From poverty to prosperity

Qicai Lake has sapphire waters. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

An exceptional environment, terrific tea and improved infrastructure have transformed a poor village into a destination with rich allure. Yang Feiyue explores Junying in Xiamen, Fujian. 

Junying village has transformed from a place of war to one of peace, of pollution to purity, and of poverty to prosperity.

Along the way, it has changed from an isolated location to an incredible tourism destination.

The idyllic settlement sits roughly 900 meters above sea level at the foot of the second-highest peak in Fujian province's Xiamen city, Zhuangyuanjian.

Half of the 80-minute drive to the settlement from Xiamen's Tongan county is spent spiraling up the slopes. Visitors arrive to discover traditional-style houses perched atop terraces chiseled out of green slopes. The blue sky is reflected in an equally blue lake.

Indeed, it looks like a landscape painting.

Its status as one of Xiamen's most remote sites has preserved its primitive ecology.

Legend has it that the village got its name as a garrison site of a popular uprising led by Huang Cao in the late Tang Dynasty (618-907).

It enjoyed a militarily strategic location near the borders of Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces.

Today, about 200 households are perched atop roughly 740 hectares. It's difficult to imagine past unrest when gazing up its serene scenery.

Residents are hospitable and quick to offer outsiders a smile and a cup of tea.