There are 36 ancient towns of some account in neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, and about a dozen of them, such as Zhouzhuang, Xitang and Wuzhen, have a mature tourism industry. Their easy accessibility has left Fengjing little communication advantage. To go from downtown Shanghai to Wuzhen or Xitang takes only 15 minutes longer than to Fengjing, and the distance between Hangzhou and Fengjing is definitely longer than that to Wuzhen or Xitang. Li Qin, deputy general manager of Shanghai Fengjing Old Town Tourism Development Co., Ltd., says that the similarity of tourist destinations has produced undifferentiated choice that marginalizes Fengjing tourism.

    “The high-speed railway links Shanghai and Zhejiang – the source of our visitors. At present, one third of our tourists come from Zhejiang, so we plan to achieve tourist numbers of four million by 2015, and tourist revenues of RMB 30 million,” said Zhu Tao.

    In a bid to exploit the fast-track advantage in the interests of Fengjing’s tourism industry, a tourist service center has appeared outside the new station. According to Li Qin, this center is funded by Jinshan District Tourism Bureau and will display Fengjing’s tourism products and special products. On the first day of the new service, Li Qin and her colleagues rode the high-speed train to experience it in person and assess opportunities for development.

    “The new railway presents an opportunity, and unless we grasp and use it, we will actually be weakened and marginalized,” said Li Qin. Fengjing’s tourism business started in 2004, slower out of the gate than other ancient town rivals. Therefore, its scenic area refinement, development of resources and market promotion has lagged behind. Most tourists coming to Fengjing are on one-day tours, and without overnight visitors, it is difficult to increase tourist revenues. “In the next five years, we will make painting-theme tours the spearhead of our tourism drive, shifting the emphasis from sightseeing tours to vacation tourism. Two-day tours and night tours will also be developed.”

    Fengjing’s distinguishing feature among all the ancient towns is Jinshan Peasant Painting. Gong Qinfang says that sales of her family’s paintings have increased year on year. In 2010 a painting by her husband Yao Xiping was selected by the Shanghai Expo as a gift item, which helped showcase their art.

    Quite clearly, Fengjing wants to maximize this artistic asset. In Zhonghong, cradle of peasant art, the local government has built a mini-village for peasant-painters, a community of dainty bridges, flowing streams, pendulous willows, and white-walled houses with black-tiled roofs. There are also independent houses for peasant-painters from other parts of China, such as Tianjin’s Yangliuqing, Chongqing’s Qijiang, Qinghai’s Huangzhong, and Shaanxi’s Huxian. Accommodation to artists is not only free of charge, the town also provides them a living allowance of RMB 1,000 per month. Income from painting sales belongs to the painters.

    The investment comes from Fengjing itself, but the financing is proving inadequate. “Fengjing’s tourism investment has reached only 200 million yuan, much less than Wuzhen’s toursim investment,” says Li Qin.

    Li Qin is hugely envious of the cooperation between Wuzhen and China Youth Travel Service, a major tourism operator. She says Fengjing will energetically promote such a market model as well, seeking joint ventures with tour operators, and inviting big investors to get involved.

    The sweet dreams of Fengjing townsfolk are tied to the high-speed railway link, but such factors as the addition of the competitive Jiashan Station, the re-siting of Jinshan North Station several kilometers away from Fengjing Town, and the fact that their station does not even bear the name “Fengjing,” suggest a wait and see attitude may be more prudent. The jury is still out on whether the benefits of a high-speed link actually materialize in full for the ancient town.