​Small village in China takes a modern look

China's anti poverty campaign and increasing urbanization have brought huge challenges to the country's rural areas.

Many villages in Anhui have been striving to rejuvenate and find a new way to recover prosperity through developing various local industries and improving the local ecology. 

CRI's Guo Yan has taken a closer look at the transformation of a once backward rural area into a modern and prosperous community.

Huangpu village in Anhui province has witnessed huge changes in the past six years since it started to develop modern agriculture and local tourism.

Xu Jiyan is a local villager; He says his nephew, a college student who's pursuing his master's degree in Beijing, was shocked by the changes in his hometown when he returned home. 

"When the rejuvenation project was finished, some of my relatives and family members couldn't even find my house when they come back."

In the past couple of years, the village has been devoted to improving its ecological environment and protecting historic relics.

The efforts have already been paying off as tourists have begun flocking into the village for sightseeing and to spend their vacation time.

Wang Shaonan, a senior local official, oversaw the reconstruction project in 2011. 

Since then, along with local residents, Wang's been dedicated to improving the natural environment while developing local agriculture.

He says villagers have seen a good income from developing agricultural tourism.

"We are dedicated to making use of the rich natural resources here while protecting the environment. This will help build a beautiful neighborhood for the local community but also to help villagers make a fortune."

As the environment improves, many investors have come to the village in search of profits.

By the end of 2016, local residents in Huangpu village had earned a total of 2.8 million yuan. 

The local authority says the reconstruction project will be promoted to other villages in the province by 2020.

There are 600 million rural residents in China now. Rapid urbanization has posed a huge challenge for the development of a vast rural area which has see its labor force drain away. 

The Chinese authorities have rolled out a series of favorable policies to support rural communities to help them make a living from various reconstruction projects.