Rural tourism development has not only given villages a face-lift but made full use of housing and brought employment opportunities to villagers on their doorsteps, experts say.

More than 30,000 villagers have been the beneficiaries, according to data from authorities in Jiangkou.

Yuan Luan, a traveler from the provincial capital Guiyang, had a pleasant stay recently with his friends at a homestay cluster in Baiyangping.

They chatted over tea framed by the splendid mountains and rivers.

"It's nice to stay in the mountains, from morning to nightfall, enjoying a pastoral life," Yuan says.