A village in Huixian City has generated a stunning 100 million yuan in just two months from tourism-related businesses, according to its top official. Liang Sanping, the village committee director of Gezhenzhuang Village in Bobi Town, made the announcement on September 9th, citing combined revenue from homestays and dining during the summer holiday period.
Situated at the foot of the Taihang Mountains and adjacent to the entrance of the Baoquan Scenic Area, a national 5A-level tourist destination, the village has leveraged its prime location to develop a large cluster of themed homestays. Currently, 163 homestays with 3,260 rooms are in operation, with room rates ranging from 200 to 1,000 yuan per night. A local snack street features 53 restaurants, with an additional 30 currently under renovation and slated to open before the Spring Festival next year.
Liang highlighted that the 163 homestays can accommodate up to 6,300 guests, achieving a 99% occupancy rate during the summer months. The high demand forced many visitors to seek accommodation in neighboring villages, urban Huixian, and even Xinxiang City. Though these overflow guests lodged elsewhere, they still flocked to Gezhenzhuang for meals, given the village's comprehensive dining facilities. Based on an average daily stay of 6,300 guests plus roughly 3,000 nearby visitors dining locally, and a minimum per-person daily expenditure of 200 yuan for lodging and meals, the village earned an estimated 2 million yuan in daily revenue. This totals approximately 120 million yuan over two months, though Liang conservatively estimates at least 100 million yuan in combined income, noting that adding shopping and entertainment would push the figure even higher.
At the Xingxin Mountain-View Homestay, rooms come in various styles including children's rooms, standard doubles, and couple's suites. Owner Xu Yuanli, who left her job at a bank in Jiaozuo to return home and manage the business full-time, said the establishment was frequently fully booked during the holiday period.
Liang's own entrepreneurial journey began in 2014 when the Baoquan resort was first being developed. Spotting the opportunity early, he took out a loan exceeding 4 million yuan to build the Baoshuitang hotel, a four-star establishment that remains the village's highest-rated property. Its 11 rooms are priced between 428 yuan and 998 yuan per night.
According to officials at the Baoquan scenic area, the resort welcomed an average of over 40,000 visitors daily this summer, with out-of-province travelers making up more than 60% of the total. Since the resort itself only has 266 high-end rooms, the majority of tourists opt for homestays in surrounding villages, with Gezhenzhuang being the most popular choice. The village has now formed a development model centered on scenic-area support, homestay leadership, complementary local products, and agricultural-tourism integration, while continuing to upgrade its accommodation offerings and support services.
With Henan Province and Xinxiang City both advancing strategic goals to build a "culturally strong province" and "cultural tourism strong city" respectively, aiming to develop the sector into a pillar industry, Gezhenzhuang has successfully capitalized on the tourism boom. Thirty farming households have already submitted applications to the village committee to build new or renovate existing homestays.