The village-enterprise cooperation in Tayuanzhuang has also led to more than 10,000 job opportunities for residents in the village and nearby places, said Tongfu Group.

Zhang said more than 4,000 people from outside the village have bought apartments and settled down there.

"What attracts them is that they can enjoy high living standards like in cities while enjoying the natural scenery and agricultural produce near at hand in villages," she said.

While Tayuanzhuang has found a way to improve the lives of villagers, some people across the country are still striving for better development on the path of rural revitalization.

According to agricultural experts, people living in rural areas often have low income levels that do not increase quickly.

Rural tourism is one way to tackle the issue, as it has fundamentally changed the traditional concept of farmers being restricted to output and income from their land alone, experts said.

"The development of agricultural tourism is of great significance for solving agricultural issues and promoting sustained and healthy economic growth in rural areas," said Li Hongbiao, a researcher at the China Academy of Northeast Revitalization.

Li said agricultural tourism will be a growth driver for China's rural economy in the future, referring to Tanghe township, a model for developing agricultural tourism. Tanghe is an ancient town in the central region of Northeast China's Liaoning province that boasts abundant historical and cultural heritage as well as natural resources. It has proactively developed its rural tourism potential in recent years, and made full use of its famous spring water to develop tourism industries, such as a hot spring sanatorium, water recreation and swimming pools.

Tanghe has also intensified efforts to improve the environment, focusing on the sanitation of scenic spots and public areas in the town in order to provide a better tourism experience for visitors.

The town's rich rural tourism resources, including natural landscapes, historical and cultural sites and folk customs, as well as activities to experience agriculture close at hand, have provided a solid foundation for the development of rural tourism.

According to local government statistics, the town saw more than a million tourist visits in the first 10 months of last year, with tourism revenue exceeding 70 million yuan.

However, the development of rural tourism still faces obstacles, such as insufficient participation by relevant entities, a lag in the construction of supporting infrastructure and widespread homogeneity, according to experts in rural affairs.

To address these issues, it is necessary to build a mechanism for large-scale participation in rural tourism development and increase the construction of supportive facilities for the industry, to promote the high-quality development of rural tourism, they said.