JINAN -- Back in the day, Shizikou village in Shandong province, harbored "nothing but a pile of rocks," and many villagers moved to other places in search of better livelihood.

However, much has changed over the course of 20 years, as these same rocks now shine like "diamonds."

Shizikou is a village in the city of Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong. It is situated in the foothills of the Great Wall of Qi built during ancient China's Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

Sprawling mountains and countless clusters of rocks surround Shizikou. Almost everything in this village, ranging from rocky trails to rock houses, bear a connection with rocks. Some of the rock houses were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"Two decades ago, the village had more than 20 hectares of farmland, but it was hard to grow crops, and people could not make enough money to upgrade their rock houses," says village Party chief Wang Huawei. "Nobody cared for the rock houses, and many left the village for cities to seek lucrative jobs."

Many of the rock houses in the village were left to decay and some even collapsed, Wang adds.

KTVS, CAFES AND TAICHI

However, the rock village's destiny took a different turn after it jumped on the bandwagon of rural tourism.

In the summer of 2017, Sun Tongshan, an entrepreneur who had always wanted to develop rural tourism, turned his attention to Shizikou.

"The village has wonderful natural beauty, unique rock culture and it is close to the Great Wall of Qi, which is perfect for rural tourism," Sun said. "The rock houses had maintained their original style, and could meet the demands of urbanites."

With the support of local governments, infrastructure was improved and houses were consolidated.

To attract visitors, Sun came up with an innovative idea -- he turned three rock caves in the village into a karaoke bar, a cafe and a taichi room, respectively. The idea turned out to be a huge success.

These days, visitors throng the village and are eager to savor the unique rock culture.

Last year, Shizikou received 60,000 tourists, generating tourism revenue of more than 200,000 yuan ($28,286), official data showed.

"In the past, a rock house was priced 3,000 yuan but nobody wanted to buy," said Wang Huawei, the village Party chief. "Now people are willing to offer 260,000 yuan to buy one, yet no one would sell it. Visitors have to make an online booking if they want to stay overnight in one of the revamped rock houses."

CHANCE TO TALK

The booming rural tourism industry has helped local villagers make some extra money.

Bi Yuying, 82, has five apricot trees in her residence premises. These days, she often takes a basket of apricots to sell in the village.

"The apricots are ripe, but we can't eat them all," she said. "In the past, they were left to rot. Since there are more tourists now, I might as well sell them the fruits."

Each kg of apricots costs 2 yuan, and Bi said that this is not just for money, but for the opportunity to talk to people.

"The girls in the village dig wild vegetables, grow pepper, and then sell the harvest with me. When we sit together, we just talk, talk and talk," she said. "It's girls' time and it's fun!"

Local official Wang Feng said that the rock village which once waned because of the rock is now rising because of the same rock.

"Each village is different, and we need to develop them in accordance with their specific conditions," Wang said.