During the October National Day holiday, a former wartime pillbox in Fengnan Village, Huimin Street, Jiashan County, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, transformed into a new rural cultural tourism landmark with the opening of “Pillbox Coffee,” an initiative backed by the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the China Democratic League.
Opening Pillbox Coffee Beside Wartime Ruins
The coffee shop welcomed its first wave of visitors during the Golden Week holiday following its launch, drawing local villagers alongside young travelers crossing the border from neighboring Shanghai, according to Hu Wentao, the manager of Pillbox Coffee. Located just across the river from Shanghai’s Fengjing Town, Fengnan Village serves as the initial transit point where Jiashan County connects directly with Shanghai.
Village officials used this geographical advantage to convert disused land into functional commercial zones. “The ‘Train Night Market’ has brought together more than 30 stalls, turning a former local management challenge into a regional attraction,” said Gu Jian, Party Secretary and Director of the Fengnan Village Committee. Alongside the night market, youth-led entrepreneurial ventures including the coffee shop and wood-fired bakeries have generated consistent foot traffic, while integrated projects such as a communal banquet center, commercial facilities, and a cultural and sports center have incorporated the wartime pillbox directly into the streetscape.
Zhejiang Provincial Committee Partners with Fengnan Village
The evolution of Fengnan Village from a traditional agricultural community into a managed rural destination stems from a sustained pairing agreement initiated in 2018 between the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the China Democratic League and the village administration. In 2022, the organization inaugurated its “Rural Vitalization Practice Base” within Fengnan Village, establishing a “Tongxin” (One Heart) working model that comprises three specialized stations.
Under this framework, the “Tongxin Cultural Station” provides community outreach and educational activities, the “Tongxin Medical Station” addresses routine healthcare needs for residents, and the “Tongxin Research Station” channels policy recommendations and local feedback upward. These units institutionalized a long-term assistance mechanism focused on grassroots governance and cultural development.
Constructing the Fengnan Village Sports Park
Last April, Fengnan Village hosted a rural basketball tournament known locally as the “Village BA,” providing local residents with an organized sporting event while building administrative experience for future tournaments. However, local leaders noted that prior to the competition, the village basketball team lacked a dedicated training facility and had to borrow courts from neighboring villages to prepare.
Upon learning of the deficit during a field study, the Jiaxing Municipal Committee of the China Democratic League coordinated with provincial-level resources to secure backing for a dedicated athletic facility. Provincial, municipal, and county-level branches of the organization collaborated to fund and construct the Fengnan Village Sports Park, which now features high-standard courts for basketball, badminton, and table tennis.
Targeting Long-Term Operations and Light Sports Industries
Following the completion of the sports park, provincial organizers dispatched teams of academic experts, sports industry specialists, and governance advisers to the village to guide sustainable commercial operations. During a recent advisory session, Xu Yali, Vice Chairman of the Entrepreneur Committee under the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the China Democratic League and Chairman of Zhejiang Yashili Sports Culture Development Co., Ltd., outlined two primary development avenues for the village.
The recommendations include activating fragmented idle spaces within the village to host accessible light sports activities such as pickleball and flag football suitable for all age groups, alongside establishing a tiered rural sports tournament system. Planners intend to use the influx of visitors drawn by sports events to stimulate secondary spending across local guesthouses, weekend markets, agricultural displays, and educational study tours.
The Ongoing Three-Tier Coordination Model
According to Jin Jing, Head of the Social Service Department for the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the China Democratic League, the coordination across provincial, municipal, and county levels serves as the primary mechanism ensuring tangible results for the village’s development strategy. Representatives from the democratic party regularly visit the village to assess local needs, allocate practical resources, and address administrative challenges in regions requiring developmental support.
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