Villages adapt to changing times

Last year, the village netted more than 8 million yuan in recurring revenue — over six times the figure in 2012, according to the local authorities.

The rising income enabled more infrastructure development and provided the village with a face-lift.

A catering center launched in Zhongdai has hosted more than 60 events so far this year, earning revenue of 324,000 yuan.

More agricultural and leisure tourism products have been introduced as a result of the progress made in the village.

Over the years, many visitors to Zhongdai have headed for Cao Guijuan's handmade rice wine workshop.

Five years ago, Cao and her husband were persuaded by local officials to use their wine-making skills to open a business to attract visitors.

"We have many patrons who keep returning to taste our rice wine," Cao said.

One customer from Inner Mongolia autonomous region ordered 50 kilograms of rice wine in 2018 after tasting it in the village. Cao said that during Spring Festival last year, her business sold more than 1,000 kg of wine.

Last year, Zhongdai received 150,000 traveler visits, with tourism income exceeding 30 million yuan, according to the local authorities.

Yang said, "By constructing a beautiful village, we are also actively developing homestays, agritainment and fruit-picking tours. We want to help villagers increase their income and become wealthy by growing the local economy to achieve common prosperity."