The Kuandian Manchu autonomous county was rated one of the key national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration counties, according to the Kuandian Tourism Bureau on Feb 13, 2012. It was awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Tourism Administration this January.

In recent years, the Kuandian county government has attached great importance to developing its leisure agriculture and rural tourism. A development plan and related supportive policies have been worked out. Investments and funds are used in constructing sightseeing agriculture demonstration zones, restoring humanity relics, building folk custom villages, improving rural waterworks and the disposal of garbage.

The government has also cultivated eight tourism towns, 16 tourism villages and 136 farmhouses. Many village tourism celebration activities were organized, such as the Hekou peach flower festival, Kuandian rafting festival and Kuandian maple leaf festival.

So far, the leisure agriculture and rural tourism zone has covered an area of over 200,000 hectares. It has 72 agricultural product processing enterprises with over 60 thousand engaged farmers.

Rural tourism has attracted more than 2.8 million tourists with a total revenue of 1.6 billion yuan ($254 million). In the 12th Five-Year Plan period, Kuandian will continue the development of leisure agriculture and will build a natural tourism resort.

The event for selecting the national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration county was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Tourism Administration. Starting in 2010, one hundred demonstration counties were cultivated across the country to realize rural economic restructuring and increase rural employment and rural income in the subsequent three years.