From potato planter to hotel proprietor

For years, winter meant two long, tough months for Xiong Hongfang and her family of five as they "hibernated" at home with nothing to do and no income coming in.

The summer potato planting business that produced a meager return was dormant during the off season, and no tourists bothered to visit Xiong's home village, hidden in the valley of Wumeng Mountain, 30 kilometers south of Liupanshui, Guizhou province, Southwest China.

Winter life changed dramatically in 2015, when Xiong opened a farmhouse inn to accommodate visitors from the nearby Yushe Snow Mountain Ski Resort.