Mountainous village in E China's Anhui thrives on homestay business

Photo shows a B&B hotel in Dashan village, Xianyu township, Shitai county in Chizhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Rui)

Shitai county in Chizhou city, east China's Anhui Province is rich in selenium, with 99 percent of the county's land boasting high selenium content.

Selenium-rich land, sufficient negative oxygen ions and a sound ecological environment are a calling card for the place.

Chen Zhen (left), owner of the B&B hotel, talks with a tourist. (People's Daily Online/Wang Rui)

A B&B hotel tucked away deep in the mountains of Dashan village, Xianyu township is always filled with tourists from east China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai city, who would like to stay in the village for half a month.

"There is no high or slack season. It's always high season except for three cold months in winter during which we take a break," said Chen Zhen, who runs the homestay business together with her family members.

Photo shows an aerial view of Dashan village, Xianyu township, Shitai county in Chizhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Rui)

A woman from Jiangsu Province is a frequent guest of Chen's homestay who spends more than one month in the village every year. She also buys specialty agricultural products such as rice and tea.

Tourists go sightseeing in Dashan village, Xianyu township, Shitai county in Chizhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Rui)

Local villagers, who once worked outside their hometown as migrant workers, also returned home to open their own homestays.

"I could earn between 50,000 ($7,250) and 60,000 yuan a year as a migrant worker. After I returned home and started my own homestay business, I can earn three to four times as much as I could in the past," said Xiong Peiqi, a local villager.

There are nearly 200 B&B hotels in Dashan village, and the revenue of some of them can reach as high as 300,000 yuan a year.

Photo shows Dashan village, Xianyu township, Shitai county in Chizhou city, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Rui)

While trying to create a sound environment for local residents, Xianyu township has vigorously developed the tourism industry, with wellness tourism as an important part for boosting tourism and promoting rural revitalization, according to an official of the town.