Located in Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, Yucun Village should without a doubt be added to tourists' must-see list if they are visiting China. It was granted, among 44 villages from 32 countries, the title of "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2021.

Yucun Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Covering an area of nearly 5 square kilometers (about 2 square miles), the village has a forest and vegetation coverage rate of over 90 percent, and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors on average each year.

If you're keen on a tour close to nature, a short stay in Yucun has your name written all over it. A sea of bamboo, extensive tea gardens and fields replete with colorful flowers will easily charm you at every turn.

Once a mining village, Yucun is now a sought-after destination for tourists due to its natural beauty. This is also the result of years of ecological development. The natural landscape and cultural heritage of the village are well protected and preserved.

According to the UNWTO, the Best Tourism Villages initiative was launched to "advance the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, and their local values and activities, including local gastronomy."

It recognizes those villages committed to making tourism a strong driver of their development and wellbeing. So far, a total of four Chinese villages have been awarded the honor of "Best Tourism Villages," including Yucun in Zhejiang Province, Xidi in Anhui Province, Dazhai in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Jingzhu in Chongqing Municipality.