A bird's-eye view of Shushan village in Suzhou New District, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: snd-szgxqfb]
In today's Shushan village in Suzhou New District, East China's Jiangsu province, rural homestay and boutique stores mingle with green trees and mountains, creating a vibrant and inspiring scene.
At Leisurely North Mountain, a local homestay decorated with lovely plants and flowers, owner Zhu Yaqin is busy greeting and preparing food for customers.
"I've been running this homestay for eight years," Zhu said. "As a Shushan native, I never imagined I would one day return to my hometown and start my own business."
Zhu recalled that Shushan was a well-known but poor mountain village when she was a child. Villagers made a living by mining stone and used the remaining ore to pave a gravel road – the only road to the outside world.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, villagers have gradually realized that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and begun restoring the mountain.
Zhu and her husband came up with the idea to return to Shushan for business in 2014, when they renovated their two-story family house and saw their businesses prospering and expanding.
"Come to Shushan for pear blossoms in March, waxberries in June and Cuiguan pears in July. Our village is growing its appeal to visitors, and villagers are getting richer and richer," Zhu said.
In addition to retaining local residents, SND is becoming popular among high-end talent and foreign enterprises.
Statistics show that the district is currently home to over 1,800 foreign enterprises, 686 of which have Japanese investors. Thirty-nine global top 500 enterprises have invested in 62 projects in the district.
