HUANGPU SHANGHAI

Girls in Beishan village paint impressions of their dreams. Photo provided to CHINA DAILY

Villagers also organize bonfire parties and folk activities to welcome tourists.

Shi Yaowen, the Beishan Party secretary, said: "Tourists like our village because of its primitive nature and non-commercial atmosphere. All the residents are locals, and visitors can observe the villagers' daily lives and experience the ethnic culture."

Early this month, more than 100 vehicles arrived in Beishan from outside the area every day, with some visitors opting to stay overnight.

Shi said efforts are being made to build the village as a brand aimed at the mid- to high-end market.

In the first half of this year, more than 2 million tourist visits were reported in Kuqa city, bringing in revenue of nearly 1.08 billion yuan.

Suo Shanwu, director of Kuqa's bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism, said the city's tourism industry has been boosted greatly by the Dushanzi-Kuqa Highway.

Kuqa's scenic areas, including the Mysterious Grand Canyon of Tianshan Mountains, have attracted floods of visitors recently, with the city's starred hotels reporting full occupancy.

Suo said the local authorities have invited entrepreneurs nationwide to conduct research on business cooperation programs.

Kuqa, known as Qiuci in ancient times, was an important kingdom on the ancient Silk Road, and promoting the Qiuci culture among tourists is important for the city to attract arrivals.