Known for its beautiful natural landscape and rich cultural heritage, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is transforming such invaluable assets into new momentum for high-quality development.

Dazhai village, one of the many mountainous villages in Guangxi, is on the green track to rural revitalization.

In 2022, the village was named among the Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Farming land and planting trees are sowing seeds of wealth, said Pan Baoyu, former Party secretary of Dazhai, adding that the rice terrace is generating various yields for local residents through environmental protection and tourism development.

Once, there was a gold rush in the village. However, instead of making the village rich, it damaged local ecological environment.

Now, by safeguarding its lucid water and lush mountains, cultivating rice terraces, and leveraging its Yao ethnic culture, the village has hit the real gold mine.

This February, each household in Dazhai received more than 25,000 RMB from last year's tourism dividend.

To learn more about the Yao ethnic culture, Jinxiu Yao autonomous county, located in the Dayao Mountains in the east of the central part of Guangxi, is a must-visit. Known as the "capital of the Yao people in the world", it has become a renowned tourism destination.

The county is tapping into its unique ecological advantages and rich cultural heritages, said Liang Yongshuai, deputy county mayor of Jinxiu, adding that effort is being made to develop industrial chains with local characteristics.

In 2019, the county was named among the innovation practice bases exemplifying that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."

Last year, the number of tourists reached around 8.5 million people in the county, up 54 percent year on year.

Chengyang Bazhai, a cluster of eight villages in Linxi town, Sanjiang Dong autonomous county, is also taking a green development path for rural revitalization.

Recently, it was recognized as a national 5A-class scenic spot for its beautiful rural scenery, exquisite wooden architecture, and the colorful festivals, songs and dances of the Dong ethnic group.

The thousand-year-old Dong villages attach great importance to the protection of ecological environment, historical buildings, and ethnic cultural heritage, said Li Xingwang, Party secretary of Linxi. The integrated development of ecology, culture and tourism has yielded bountiful results, Li added.

In 2023, the scenic spot received more than 900,000 visitors, generating 137 million RMB of tourism revenue, and helping over 3,000 villagers find jobs near their hometown.