Visitors seen in a rural scenic spot in Tonglu county, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Efforts made by Tonglu county in East China's Zhejiang province to vitalize its rural areas have been bearing fruits.

Rural tourism and characteristic agricultural industries are currently the two main engines fueling the county's rural development.

Rural tourism

Tonglu saw more than 1.32 million tourist trips during the National Day holiday, which ended on Oct 7, up 3 percent year-on-year. Rural tours were hugely popular among visitors.

Luci village in Fuchunjiang town exemplifies Tonglu's booming tourism sector.

Due to its geographical location and unique scenery, Luci has in recent years experienced fast growth in rural tourism and was even listed among the first batch of recommended destinations in Zhejiang for experiencing rural life.

Data show that 80 percent of residents in the village are involved in the tourism sector. Luci is currently home to 188 homestays (agritainment facilities) with over 4,900 beds. In 2021, Luci received 1.39 million tourists, generated 136 million yuan ($20.92 million) in tourism revenue and saw its per capita annual income rise to 78,000 yuan.

Characteristic industries

On top of tourism, Tonglu has been developing characteristic industries in its rural areas to pursue rural vitalization.

For example, Fenglian village in Tonglu's Hengcun town achieved prosperity by growing sealwort, a traditional Chinese herb.

Xia Hongying, Party chief of Fenglian, said that the village currently can process over 50,000 kilograms of sealwort and rake in 500,000 yuan in collective income annually.

Over in Tanglian village in the Eshan She ethnic township, a cherry orchard spanning more than 200 hectares has generated 400,000 yuan in sales this year, according to Zhang Ping, Party chief of the village.

In addition, Eshan township has established Eweieshan, a public agricultural brand, to boost the sales of local characteristic products. In 2021, the brand's sales volume topped 80 million yuan.