Hu Ceran, 37, now runs his own guesthouse with his wife, and he used to be one of the migrant workers. He became an apprentice cook when he was 17, working in city restaurants for 13 years.

In 2007, a debt of 500,000 yuan suddenly fell upon Hu's shoulders when his father was in a car accident. The debt almost emptied his bank account, for back then this family could only earn 5,000 yuan per month.

Things have turned better for Hu and for the village in 2012, when more and more households repurposed their homes into guesthouses in this area, and the city government gave the village a grant and supportive policies to boost its attraction as a tourism destination.

Such efforts have paid off, with Guojiagou later earning a reputation as a "Water Town in Northern China" with a countryside like the British Cotswolds. As China's economy has boomed, and the fast pace of city life has generated a common nostalgia for country life, there has been a surge in village tourism, with the villagers in Guojiagou riding the wave.

Under these circumstances, Hu returned to the village in 2013 and started his new career. With the help of 200,000 yuan in interest-free loans, Hu got out of debt within just two years. Now, Hu's family can earn a half million yuan per year, and he even spent over 600,000 yuan to redecorate his guesthouse this summer.

There are many villagers like Hu, who were previously working in city but have come back home and started their own businesses. A total of 43 out of 51 households run their own guesthouses, with most of them being young people.

The rising number of tourists has also enticed some renters and companies to invest in new guesthouses here, such as Luoqi.