they survive in extreme conditions?
Just a couple of decades ago, the village of Wangxian was unknown to anyone. It was an inconspicuous tiny settlement on the top of a mountain. Its few inhabitants were engaged in growing tea and lived very poorly. But then the local authorities decided to turn this place into a tourist attraction. In China, it is fashionable to create “historical monuments” that show how people lived in ancient times.
Before the arrival of the builders, several man-made caves existed in the rock on which the village of Wanxian huddled. People once lived in them. The architects added houses and passages to the rock complex, stuck to the outside at dizzying heights.
The creators of the attraction took the matter very seriously. They used only natural materials - stone and wood. Therefore, all buildings look natural and historically accurate.
The houses of the tourist village, which today everyone knows as Wanxian Jiangxi, look like bird's nests. It seems that only extreme sports enthusiasts can be inside and it is life-threatening.
But in fact, there is no risk and the inside of the houses is not only safe, but also comfortable. There are no permanent inhabitants in the colorful huts - they are rented out to tourists.
The houses clinging to the rock are equipped with modern technology, and some of them even have swimming pools. There are always enough people willing to rent a house at a dizzying height, and the owners of the complex are not in poverty.
There is also a real hotel “Wansyangu” in the village, located above a cliff 110 meters high. Its windows offer fantastic views of the picturesque Wangxian Valley, the pearl of Jiangxi province.
Tourists are crazy about the complex in Jiangxi. But the residents of the province themselves are reserved about the new product. Many believe that the creators of the attraction are risking the lives of guests.
Strong earthquakes are common in these parts, and houses on a steep wall during such disasters are not the safest place, they believe. There is also an opinion that a village on a cliff looks unnatural and spoils the natural landscapes of the valley.