Rural county once blighted by poverty is transformed into ecological paradise, Tan Yingzi reports in Chongqing.

As a hidden gem in the Daba Mountains, Chengkou county in northernmost Chongqing is the least known place in the municipality. It is the only county in Chongqing which cannot be reached by expressway so far.

Bordering the provinces of Shaanxi and Sichuan to the north and west respectively, the county is a major corridor connecting the Qinling and Daba mountains with a history dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

The geographic barriers led to poverty for Chengkou people in the past, but they also helped to preserve natural beauty and a traditional way of life.

In recent years, this isolated county has stuck to the path of green and sustainable development and transformed its lush mountains into mounds of gold and silver by developing tourism-related industries.

The Daba Mountains is a range in central China positioned between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

Environmental preservation is the priority of Chengkou as some 35 percent of the county sits in the Dabashan National Nature Reserve and about 63 percent of its land is within the ecological protection red line.

With about 70 percent forest coverage, nearly 90 percent of the county is in the mountains. Altogether, it boasts more than 4,900 kinds of animals and plants.

In 2013, Chinese Meteorological Society named Chengkou as "an ecoclimate pearl of China", thanks to its sound ecosystem, unique natural environment as well as diversified ecological and meteorological landscape.

But it was also a national-level poverty-stricken county with 15.6 percent of its people living below the poverty line at the end of 2014.

"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." This line put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2005 when he was the Party chief of Zhejiang province has evolved into a guideline for the country's quest for a greener future through sustainable development.

Guided by this concept, Chengkou finally found its way out of poverty.

"Considering the environmental protection and local conditions, we decided to make tourism one of our pillar industries," said Kan Jilin, Party chief of the county.

While maintaining a model ecological environment, the county achieved economic development. The poverty rate dropped to 0.42 percent in February, marking an exit from the national-level poverty stricken counties list.

Forest Homestay

In the past, the large mountains brought only poverty and pain to local people.

Xingtian village of Dongan town, one of the most underdeveloped villages in Chongqing, did not have a paved road until 2010. Most villagers planted potato and corn for a living.

Around that time, about 40 percent of locals lived below the poverty line and many had abandoned the place.

"The village used to have 639 residents. In 2007, only some 200 stayed behind, living in ramshackle adobe houses," said Xie Guozhou, the Party chief of Dongan.

As transport infrastructure improved, the local government planned the development of rural tourism to help lift the villagers out of poverty.

The village enjoyed an outstanding natural environment with little damage from human activities, including nearly 92 percent of forest coverage, clean water, mild temperatures and fresh air.

In 2011, Chengkou county launched the Forest Homestay project and started to build Kanggu Valley Park, featuring a wonderful limestone landscape, traditional lifestyle and rich folk culture.

Villagers could renovate their houses into a homestay running under the brand and service standards.

The county offered a series of favorable policies and free training programs to encourage locals to run homestays, including subsidies of up to 200,000 yuan ($29,300) for each one.

Xingtian village was the first to follow. So far, 123 out of the total 206 families have started homestay businesses, including 17 households that used to live below the poverty line.

Zhao Youlan and her husband were disabled in separate accidents a few years ago. It led to extreme poverty in their family of five, including Zhao's mother and two children.

In 2014, encouraged by village officials and the success of fellow villagers, Zhao applied for 300,000 yuan subsidized loan to build a new homestay with eight rooms and a large dining hall.

Each guest pays 80 yuan a day for a shared twin-bed room and three meals. Last year, Zhao's family earned 110,000 yuan from the business.

"I knew nothing about running a hotel before and I was a terrible cook, too," Zhao recollected.

After attending the free hotel management training and cooking classes, her homestay has become a popular place in the village.

Zhou Jinglin, 60, has been a regular visitor to the homestay since it opened in 2015. She and her friends will stay for one month during the summer.

"When I first came here, I found the air is so fresh and the climate is so pleasant. And the people are so warmhearted and simple. It's like going back to the good old days."

As the rural tourism market is booming, city dwellers are looking for more upmarket travel experiences than the Forest Homestays.

Village cooperative

At Pingxi village in Heyu town, Zhang Bin, the owner of the boutique hotel Meet 31, initiated a cooperative to manage local tourism resources. It includes more than 40 homestay owners and craftsmen.

Zhang, 32, runs a landscape planning company in Kaizhou district, Chongqing. He fell in love with the village during a business trip in 2014 and decided to build the first high-end boutique homestay in Chengkou.

Meet 31 soon became a top travel destination, thanks to its quaint design and good service. The narrow country road to it now sees heavy traffic jams during the holidays.

"As more tourists come to our village, we need to have an organization to develop business and help the poor villagers make more money," Zhang said.

The village cooperative has run an agriculture experience farm and an open-air theater to entertain guests. Local farmers become the actors in the folk drama Love in Heyu.

Under the assistance of the cooperative, 10 families have opened homestays and 50 families run free-range chickens farms and bamboo handicraft workshops. All their products are sold to tourists.

Villager Ran Meisong, 35, is now a receptionist at Meet 31. She used to work in factories in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, leaving her two children behind to their grandparents.

"My kids and I were heartbroken every time I left home," she said. "Now I have a job in the village and I can see them every day."

She said many villagers like her have found jobs near their home thanks to the tourism industry.