by Xinhua writers Wu Qiong, Tang Shining

BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- For decades, China's rapid urbanization came at the expense of rural decline as people migrated to cities. But today, the countryside is undergoing a remarkable transformation. New opportunities are flourishing with China's ongoing rural revitalization efforts, driving cultural, industrial and economic growth in villages.

IDLE TO IDEAL

Nestled in Jiangning District of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Sujia Ideal Village has transformed from idle farmland into a thriving destination known for its pastoral charm and robust commercial ecosystem.

Entering the village, the landscape unfolds like a living painting -- rolling tea fields, mirror-like lakes, and whispering bamboo groves, leads tourists to an unexpected floral paradise. There, Claude Monet's iconic Water Lilies seem to spring to life in vibrant reproduction.

Wu Hao, owner of the Guangyinli boutique homestay, spearheaded this cost-efficient garden design using striking native plants that require minimal maintenance. The garden isn't just decorations, it's an economic catalyst, Wu told Xinhua.

The space doubles as a venue for botanical workshops and plein-air painting classes, attracting both overnight guests with en-suite rooms priced at around 800 yuan (about 111 U.S. dollars) per night during weekends. During the recent Dragon Boat Festival, occupancy rates exceeded 80 percent, Wu said.

A stroll further the village unveils even more facilities -- deer isle, boutique coffee shop, tea house, kiln-roast yard cooking delicate bread and handicraft store. The village now boasts 11 boutique homestays offering around 200 guest beds. Last year, it welcomed 500,000 visitors, generating nearly 30 million yuan in tourism revenue.

The village operates on a "government-guided, enterprise-operated" model, with cultural tourism firm X Band executing the vision. "When we first arrived, invasive weeds choked the land," recalled Zhu Shengxuan, X Band's CEO and a nationally accredited landscape architect. "Then one summer night, fireflies appeared -- that's when we knew ecological restoration could boost economic growth," Zhu said.

The results speak volumes, with the village's annual losses plummeting from 4 million yuan to breaking-even within six years. Now, high-margin ventures like destination weddings and corporate retreats are driving the next growth phase, Zhu noted.

FROM SELLING STONES TO SCENERY

About 200 km away in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Yucun Village embodies a remarkable transformation -- from the scars of quarrying to the rewards of ecological restoration.

The metamorphosis began with painful choices. "We faced three hard truths," recalled Wang Yucheng, the village Party chief. "Dwindling limestone reserves, rivers running gray with mining waste, and weekly injury reports from the pits." The final straw came when Huangpu River pollution triggered a State Council rebuke in the early 2000s.

Today, rehabilitated quarries and mines have been transformed into grassland and hybrid spaces such as libraries, coffee shops, pubs and clinics. "My Dianping app (China's equivalent to Yelp) showed more than 20 activities here -- more than my urban neighborhood," Suzhou visitor Wu Wei told Xinhua.

Yucun's success is multiplying through the "Greater Yucun Zone," a 24 administrative village alliance, where rural tourism, white tea and bamboo processing industries flourish as key economic drivers in the region.

This economic approach is delivering remarkable results. In Huangdu Village, the white tea industry alone generates over 80,000 yuan in annual per capita income. By transitioning from traditional crop industries to specialized tea cultivation, Huangdu has created a virtuous cycle where tea tourism boosts plantation revenues, said Sheng Awei, Party chief of the village.

In the workshop of Zhejiang Fenghui Bamboo and Wooden Products Co., Ltd., bamboo materials are being transformed into lamps, tableware, and fully biodegradable bags. "Our bamboo products generate 150 million yuan in annual export revenue," said Liang Fenghui, general manager of the company.

Under Anji's "bamboo products as a substitute of plastic" initiative, about 200 enterprises are currently specializing in the bamboo industry with a combined output value of 19.2 billion yuan in 2024.

To develop a modernized and greater Yucun is a vision for Wang, the village Party chief. "Rural revitalization hinges on talent," he said, adding that it's the young blood that truly vitalizes villages.

This philosophy took concrete form in 2023 when Yucun partnered with neighboring communities to transform 37,000 square meters of abandoned factories, warehouses, and farmland into Qinglai Hub, a dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The space has since become a magnet for talents. By early 2025, more than 60 partner projects and new economic initiatives have been implemented in Yucun, attracting over 1,200 young talents.

"Yucun is no longer just a village, it's living proof that ecology and economy can thrive together," Wang said. When visitors look at the tea terraces and bamboo factories, they're seeing the beautiful countryside initiative in action -- not as a government slogan, but as a grassroots reality, he said.