Chen Guangcai, in his 40s, recently renovated his three-story house into a homestay with 11 rooms. It will open soon.

"I used to be a plumber, but a village official persuaded me to come back. He also organized a trip to another village in Shanxi province to learn about rural tourism," Chen said.

Han Yonghong, another homestay operator, said: "Rural tourism boomed these years. As we are near the Three Gorges Dam, there are always tourists."

In 2019, the tourism income of the village reached 10 million yuan ($1.52 million), and per capita annual net income reached 19,560 yuan in average. Back in 1993, per capita income was only 1,003 yuan, according to data from the village.

The village has also built new roads, planted trees and renovated toilets. Zhu Chongjun, deputy Party chief of the village, said a special tourism operation company was founded in 2018 to further promote folk culture tourism, including constructing a homestay community, a cultural museum, fruit gardens, a tea house and tourist reception center.