Zhongnan village is home to Zhongnan Group, a leading construction company in Nantong. [Photo/Haimen Daily]

Zhongnan village in Changle town, Haimen district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province was included in the list of 2021 China's beautiful villages for leisure, which was recently released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Located in the central area of Changle town, the only "national famous town for characteristic tourism" in Nantong, Zhongnan village is the birthplace of Zhang Jian, a renowned industrial magnate, educator, and scholar in early 20th century China.

In recent years, the village has taken advantage of the local construction industry as a major economic driver to develop its rural tourism industry, involving vegetable and fruit picking, fishing, catering, farming, as well as other forms of recreation.

The village's economic scale exceeded 900 million yuan ($141.12 million) in 2020, with the per capita income of villagers reaching 45,000 yuan and its tourism revenue totaling 25 million yuan.

The village also was included in the second batch of key villages for rural tourism designated by the provincial cultural and tourism department, as well as the development and reform commission of Jiangsu.