A villager reads at a mini library in the area. ZHAO RUIXUE/CHINA DAILY

Sweet success

Kong Yuan, a native of the county, returned to start a business in Dongzhongdu village in 2020.

She has cultivated a brand to promote local sweet potatoes by offering a variety of tempting snacks and pastries made from the crop.

Last year, the total sales revenue of her sweet potato business reached 1 million yuan.

Local government authorities have provided a lot of support for my business startup, said Kong.

"The process of opening my store was completed in just two days. And we don't need to pay rent, instead we only share the profits with the owner each year," she said.

To make full use of idle land resources, the county government encourages farmers to participate in project cooperation by leasing their idle houses.

For example, at the demonstration area, three villages have provided 117 idle houses and 12 hectares of land that is unsuitable for farming for partner projects, creating a consumption district offering rural homestays.

These tourism facilities attract over 30,000 visitors annually and provide jobs for over 1,000 people, raising the average disposable income of villagers to 21,000 yuan per year, the county government said.

To promote local employment, the Sishui county government and the partners prioritize the recruitment of villagers.

Through tailored training programs such as for e-commerce livestreaming, tie-dyeing and painting, villagers are equipped with specialized skills that align with the needs of partner projects.

Feng Yanjie, 39, and her husband originally worked in Beijing, leaving their sons, who were in elementary school, at home.

"In the past, if we didn't go out to work, we could only farm at home," said Feng.

With the rapid development of the cultural tourism industry in the villages, facilities such as libraries for study tours, pottery workshops and children's playgrounds have been built, providing jobs for villagers.

Feng chose to return to her hometown and secured a job at a library in 2020 with a monthly salary of 2,400 yuan.