Rural tourism brings new life to ancient Chinese village

AS THE mist settles over the Unesco World Heritage Site of Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, the settlements nestled deep in the mountains awaken to the aroma of cooking in the early hours of the morning.

Visitors arriving at Shiyanping village in Yongding district of Zhangjiajie City can see the sight of vibrant blooming canola and a block of stilted houses constructed in the typical wooden building style of the Tujia ethnic group.

Here, oxen amble slowly across the farmland as hens cluck in the distance, and the farmers are hard at work preparing for spring plowing.