Flowers are in full bloom in Shicong village, Nanxun district, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

Shicong village in Huzhou's Nanxun district has become a popular destination for admiring flowers in recent years.

In was in 2017 that the village started developing rural tourism by planting flowers. With an investment of nearly 13 million yuan ($2 million), a sea of flowers covering nearly 1,200 mu (80 hectares) was built in Shicong.

Visitors can enjoy various blossoms year-round – for example, the peony in spring and coreopsis in summer.

Shicong has held a tourism festival featuring flowers and crayfish for four years in a row, attracting more than 3.5 million visitors in total.

The influx of visitors has led to the mushrooming of a number of tourism facilities in the village, including hotels and restaurants.

It has inspired many young people to leave jobs in other cities and return home to start businesses. One such person is Wang Qimin, a college graduate born after 1985 who founded an agricultural company in Shicong. The colorful tomatoes developed by Wang and his team became immediately popular among visitors after hitting the market.

In addition, a camping site consisting of 33 tents has been erected to accommodate visitors. Funded by a Hangzhou-based company, the site generated 350,000 yuan in collective income for Shicong in 2021.

Shicong has been designated a national 3A scenic spot, the second highest grade in the nation's classification system for scenic attractions, and listed among national leisure villages.

Tents are pitched in Shicong village, Nanxun district, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]