Taolingou village uses a standardized approach to develop its residential facilities. [Photo by Han Jichuang for China Daily]

In Yangquan city in the east of Shanxi province, there is a village using standardization to develop its tourism industry.

The village of Taolingou, which literally means peach forest valley, got its name because it is home to wide expanse of peach trees. It is an attractive destination to tourists when the peach flowers bloom in spring and the peaches mature in summer.

According to Li Naizhu, Party secretary of the village, the local residents are not satisfied with the inflow of tourists only in the blossoming and harvest seasons.

"We want to make Taolingou a year-round attraction. So we have hired an expert team to plan our tourism development," Li said, adding that their suggestion is to explore a new growth model with standardization.

"We have used a standardized approach for designing tourist routes, products, services and facilities.

"We have built a water amusement park, a horse racing track and other amusement facilities according to the industry's standards," Li said.

With these facilities in place, plus standardized services, the village welcomed more than 200,000 visits in 2019, a 30 percent increase from the previous year. Per capita net income of the villagers surpassed 20,000 yuan ($3,000), according to Li.

"Tourism has become the largest industry in our village," Li said.

In addition to upgrading tourism, the village also uses standardized processes to improve the living environment for local residents.

For instance, the village's school, kindergarten, elderly care center, clinic and roads have all been built or renovated according to related standards, Li said. He added that there are also training courses to help public service workers standardize their services.

Guo Yanjie contributed to this story.