The resort is a shining example of the shift by rural areas in Zhejiang province to pursue sustainable development.

In the early 2000s – when Xi Jinping was the then-Party secretary of Zhejiang – the Green Rural Revival Program was launched province-wide to improve rural living environment. In the decades that followed, the program has morphed and expanded to curb the urban-rural gap in a range of areas such as income and public services.

Now the coastal province is among the wealthiest places in China with the narrowest urban-rural wealth gap. The blurred urban-rural boundary in the coastal Zhejiang province is drawing people back to the scenic countryside, creating business opportunities.

Standing outside a stylish eatery selling a range of Japanese food from sushi to Salmon Sashimi, Chen noted that it was once a hog pen – a metaphor for the province's own transformation.

"During the May Day holiday, it alone raked in 40,000 yuan," he said.