Eighty-four boutique homestays in Jinyuan village, Quzhou, Zhejiang province, were nearly fully booked for November, highlighting the village's rise as a popular tourist destination.

Beyond Jinyuan, other traditional villages in Quzhou, such as Miaoyuan in Kecheng district, Qingyang in Jiangshan county-level city, and Fengxi in Nianbadu Ancient Town, have emerged as cultural tourism hotspots.

Quzhou, located where the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Anhui meet, features a unique geographical layout with traditional villages nestled in mountainous regions and scattered across plains. It is home to 57 national-level, 84 provincial-level, and 18 municipal-level traditional villages.

In recent years, Quzhou has invested 1.12 billion yuan ($158.74 million) toward restoring ancient buildings, improving the environment, and upgrading infrastructure.

A traditional village in Quzhou, nestled in the mountains. [Photo/Tide News]

Jinyuan village's transformation exemplifies Quzhou's efforts to preserve and develop traditional villages. This 900-year-old village has overcome challenges such as youth migration by adopting a new development model, turning idle farmhouses into homestays, idle land into farmland, and local traditions into tourism appeal.

In 2024, Jinyuan welcomed over 46,000 visitors, generating 2.58 million yuan in tourism revenue.

Qingyang village, with its 1,500-year history, has revitalized 32 idle houses into cultural hubs. In 2024, its collective income exceeded 1 million yuan for the fourth consecutive year.

In Fengxi village, entrepreneur Li Junjun has learned the local traditional tofu-making technique and then launched innovative products like soy milk ice cream, which achieved record sales during this year's National Day holiday.