A scene from Xia'nanshan village in Liandu district, Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

Xia'nanshan, a small village in Liandu district, Lishui, Zhejiang province, once faced severe population loss due to its simple industrial structure. Today, it has become a model village of leisure tourism due to its cooperation with Zhejiang Land Leisure Holidays.

In 2016, after restoring many abandoned old houses, Zhejiang Land Leisure Holidays was given the right to use existing land, houses and facilities in the village to construct and operate the Huanting Xia'nanshan boutique homestay resort.

A night view of Huanting Xia'nanshan boutique homestay resort [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

The resort project has solved many employment problems for the villagers. From the store manager to the front-line service personnel, almost all the employees in the resort are local villagers, some of whom can achieve an annual income of 20,000 yuan ($2,826) just from rent paid by homestay visitors.

Moreover, sales of Heitan waxberry, a local specialty product, have shown explosive growth due to the resort project.

The Huanting Xia'nanshan resort project has become a model for the protection, development and utilization of ancient villages, generating annual income of 6.4 million yuan for the entire village.