With visitor numbers rising every year, Yongding county has seen a surge in revenue from tourism. However, Mao Gaoliang, Party secretary of Yongding, is still not satisfied and he's troubled by missed opportunities.

"Because of a shortage of other facilities and nice hotels, most tour groups stay in our county for just a few hours," he said. "They only visit the tulou near the entrance of the resort and don't stay or even eat here."

He said income from ticket sales is so low that it's hard to raise local people's incomes.