During the sweltering summer, Ye Wensheng and his friends drove about two hours out of urban Chongqing to Baisheng village in Tiekuang town to escape the heat.

At least 10 C cooler than downtown Chongqing, the mountainous village has become a popular summer vacation place for city dwellers as a result of its recent development of eco-tourism.

But five years ago, Tiekuang was the poorest town in its home county Wulong, classified as a State-level poverty-stricken area due to the lack of information and transportation. Most of its young people have left to work in the cities.