To improve accessibility and boost tourism, local authorities upgraded the 95-km road that connects this village to the Yabuli ski resort in 2024. This road is the only access route to the village.

Fan Zhaoyi, a former lumberjack, established a three-bedroom homestay with his wife in the village in 2000. Today, the business has grown to more than 30 rooms, thanks to the rising number of tourists.

"This year has been incredibly busy for us," Fan said. "Compared to previous years, we have seen a sharp increase in customers and a significant rise in business volume."

This tourism village is just one example of the broad and positive changes taking place across rural China.

China is home to about 489,000 administrative villages, along with millions of natural villages and settlements. In February 2021, China announced a "complete victory" in its fight against poverty.

Since the launch of its reform and opening-up policy over 40 years ago, China has lifted 770 million rural residents out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the total global population living below the World Bank's international poverty line.