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Here, the countryside is dotted with quaint cottages and the air is disarmingly fresh. This is a place where cooped-up city dwellers can escape the oppression of the daily grind and find some brief moments of tranquility.

There are few better locations than Wuxing, an idyllic spot in Zhejiang Province, to host the third International Rural Tourism Conference.

Rose petals are scattered on lantern-strung cobblestone paths while birds swoop and chirp at twilight over the tiled roofs.

Ducks waddle freely about a courtyard where two wrinkled, weather-beaten villagers sit knitting and chatting on their doorsteps.

Leaves swirl by on babbling streams, watering the village which is an oasis of calm away from the stress of life in the city.

In Wuxing's Bailu Valley, Yuanxiang Town is home to one of Asia's largest butterfly museums and a wintersweet garden with China's longest wooden path weaving its way down the hillside.

Yuanxiang Town in Bailu Valley is home to one of Asia's largest butterfly museums and a fun forest park. /Shanghai Daily Photo

Gudui Xiangchuang in Miaoxi Town is an art, design and craftsmanship park set against the backdrop of village life.

Train carriages have been renovated to become a youth hostel. An old grain barn has become an exhibition hall for local craftsmanship including flower arranging, incense making, silk painting and wood carving.

Old arts and handicrafts are finding a new life driven by young artists with revolutionary ideas, better branding and slick presentation.

Early November is the harvest season. At Puxin Farm, golden yellow is the dominant color of the rice paddies, with reaping machines gradually stripping away the agricultural luster.

The farm owner Wang Luliang follows the cycle of nature in his organic farming. "Every grain is safe and environmentally friendly," he said.

Visitors can roll up their sleeves, put on a straw hat and become a farmer for the day, savoring the bittersweet pleasure of "no pain no gain."

Huixingu Manor is a complex of hotels, resorts and campsites, set against Xiamu Mountain, the birthplace of Buddhist tea culture.

Half jade green tea terraces and half bamboo grove, it is an ideal place for day-trippers to idle away an afternoon with a pot of green tea.

Visitors get their hands dirty in farm work on Puxin Farm. /Shanghai Daily Photo

(Cover: Tai Chi classes are held in the Gudui Xiangchuang, an art, design and craftsmanship park set against the backdrop of village life. /Shanghai Daily Photo)

Source(s): Shanghai Daily