As the family became free from farming work, Sun and her family have time to run their own shop with village support.

Sun has also since moved into a spacious three-story house, which is a stark contrast to her old one-story flat.

She could not stop smiling when speaking about her current life.

"We didn't come out much at night before, because everything was so dark and you could barely see your hands stretch out," she says. The village is now well-lit with a public lighting system.

Its environment has also significantly upgraded due to implementation of garbage classification, which every rural household is abiding by.

"Locals know it is for their own benefit," Liu says.

Currently, the authorities have been inviting companies to invest to further optimize infrastructure and build accommodation facilities.

Village officials will also continue improving tourist experience and create more job opportunities for locals.

The promising tourism prospects have also lured young people back home.

Jin Mengyi decided to come back home to the village and open a photography workshop on the Shantang street.

She had been backpacking across the country after graduating from college and working as a volunteer teacher in the Daliangshan area of Sichuan province.

When she saw the news that the authorities were offering support to locals to set up tourism businesses, she was tempted to see if there were any opportunities.

"Many visitors from even outside the province-like Anhui and Shandong-came during the Labor Day holiday," Jin Mengyi says.

"They like to wear ancient costumes and take photos in the rural setting," she says, adding that it is the best of both worlds as she can stay close to her parents at home.

Speaking about the future, Jin Mengyi hopes her business will be stable soon, so that she can visit the children in Daliangshan from time to time.