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A bird's eye view of Pingyuanchi village in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: RGETDZ]

Pingyuanchi village in Chengbei sub-district, Rugao has experienced notable economic growth in recent years due to the rapid development of its tourism industry.

The village's annual income increased to nearly 2.4 million yuan ($371,000) in 2020, while its per capita income has at least doubled its 2014 average, which was 14,000 yuan.

In the past six years, Pingyuanchi has turned into a popular tourism destination from a traditional agricultural village. It now boasts a number of idyllic attractions, including a lotus pond, a chrysanthemum field, and a farming-themed museum.

The lotus pond, which is one of the village's national 3A-level scenic spots, receives a maximum of more than 50,000 tourists a day, said Liu Weijian, a Party official of the village. Meanwhile, over 400 species of chrysanthemums grown in Shuizhuyuan (transliterated as “Water bamboo garden”), which opened last October, attracts a maximum of more than 20,000 people a day.

A hot springs program, a peony garden, and a wintersweet garden are also under construction so that visitors can admire flowers all year round, said Liu.

Local officials have made great efforts to revitalize the village. As early as 2014, over 7 million yuan was spent in transforming farmlands and building roads to improve the village's image. They have also cooperated with Nanjing Agricultural University and other institutions to explore how to make full use of local resources to promote the development of its tourism industry.