(ECNS) -- Shiti village in Yunnan province is located deep in the mountains on the border between China and Myanmar.
In the past, its remote and isolated status kept the villagers' income at a bare minimum.
But the area is rich in natural resources and has nearly half of China's recorded bird species, making the village a "paradise" for birds.
A few young people in the village turned "bird guides" after study in 2016, soon harvesting the "first bucket of gold".
Thanks to the "bird guides", the village has attracted numerous tourists from home and abroad.
The villagers realized the importance of protecting birds and the ecological environment.
Now, the villagers have set up bird-protecting teams to patrol the forest regularly and stop bird catching and logging.
Serving as "bird guides" and managing farmhouses, many villagers earn much more than before and get rid of poverty.
