Rising waters lift tourism in rural Zhejiang

Love at first sight - that is how Shao Juan, 38, describes her new business, a homestay-style hotel that has been created out of a traditional whitewashed house in Xiajiang village in Zhejiang province.

Previously an agricultural backwater, this picturesque corner of East China is now witnessing waves of tourists. More than 110,000 people visited the riverside village in 2016, and Shao's new venture has been inundated with bookings since it opened last September.

"We were fully booked from September to October," said Shao. "During the Spring Festival holiday, there were many orders that we couldn't manage."