Tourism on high

Hotels were built and visitors can go deep into the mountain with forest workers and enjoy what nature has to offer.

"Travelers can experience different rooms designed like those in the '50s and '60s," Zheng says.

To date, Lucun's income mainly comes from entrance fees and sales from animal feed production and deer related products.

The villagers can also earn wages by working at the deer cooperative.

Last year, more than 30,000 tourists visited Lucun, and local per capita income was more than 35,000 yuan.

Lucun is a reflection of Arxan's efforts to develop tourism to improve local livelihoods.

In 2011, Arxan was named a national poverty-stricken area, but it was removed from the list in April last year.

The city has been developing an industrial pattern mainly supported by tourism and supplemented by eco industries, agriculture and animal husbandry with local characteristics.

The local government has invested more than 1 billion yuan to promote environmental advancement for tourism development.

Large numbers of trees were planted, and measures were implemented to prevent soil erosion.

According to the local government, the green coverage rate has reached 95 percent in Arxan.

And forest produce has also been increasingly popular.

At the Xiangxiang poverty alleviation shop, visitors can purchase a variety of specialties, including mushrooms and organic beef and mutton.

Wang Guochen, a shop employee, says the shop has brought the produce of more than 400 poor households to the market and has an annual business transaction volume of more than 2 million yuan.

E-commerce festivals have also been held and social media influencers were invited to promote Arxan's agricultural goods.