“You can only really know something by going and experiencing it in person. ” 

Hillary, a Canadian student at the Academy of Future Education at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, chose Shushan Village in Suzhou for her very first visit to rural China. 

Shushan has preserved its traditional architecture and way of life. Local villagers make their living by cultivating tea, pear trees, and red bayberry. In recent years, with the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism, this once-remote mountain village has gradually become a popular destination for visitors and has attracted many new businesses.

Surrounded by three mountains, Shushan is also known as a “natural oxygen bar” and famous for its pear blossom market. Many of the village’s trending keywords online are closely connected to nature. 

“Happy every day!” That’s the note a local tea farmer wrote on the back of a Polaroid. 

In Shushan village, “new villagers” and “old villagers” live side by side, and new ventures coexist with traditional village life. Live in nature’s embrace, this is the story of Shushan. 

Planner: SHEN Zhengrong 

On-Camera & Script: QIAN Yingying