Tianpudawan village in Tianpu, Xinxian county, Henan province, once poor and bleak, has changed into a hot site for rural and Red tourism.

In the village, houses with yellow adobe walls and black tile roofs are swaddled by forests at the foot of the Dabie Mountains. Walking along the narrow flagstone road, visitors pass the doors of shops and homestay inns. Around a clear pond, elderly villagers sit and chat.

In recent years, Red tourism sprang up in China for curious, nostalgic tourists who want to visit sites where major historical events happened and absorb the spirit of previous generations. The rising tourism in the village, the hometown of general Xu Shiyou, who joined the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49), comes as the country celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China this year.

In a pilot program begun in 2014 to develop the village and make it beautiful, Xinxian invested about 22 million yuan ($3.4 million) to improve its infrastructure, environment and public services. Wang Weidong, head of Tianpu township, said Tianpudawan welcomes 400,000 tourist visits from January to the end of April. Last year, there were 750,000.

Now the village has 21 homestay inns, eight restaurants and numerous stores that sell handicrafts and specialties and offer entertainment. Wang said the special part of the village is that local residents don't move out. Instead, they actively join in the development of tourism, either by running their own businesses or working for others. He added that it's a priority to keep the traditional design and structure of buildings.

Deng Xiqin, a tourist who came in late April, said she and her colleagues visited the village to learn the history of the Party.

"Traditional Chinese villages, which are often surrounded by water and mountains, have a reputation for beauty that is well-deserved," she said.

Video by Shi Baoyin