An aerial view of Xiayang village in Anji county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/hz66.com]

Xiayang village in Huzhou's Anji county has emerged as a hit camping site in the Yangtze River Delta region in recent years.

In 2021, Xiayang welcomed more than 5,000 campers, who generated a collective 2.13 million yuan ($327,692) in revenue and raised villagers' annual incomes by an average of 27 percent, according to Bao Xin, the village's Party chief.

Bao revealed that the village, which used to be a poverty-stricken place where the younger generation had to eke out a living by seeking education or employment elsewhere, has undergone great changes in recent years.

Its unspoiled rural landscapes and winding mountain roads have made it a popular place to go barbecuing and camping, but this did nothing for the village except increase litter.

It was not until August 2020, when Bao Xin took his post as Party chief after resigning from his job as a company executive in a big city, that Xiayang's fate started to change.

The first thing Bao did was clean up the litter. Nearly 1,000 beer bottles were removed from the perimeter of one lawn in the village. 

In addition, a tourism company was set up to develop camping facilities by teaming up with renowned outdoor camping brands in Shanghai.

Some villagers even transformed their houses into homestays and cafes to accommodate the influx of visitors.

Meng Zhengmei, who runs a homestay in Xiayang, said the homestay renovated from her house has eight rooms and can earn more than 100,000 yuan in annual revenue.

The village's development exemplifies Huzhou's booming rural tourism industry, which the local government views as an important means of achieving common prosperity.

A camping site in Xiayang village, Anji county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/hz66.com]