Water, she adds, made the Taihu area habitable, and one of the most prosperous regions in China. But due to the large population and advanced industry, water pollution from adjacent industrial sites saw locals join the ranks of the first Chinese people who took the lead in pushing for measures to protect the environment.

Although the beautiful scenery and tasty food of Taihu region left a deep impression, it was the people who live in the area that really impressed Liu, with their diligence, toughness, wisdom and pioneering spirit.

She remembers Pan Chunlin, who used to work as a tractor driver for a limestone quarry in Yucun village, Zhejiang's Anji county. At that time, Anji was benefiting economically from the limestone industry, but the quarries were closed to protect the environment in 2001. Losing his job, Pan took out a loan and opened a homestay.

Although there were few customers at first, when the local environment improved, Pan's homestay became popular. Then more local people followed suit, opening homestays of their own, and Pan established a homestay association to make the business more organized.