A panoramic view of Beigang village in Pingtan, Fujian province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Formerly a rustic fishing village in the Taiwan Strait, the fad for rural tourism in China is transforming Beigang village in Pingtan, Fujian province into a trendy seaside resort of beachside seafood restaurants, chic homestays and top-notch facilities.

The island village has enjoyed a rapid upturn in its fortunes in recent years after Pingtan's government named it the region's first Creative Cultural Village. Now, Pingtan Tourism Co's plan to promote tourism in Beigang is fuelling a further wave of new projects.

To help meet tourists'increasing demands during peak season, four log cabins will be built in the village to function as snack bars in April, which will offer visitors genuine Taiwan snacks, according to staff at Pingtan Tourism Co.

Six local residences will be renovated into seafood restaurants, enabling more visitors to have a taste of the fresh local seafood.

Many traditional stone folk dwellings built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the village have also been renovated into unique homestays, and a creative cultural base run by a cross-Straits youth group has also been established, attracting numerous artists from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Related tourism infrastructure including a parking lot, public toilets and tourist service center has been upgraded, too.

Beigang also received a boost recently when a local cultural group called Singing Stones performed on Southeast Television, a popular TV network in Fujian province, during its annual Chinese New Year gala for overseas Chinese.