A bee collects lotus nectar in Pingyuanchi village, Rugao city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on Aug 31, 2020. [Photo/Sipa]

Pingyuanchi village of Rugao city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province has invested more than 5 million yuan ($730,000) to build 73.3 hectares of lotus ponds and supporting facilities for ecotourism in recent years.

Beautiful scenery and distinctive agricultural products have attracted around 185,000 tourists to the village last year, generating 16 million yuan in tourism revenue.

The village's new projects this year, including lotus seed and lotus leaf tea processing, have offered job opportunities to more than 800 villagers, and increased the income of more than 900 households by more than 5,000 yuan.