China's first professional butterfly museum is located in a village in Pukou District, Nanjing City, East China's Jiangsu Province. [China Women's News]

Pukou District, in Nanjing City, East China's Jiangsu Province, is well-known for several beautiful homestay hotels in its rural areas.

Guided by the Women's Action for Rural Vitalization campaign launched by the All-China Women's Federation in 2018, the Pukou Women's Federation has deepened ecological development and promoted the building of beautiful courtyards since last year, aiming to help rural women and their families improve the quality of life.

Under the leadership of the Party and government, the women's federation motivated rural women and their families to build 16 beautiful courtyard demonstration zones and 3,763 beautiful courtyards with high standards.

A beautiful courtyard in Pukou District, Nanjing City, East China's Jiangsu Province [China Women's News]

At Xu Renping's home, a beautiful courtyard demonstration household, there is a women's micro home which was co-developed by Xu and the women's federation to carry out training activities, such as flower cultivation and arrangement, embroidery and baking.

"In order to serve women and children (at grassroots level), the women's federation help establish five women's micro homes in the beautiful courtyard demonstration households, in a bid to guide, contact and serve women directly," said Zuo Fang, president of the women's federation.

At the same time, the federation has continued to develop its women volunteers' team, and motivated women volunteers to participate in publicity, courtyard renovation, beautification guidance and poverty alleviation.

More than 100 full-time, grid-based women workers were added as members of the executive committees of the women's federations at all levels in the district, to give full play to their role in building beautiful courtyards.

Xu Renping's home, a beautiful courtyard demonstration household [China Women's News]

The women's federation combined the building of beautiful courtyards with family education, guided women to formulate village rules and regulations and family traditions and instructions through group discussions, and promoted socialist core values and traditional Chinese virtues, giving full play to the important role of family, family education and family traditions in social governance.

In addition to improving living environment and building family traditions, the federation also helped boost local economy through beautiful courtyards.

In Shuimodanian, a village in Pukou, there is a butterfly museum which displays 400 butterfly specimens from all over the world. It is the first professional butterfly museum in China. Tai Qingxuan, its hostess, built the museum based on idle houses in the village. Tai also established a butterfly-themed homestay hotel.

The butterfly-themed homestay hotel established by Tai Qingxuan [China Women's News]

"We offer many job opportunities to local women and help increase their incomes when we improve the living environment in rural areas," said Tai.

Tai's approach is in line with the women's federation's efforts in promoting ecological development, developing local economy and increasing the locals' incomes through the courtyards.

The federation has constantly tapped the potential of the "courtyard economy," and guided women to create their own prosperity with wisdom based on their courtyards and make great contributions to rural revitalization.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)