Vegetation restored

Meanwhile, dusty days are a thing of the past in Xueshuigang village, Haiyan county, Jiaxing, about an hour's drive southwest of Zhongdai.

Chen Yuliang, a senior official in the village, said, "The hills surrounding Xueshuigang were mined one by one in pursuit of economic benefits, and the environment in the village was extremely bad."

In 2006, the local authorities closed the mines to restore vegetation damaged by the industry.

Nine projects have been launched to restore Xueshuigang's rustic charm. The village is also vigorously promoting the use of clean energy by installing photovoltaic street lamps and parking lots, along with charging posts for e-vehicles.

Traditional household stoves using firewood have been replaced by e-stoves to reduce emissions of sulfoxides — organic compounds containing sulfur and oxygen.

The vastly improved environment has attracted travelers and young entrepreneurs to Xueshuigang. Chen said, "Our village has become an online sensation, attracting an increasing number of people."

Xueshuigang welcomed more than 210,000 visitors last year, earning tourism income of 6.42 million yuan, Chen added.

Three years ago, Shu Hualun decided to set up his business in Xueshuigang, his home village, when he heard the local authorities were planning to develop an agricultural economic development zone.

"The blueprint was very appealing to me," Shu said, adding that he made his decision after comparing local conditions with those in Shanghai and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

His company, Jiaxing Ronghe Agricultural Technology Co, specializes in organic fruit plantations, and its output value is expected to reach 8 million yuan this year, according to Shu.