Green revival reshapes economy of Hubei mountain village
Tea, tourism and returnee entrepreneurs turn ecological restoration into new sources of income in Yanhe
By Liu Kun and Wu Kong in Xiangyang | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-09-19 12:37
The cafe now generates more than 100,000 yuan in annual revenue. Alongside the café, they sell more than 30 local products, including tea, mushrooms and cured meat.
Other villagers have expanded in similar ways. Feng Bijian turned his property into a business combining a homestay, restaurant and store selling more than 100 local products. His operation now generates about 3 million yuan in gross annual revenue.
The village has also organized tourism businesses through a cooperative, using common standards, prices and branding while allowing households to run their own operations. All village households have joined the cooperative, which distributes part of its earnings to members.
The approach reflects Yanhe's effort to put the idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice — not simply by protecting its landscape, but by finding ways for residents to earn from protecting it.
The stones remain beneath the bamboo today. For Yanhe, they are a reminder that the village's green transformation began not with a single tourism project, but with residents deciding together how their mountains, water and livelihoods could support one another.
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