European birdwatchers in Mingxi on the trail, literally, of their feathered friends. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In Ziyun, an ecological tourism company has been founded and cooperation with institutes of higher learning fostered to achieve quality ecological tours, rural research and learning experiences.

So far, the village has developed 18 observation sites to watch birds and trained some 11 villagers for guest pickup and delivery services. Four bird-themed homestays are up and running. More than 70 villagers have managed to find jobs in Ziyun and the village's per capita annual income has increased by 35,000 yuan ($5,220), according to the village authority.

"Our 15 rooms have usually been booked during weekends since May," says Shen Xiaozhen, who runs a homestay in Ziyun.

Most of his guests are from counties and cities nearby and stay for more than 10 days exploring nature.

In addition to Ziyun, four other villages in the county have developed bird-watching cooperatives to share the benefits brought by birds and their visitors.

In Danshang village, about two hours from Ziyun, more than 40 villagers joined the bird-themed tourism cooperative in 2017. They accounted for 80 percent of the shares with their investment and labor input, while the village committee accounted for the rest 20 percent.

In 2019, the cooperative yielded a dividend of 62,000 yuan, it said.