Transportation improvements the key to growth

As a young woman, Li Mingzhen, a resident of Ning'er Hani and Yi autonomous county in Pu'er city, Yunnan province, ran a hostel for travelers, whose horses were stabled separately.

"When a horse caravan stopped by, the village got very lively. Back then, we all lived in thatched-roofed cottages," the 92-year-old recalled.

As the volume of road traffic rose and access to the village became easier, the local thatched-roof cottages were upgraded and now all have tiled roofs.