Xixia strives to boost rural tourism

"Our village has been completely transformed over the past year. We can now walk along the new cement roads and relax at local plazas and gardens," said Wu Gang, a migrant worker who later returned to his home village in Xixia county, Henan province.

In recent years, Xixia has been striving to create a pleasant countryside environment that is great for living and working. It has been promoting the integrated development of agriculture and tourism.

The county government has embarked on a three-year environment improvement project in rural areas and has invested 20 million yuan ($2.98 million) into improving living environments.

Public-private partnerships have invested a total of 600 million yuan into improving infrastructure and decreasing pollution.

With the aim of building a domestic ecological resort, the county has employed researchers from the Henan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences to formulate a comprehensive plan to facilitate all-for-one tourism with local characteristics. Xixia has established 21 tourist villages to improve the lives of 15,000 farmers. The villages have achieved an annual revenue of over 400 million yuan.