Tianjin's Xijingyu village receives tourism-friendly electrification upgrade

Xijingyu village in Tianjin's Jizhou district is seeing its time‑honored quarry heritage thrive alongside booming tourism, thanks to targeted power‑grid transformation and the electrification of local homestays carried out by State Grid Tianjin Jizhou Company.

The ancient settlement registers an annual tourism revenue of 35 million yuan ($5.22 million). Around 73 local homestays have completed full‑electrification renovations, phasing out coal and gas for heating, hot‑springs, and daily operations. The village hosts 55 boutique homestays, several restaurants, cafes, and wellness facilities, drawing more than 600,000 visitors annually.

"Electrification makes our business safer and cleaner. It helps preserve the ancient‑village landscape while driving up tourist numbers," said Shi Chao, manager of Tianjin Jizhou Yuyang Tourism Development.

The village once suffered unstable voltage and frequent blackouts at peak tourist hours, until power operators renovated two 10‑kilovolt lines and laid underground cables to avoid damaging stone lanes and traditional architecture. As a result, household power‑supply capacity rose to 20.43 kVA per household.

Twenty‑nine public charging piles paired with a dedicated transformer serve self‑driving tourists in designated parking zones, according to the local authorities.

Under the "village‑grid co‑construction" mechanism, power staff conduct daily load monitoring during peak seasons and maintain a 24‑hour fault‑response system for more than 60 homestays. Once a quarry‑reliant community, Xijingyu village turned to tourism after quarry closures in 2004. Its green‑energy transition offers a replicable experience for other historic villages across Jizhou district.

Liu Zixuan and Xu He contributed to this story.