Yan Waluo (left) leads a band in performing Blang Tanchang, or Blang-style lute-accompanied singing, in Jinglai village of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province. YANG ZEKUN/CHINA DAILY

Thirty years after floods destroyed their homes, residents of a remote village on China's border with Myanmar are welcoming tourists to the frontier they chose not to leave, selling tropical fruit, opening cafes and finding new ways to earn a living.

The changes in Longli, a Dai village in Daluo township of Yunnan province's Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, are echoed in nearby Jinglai, where traditional wooden houses and local crafts have become the foundation of a growing tourism business.

In 1996, floods along the Daluo River destroyed Longli's homes. Rather than relocate closer to the better-equipped township, its 59 households chose to rebuild near the border. They also donated the 60,000 yuan ($8,970) in relocation subsidies to establish a village school.

But determination alone could not overcome isolation. For years, villagers had to travel an extra 6 kilometers to reach town, and fruit buyers were reluctant to collect produce from the village. Farmers often had to accept lower prices.

After returning home in 2019, village Party secretary Yu Ernan began collecting residents' concerns. A 112-meter bridge opened at the end of 2020, shortening journeys and making it easier for agricultural products to reach buyers. Residents then helped improve roads, drainage and public spaces.

Local officials also encouraged farmers to diversify beyond rubber. Party members tried growing dragon fruit before other households followed, and a cooperative helped coordinate cultivation and sales. By 2025, the village had 40 hectares of dragon fruit, with annual output valued at 9 million yuan. Per capita annual income had risen from less than 8,000 yuan to 28,000 yuan, according to local government figures.

In 2023, Longli began working with a tourism company to offer village visits and border-themed experiences. In 2025, it welcomed 127,500 tourist visits and generated about 1.85 million yuan in tourism revenue. More than 30 young people have returned, opening businesses including restaurants and coffee shops.

A monthly market now gives residents, especially older villagers, free stalls to sell homegrown fruit and handicrafts. The market attracted more than 8,000 visits in one month, and participating vendors earn about 1,800 yuan extra per month on average.

Longli's development has also drawn on close community ties. Han, Dai and Blang residents celebrate festivals together, help settle neighborhood disputes and join border patrols. Across the border, about half the village's residents have relatives in Myanmar's Manhui village, with which they maintain cultural exchanges.

In Jinglai, tourism has taken a different route. Once a poor border settlement with per capita annual income below 1,000 yuan, the village began cooperating with a tourism operator in 2003, formalizing a partnership between the village Party branch, the company and residents in 2015.

Rather than replacing Dai stilt houses with new attractions, Jinglai has kept traditional homes in use while developing guesthouses, restaurants and workshops where visitors can try pottery-making, weaving and sugar production. All 120 households hold shares in a village cooperative and can receive annual dividends. Blang musician Yan Waluo, a national-level inheritor of an intangible cultural heritage tradition, also teaches traditional singing to residents from different ethnic groups.

Villager Yu Guangkan runs a restaurant from her family's bamboo house alongside farming rubber and rice. She said the family earns more than 80,000 yuan a year from farming and around 40,000 yuan from the restaurant, with tourism also providing local employment opportunities.

The village welcomed 350,000 tourist visits in 2025, generating more than 5.3 million yuan in tourism revenue. Average annual disposable income reached 28,000 yuan per resident.

Jinglai is also adding hands-on activities to its cultural attractions. In a new fruit-drying experience, visitors can slice local produce and use traditional Dai techniques to make dried fruit. Resident Yu Naner said fruit that once went unsold can now bring her around 10,000 yuan in additional annual income.