Baisui Leisure Farm in Hai'an is a high-grade rural leisure holiday destination that integrates sightseeing, agricultural production, fishing and fruit and vegetable picking. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A delegation from the leisure agriculture and rural tourism branch of the China Tourism Association visited the Baisui Leisure Farm, located in Sunzhuang sub-district, Hai'an, a county-level city of Nantong, on Dec 13, for an on-site acceptance check of the farm's eligibility as a national five-star farm.

A total of 16 enterprises or parks from 10 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province were included as candidates to be named national leisure agriculture and rural tourism five-star enterprises or parks.

Baisui Leisure Farm is the only unit in Nantong participating in the selection and the first one in Hai'an applying to become a national five-star farm.

Composed of an orchard, a family farm, a water park and a fishing area, the 20-hectare farm is a high-grade leisure holiday destination that integrates sightseeing, agricultural production, fishing and fruit and vegetable picking.

By emphasizing a long  cultural history and suburban tourism, Baisui farm has jumped out of the old "dining + fishing" frame and now adheres to the development concept of integrating economic development and leisure, tourism and  culture, creating a new mode of leisure and sightseeing agriculture.

The farm attracts more than 100,000 tourists from all directions each year, and generates total income of over 20 million yuan ($3.06 million), easing the unemployment of the surrounding surplus labor force whose per capita annual income reaches above 50,000 yuan.