At the invitation of HAO Qian, a professor in the School of Law-based Government at CUPL, WINTERMUTH Susan, one of our professors at CESL, visited Koutou Village, Qiaozi Town as a part of joint research activity of "Promoting Investigation and Research to Help the Revitalization of Beijing Suburbs". The visit was co-organized by School of Law-based Government, CUPL and the Institute of Administrative Law of the School of Law, CUPL on October 21, 2023.

The village has been awarded "Beautiful Village" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for the way in which it was rebuilt in 2020. The village was founded 16 generations ago by four families that migrated from Shanxi Province and settled here. The site is in the area of the Saint Spring Mountain Tourist Scenic Area and over time became very wealthy from trade and tourism. The town was able to completely rebuild in 2020. Gone are the dirt streets, mud and stone buildings. In their place are new concrete buildings and homes, which nonetheless maintain the feel of the old village with some narrow streets and nearby fields of rice and apple orchards.

The town was rebuild with approximately 100 million rmb from the government and 50 million from the local residents. Today, the village is home to 1000 villagers in 300 families. On weekends, however, the population increases with both visiting families and tourists. The town boasts a lovely guest house and, additionally, apartments to rent.

The School of Law-based Government, CUPL is an organization of CUPL with a mission to promote the research and practice of building a law-based government. This field trip was but one of its outreach projects. Upon arrival, the group first visited the local lending library, which had a good selection of books. Next, the group was shown through the local museum retelling the history of the village and the current organizational structure. After visiting the fields, the group was treated to a show by the local residents, which featured "Dragon Flying Phoenix Dance" and the classic song "Learning Mao Selection" brought by the villagers in the 1960s., all below a 600 year old tree which, like the village, remains alive.

Text:WINTERMUTH Susan

Photo:School of Law-based Government, CUPL

Editor:MA Anna