An aerial view of lotus ponds in Pingyuanchi village in Rugao, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Over 1,000 mu (66.67 hectares) of lotus flowers in Pingyuanchi village in Rugao, East China's Jiangsu province are entering flowering season, and the village's 6th lotus festival was unveiled on June 28, according to local media reports.

Tourists take a train over a lotus pond in Pingyuanchi village, Rugao. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Crowds of tourists flock to admire the stunning scenery during flowering season every year.

In 2015, Pingyuanchi village leveraged its unique resources to develop rural tourism. More than 100 kinds of lotus flowers were introduced to its idle ponds, forming an ecological industrial chain including sightseeing, lotus seeds and lotus leaf tea.

In addition, more than 400 mu of bonsai farms, 230 mu of fruit plantations, and 23 farmer cooperatives and family farms were later built in the village.

Last year, due to the multiple tourist attractions, more than 300 residents of the village managed to obtain jobs near home. The collective income of the village reached 2.67 million yuan ($398,830), and the per capita income of villagers was 33,700 yuan.