Rural areas cash in with rustic appeal

Yu Zhiliang, a 66-year-old villager from Wuyuan county in East China's Jiangxi province, has returned to his hometown after living in the bustling southern metropolis of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for more than three decades.

Amid local efforts to unlock the tourism potential of the county, Yu rebuilt his ancestral mansion and converted it into a rustic homestay earlier this year, retaining the charm of classic Huizhou-style architecture in the process.

As China endeavors to revitalize its rural areas, many forgotten cultural traditions, particularly in small counties and villages, are being revived, leading to a trend known as "county travel".