Tianzhuang village in Fenghuang town, Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province is a traditional water town full of beautiful nooks. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

The port city of Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, has achieved initial success in beautifying its countryside, local media reported June 6.

Statistics show that the city has built 15 provincial model villages to beautify country areas from 2012 to 2019, benefiting 28,000 farmers.

Relying on its rural landscapes, the city promoted the development of agritainment, which is a popular and inexpensive lodging option for people to experience rural life, and a key driver for rural tourism and revitalization.

The city attracted investment of 800 million yuan ($113 million) for the construction of Changyinsha Ecological Agriculture Scenic Area, which is striving to bring about rural revitalization through green development and tourism.

Zhangjiagang also rolled out an array of favorable measures to promote the green development of villages. In the past two years, governments at municipal and town levels injected more than 200 million yuan in financial incentives and subsidies to encourage rural revitalization, and since 2018, a special incentive policy for beautifying riverbanks in the city.