Tourists raft in Qili township, Quzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Qili township in Kecheng district, Quzhou, Zhejiang province, has attracted visitors this summer with water-based activities, rural experiences, and its cool mountain environment.

In Shaolingwu village, located at an altitude of 500 meters, visitors have been catching fish with nets and their bare hands, with one young visitor saying he caught dozens of fish.

Qili township, Zhejiang's first township-wide rural tourism destination rated as a national 4A-rated scenic area, has an average elevation of more than 600 meters, high levels of negative oxygen ions, and more than 250 farmstays and homestays.

To meet changing tourism demand, the township has introduced new experiences including music events, rafting, and fruit and vegetable picking. The newly renovated Taoyuan Qilixiang Creek rafting route attracted more than 200 visitors on its opening day this year.

The growth of rural tourism has also benefited residents. During a fish-catching festival, villager Shi Xiaojuan earned more than 1,200 yuan ($177) in one morning by selling local snacks.

Since the summer school holiday began, Qili has received more than 15,000 visits, helping nearby farmstays and homestays increase revenue by more than 100,000 yuan and generating more than 30,000 yuan in sales of local agricultural products.