Pan is one of those who benefit from the "rural CEO program", where the local authority has set up a talent cultivation fund and encourages villagers to become leaders who know both the city and the village－and how to connect them.

The 35-year-old started up a small restaurant in the central area of Yiliang county in 2017, but didn't enjoy brisk business.

He sensed the change at Maidichong, where he was born and grew up, when he visited the village and saw that buses and private cars had begun to make their presence felt in the neighborhood.

Pan bit the bullet, closed his restaurant and joined the CEO program, which he considered to be a great opportunity for his home.

"Professor Xiaoyun told us that we have to activate idle property for village development, so that tourists would visit restaurants and book homestays for their stay after seeing the colorful paddies," Pan says.

"It is harder than running a small restaurant, but I will see it through," he says.

"The local government has provided special support to rural vitalization, so I can see the future of our village. I believe more travelers will come."

He has already noticed the increasing number of visitors, and the positive changes that are happening to cater to their needs.

"Leisure venues, such as homestays and coffee shops are in the works," Pan says.

"The living environment in the village has been improved, and the rural planning is also very clear," says Pan.

The number of rural homestays has been on the rise.

Pan is currently running 26 beds and says he expects that number to break 40 soon.

Compared with the traditional local economy, which relied on plantations, agriculture-based tourism has greatly increased the income of the villagers, says Zheng Yuzhu, an official from the Kunming Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Locals used to grow tobacco for a living and get an annual income of no more than 40,000 yuan ($6,284).

Now, many of them have opened restaurants and sell farm produce to visitors without having to leave home, Zheng adds.

Some restaurant owners can bring in about 200,000 yuan annually, according to Kou.

To spice up traveler experiences further, a camping and torch carnival and a colorful rice paddy planting festival have been staged.

E-commerce has also been developed to promote local farm produce and broaden its sales channels.

Pan is optimistic about the future.

"The infrastructure has been upgraded, tourism projects are maturing and the lives of the villagers will be better," he says.

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