Most married women in rural China are expected to stay at home and take care of their children, but Chen Rong is tired of such stereotypes.

"If my husband can leave the house and go to work, why can't I?" she asked.

The native of Longma Village, a far-flung rural region in Enshi, central China’s Hubei Province, moved to work in the eastern city of Suzhou when she was still in her 20s.

"While working away from my hometown, I had a leading position in a foreign company in Suzhou," the 40-year-old said, recalling her early days, which earned her and her husband a decent life — decent enough that they even bought a house there.

"Even so, I always wanted to come back home."

Chen always had a dream — she wanted to do something for her impoverished birthplace. It seemed difficult as she had no chance at that time to increase the incomes of her follow villagers, but then something special came to mind. 

"We have the bluest sky and the freshest air," she said. "Plus, we have giant mountains that people from urban cities have never seen before."

That's how her idea of countryside tourism came to life — having urbanites spend days in villagers' houses and experience real rural life.

But starting off wasn’t easy. Villagers didn't understand why they would want "strangers" to stay at their homes, nor could they see the potential of financial income from this.

"I made good use of the idea of farmers cooperatives," Chen said. The idea of a collective is embraced by the majority of Chinese farmers nationwide, with an emphasis on the pooling of resources. The only target for this kind of initiative is the farmer.

According to Professor Huang Zuhui, dean of the China Academy for Rural Development at Zhejiang University, farmer cooperatives in China have grown from about 100,000 in 2006 to 484,300 in 2011, with around 38.7 million farmers having joined overall.

Most of these groups involve agricultural activities such as crop farming, raising livestock or operating farming machinery. "But for countryside tourism, we were the first in Enshi to have that idea," Chen said.

For their cooperative, Chen mostly served in a supportive capacity — sending tourists to villagers’ homes and offering training assistance to farmers.

"As we are all rural farmers, what we train our members to do is nothing like what tourists do in luxury hotels in big cities," she said, emphasizing that for countryside tourism, a welcoming environment is the key.

"We treat our guests like our family members," Chen said.

"For example, if your grandparents are in town, you will serve them with the best food, and with the best attitude. That’s what we are trying to accomplish: Help tourists find another home in a new place."

City dwellers love this kind of family warmth, they also enjoy the getaway from the hustle and bustle of their busy daily lives and for villagers in Chen’s hometown, urbanites bring them a solid income. "More and more are joining us, even those from nearby villages," Chen said.

"Our plan is to have countryside tourism cooperatives in every county in Enshi," the 40-year-old said with a proud smile.

"I am just one of the farmer ladies. I want to see all women in rural China step up and be independent."

(Video filmed by Fu Gaoliang, edited by Li Zhao)

Editor's note: Check out more of what I did during the 15 days I spent in Enshi:

In central China's Longfeng Town: Matcha helps battle poverty

Taking you to the World's natural wonder— Enshi Grand Canyon

The love and sacrifice of China's rural school teachers

The Tujia ethnic group in Enshi: Music, food and culture