Green revival reshapes economy of Hubei mountain village

When Min took the post in 1992, Yanhe was struggling with poverty and environmental degradation. Villagers had long cut trees for income, leaving hillsides bare and waterways depleted. Rather than continue cutting, the village began restoring vegetation and planting tea and economic forests.

Today, Yanhe has more than 1,200 mu (80 hectares) of tea gardens and over 3,000 mu of economic forests. By 2025, village assets had reached 206 million yuan, with farmers' per capita net income reaching 40,000 yuan.

But the transformation did not stop with the hills.

In 2003, Yanhe began sorting household waste, setting up collection points and repurposing organic waste as fertilizer. At the time, villagers questioned what cleaning up the environment had to do with making a living.

As the landscape recovered, visitors began arriving to buy tea, wander the hills and experience village life. In 2025, Yanhe received more than 800,000 visitors and generated over 100 million yuan in tourism revenue, according to local government figures.

Tourism has since extended the value of agriculture.

At Tianyi Tea Estate, organic farming methods are combined with standardized processing, while tea gardens themselves have become part of the visitor experience.

In Yanhe's folk culture park, homestays, restaurants and shops operate alongside newer businesses including cafes, music bars and art spaces. Accommodation and catering businesses follow common pricing and service standards.

Li Changjian is among the younger villagers building on that change.

A tea grower who had worked away from home, Li returned in 2019 and opened Yanhe's first cafe with his wife. After learning coffee-making techniques in Vietnam, they began blending locally grown fragrant tea with coffee and serving tea-flavored pastries.