Several decades ago, people came to the farm as loggers, living off the forest. Years of excessive logging resulted in a resource crunch. According to Fan Zhaoyi, a logger with 30 years' experience, his family's yearly income was 1,000 yuan (US$145) in 1999.
In 1998, the central government launched the natural forest protection project. Shuangfeng forestry farm stopped logging and started to make good use of the snow to develop the tourism industry.
Amateur photographers first promoted the beautiful scenery. With word of mouth and the development of internet, Xuexiang Village gradually became famous. Tourists began coming.
Sensing the new opportunities, loggers started to open family hotels and restaurants. Nearly 130 households are now involved in tourism business, said Fan Zhaoyi, who runs a family hotel of 15 rooms. "More than 50 of them used to be my workmates," added Fan.
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| Trees are covered in snow in Xuexiang Village on Dec 31, 2015. (Photo / IC) |
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| Snow mushrooms, a unique scenery in Xuexiang Village, on Jan 23, 2016. (Photo / IC) |
