Rural area shining example of development

"We helped them design and decorate their businesses and offered training courses," he said, adding that the tenants pay rent and hand in a part of their revenue in return.

"Here you can have almost every cuisine, from Chinese to Western to Japanese," he said.

With an aim to provide an immersive experience, Chen bundles the services on offer into tourism packages and visitors can buy them in a lump sum.

For example, parents taking one child along can follow the designed route and first have a lunch at a waterfront restaurant – formerly a farmhouse by a fish pond – and then check into a nearby homestay. Then they get a ticket for an afternoon dessert at a cafe, where people can also read and work. Children can be sent to take handwork courses or follow an instructor to learn about the plants in a nearby tea plantation.

"The package sold at 1,899 yuan last year, and we are rolling out more packages this summer," he said.

Last year, Villa & Resort received more than 350,000 visitors, with its revenue hitting 67 million yuan ($9.4 million).