Located in Fengyang county of East China’s Anhui province, Xiaogang village draws tourists for its idyllic scenery, agriculture, rural reform and folk customs.

In 1978, 18 local farmers made a bold decision and secretly signed an agreement to individually cultivate collective plots of land, setting a milestone for China’s rural reform.

Tourists can now visit the thatched cabin where they signed the agreement, which was inscribed as a national-level cultural heritage site. There is also an exhibition hall about China’s rural reform and achievements.

The current rural homestay features a group of thatched cottages with earthen walls and threshing floors where crops are sun-dried, exhibiting farming tools that aim to recreate scenes of the village dating back to the 1980s.

Inheritors demonstrate intangible cultural heritage, such as Fengyang flower-drum ballads and paper-cutting to teach tourists in workshops. Visitors can also learn about the traditional methods of making liquor and vinegar in breweries and purchase some as souvenirs.

The number of visitors from January to October was 412,000 and the collective income of the village increased from 4.1 million yuan ($566,400) in 2012 to 14.2 million yuan in 2023.

The village hosts colorful events such as grape culture festivals and harvest festivals to develop tourism and promote cultural exchange.

The booming tourism has provided locals with job opportunities and attracted more college graduates to return to their hometown for work. In addition, each villager can receive an annual bonus of several hundred yuan from the income of the village’s collectively-owned enterprises.

“We encourage villagers to participate in tourism businesses by focusing on cultural tourism resources and market needs. The cultural and tourism industry is boosting the village’s development, showcasing the spirit of contemporary Chinese rural areas,” says Li Jinzhu, first secretary of the village Party committee.