A view of Wangtanzui village in the city of Yangquan [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

Wangtanzui village and Niangziguan town in the city of Yangquan in North China's Shanxi province were recently designated, respectively, as a national key rural tourism village and a national key rural tourism town by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Development and Reform Commission. 

Wangtanzui village is located in the northeastern part of Yuxian county, 35 kilometers away from the urban area of Yangquan. 

In recent years, Wangtanzui village has been prioritizing the development of rural tourism and leisure agriculture, and has hired senior designers to conduct overall planning and design work for local tourism, industry, ecology, and residence. 

The village has invested 100 million yuan ($15.49 million) into the building of a rural tourism demonstration park with a walnut cultural industry park, flower viewing belt, mountain sports area, leisure resort area, and folk custom exhibition area.

Tourists tour Pingyang Lake by boat in Niangziguan town in the city of Yangquan on Sept 5. [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

Niangziguan town, located at the intersection of Shanxi and Hebei provinces, has quite a few tourist attractions, including Niangzi Pass, Pingyang Lake, and Wulong Spring Park. 

The town has attached heavy importance to the development of the tourism industry, strengthened the environmental sanitation and construction of tourist attractions, and developed a series of tourism brands, enhancing the competitiveness and influence of local rural tourism brands.

Government departments will strengthen support for Wangtanzui village and Niangziguan town in terms of policies, funds, and talent, to promote rural revitalization.