Gaocheng has 204 households and a population of 895. In June the village launched a system of incentives to help villagers cultivate the habit of good waste handling. Supervisors rate every household's performance and award a mark. [Photo by Xiao Da/China Daily]

When President Xi Jinping, at that time serving as vice-president, visited the village in 2008, the road was covered with mud, alongside were shanties, and fowls wandered anywhere they wanted, Yu said.

But since 2010 village infrastructure including the main road, park and sewage disposal have greatly improved, a result of Hangzhou wanting to develop tourism in its urban area to the north.

In recent years villagers have rebuilt 198 villas of three stories surrounded by osmanthus, camphor, orange, cherry or waxberry trees. They have also demolished walls enclosing their yards to give the community a more open look and feel, at the same time making access for the increasing traffic easier.

Twenty-nine households now run agritainment businesses, the most successful one with income of more than 600,000 yuan a year before the pandemic. Most of the businesses are said to generate 100,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan in income a year, according to Yu.