In a small village nestled at the foot of the Mutianyu Great Wall, locals and international tourists alike can be seen enjoying leisurely weekends amidst the greenery and blue skies. They sip on chestnut coffee, taste rainbow trout flavored coffee eggs, or simply lounge through expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the vast stretch of the Great Wall in the distance.
This charming spot is Beigou Village, located over 70 kilometers from downtown Beijing in Huairou District. Covering approximately 3.2 square kilometers, it is home to about 150 households and roughly 350 residents. Once dubbed the “northern corner” due to its remote location and poor soil, today it has transformed into a clean, culturally rich village that welcomes around 60,000 tourists annually, truly earning its title as the “International Cultural Village of the Great Wall.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a themed interview event focused on high-quality development, leading us to explore the unique charms of rural Beigou Village.
After a one-and-a-half-hour drive through scenic mountains, we arrived at Beigou Village, where the central square boasts well-marked parking spaces. On a crisp autumn afternoon, tourist buses and private cars flowed in and out. In the square, a striking statue of Confucius stands proudly alongside a large banner reading “Coffee” and “Beigou Accommodation Center,” while a nearby art gallery displayed eye-catching yellow mosaics representing “Rural Bamboo Weaving.”
In 2004, Wang Quan, who once managed a local enterprise, returned to his childhood village, motivated to revive it from its decline. As the village’s Communist Party secretary, he worked alongside fellow villagers to clean up streets and revise the village regulations—encompassing over 260 articles. By transforming local cultural stories into murals and introducing facilities like a digital cinema, library, and game room, he significantly improved the village’s infrastructure and atmosphere. These enhancements have attracted many foreign tourists visiting the nearby Great Wall, some of whom decided to rent courtyards in the village to enjoy views of the landmark.
Among them is Sam Yang from the United States. After renting and refurbishing a courtyard, he recognized the potential of a nearby abandoned tile factory. In 2020, the “Tile Factory Hotel” was born, merging traditional and modern influences. The old kilns were repurposed into the hotel’s reception, luggage room, entertainment area, and screening room, while the guest rooms feature large windows and skylights that provide breathtaking views of the Great Wall. This unique countryside hotel has gained international acclaim, inspiring locals to abandon the traditional “farm-stay” model in favor of creating distinct style inns and cafés.
“Currently, there are over 50 homestays in the village, about a dozen of which are managed by foreigners,” Wang shared, noting that the village attracts more than 60,000 tourists each year for sightseeing, lodging, and dining.
To ensure the sustainable development of the local hospitality industry, the Beigou Accommodation Center was established, marking it as the first integrated guesthouse center in suburban Beijing. Wang believes this collective management approach will stabilize competition and promote shared prosperity among villagers.
Beigou Village has developed a framework focused on establishing systems, enhancing the environment, fostering culture, enriching industries, and sharing developmental benefits. Recent years have seen Beijing improve rural living conditions and ecological value, all while nurturing new industries that blend agriculture with culture, tourism, wellness, and education. In 2023 alone, Beijing’s leisure agriculture and rural tourism welcomed 22.1 million visitors, generating an impressive 3.62 billion yuan in revenue while the ecological service value of agriculture citywide reached 404.1 billion yuan.
On the stone walls of Beigou Village, humorous signs with phrases like “Are you doing okay? I’m American” and “American asks for trouble” hang intermittently. “This is all in preparation for the Huairou Great Wall Coffee Festival and the second ‘Village Coffee’ Contest taking place on the 19th and 20th,” Wang expressed his delight in the increasing number of large events choosing Beigou Village as their venue.
