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A photo of a homestay in Yuantuojiao Resort. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Located in the easternmost part of Jiangsu province, Nantong's Yuantuojiao Resort received 2.8 million tourists in 2020, with the total income of rural tourism generated exceeding 9 million yuan ($1.39 milliiion).

The development of Yuantuojiao Resort has brought employment to local residents. A total of 360 people are directly employed in its rural tourism industry. There are 31 homestays and 16 restaurants in the resort.

The 12-km Jianghai Cultural Viewing Avenue along the resort, the 180-hectare Golden Beach Scenic Area, the Xinhu Four-season Flowers Park, and the Fisherman's Wharf, as well as other projects have been established in the resort since 2016, meeting public needs in sightseeing and leisure. These projects have also contributed to improvements in the beach's ecological environment and the landscape of the shoreline.

Di Zhonghui, a homestay owner, earns almost 200,000 yuan by running homestays every year. Di credits the success of his business to the restoration of the resort area's ecological environment.

With the development of rural tourism in Yuantuojiao Resort, an increasing number of local residents, who used to work in another city, have returned to their hometown to start a business, such as running a homestay or selling vegetables.