The Binzhou-Laiwu Expressway straddles the valley where Qiaolingqian village is nestled on May 6, 2010. The expressway has linked the village and the outside world since the 1990s. LIU XINXI/FOR CHINA DAILY
Qiaolingqian is a village nestled in mountains in Boshan district, Zibo, Shandong province.
Home to beautiful scenery such as karst caves, the mountains once kept the village unknown to the outside world.
But everything started to change in the 1990s, when an expressway was built to link the village and the other side of the mountain. It was a milestone in the village's history of development.
The expressway, which extended from two lanes in each direction later to four lanes, has made the Qiaolingqian known to more people and brought visitors into the village.
The Qiaolingqian scenic area has become a provincial-level and part of a national-level tourist attraction.
As people from outside come in for beautiful mountain and countryside views, tourism has helped the village develop.
Changes have been brought to many aspects of villagers' daily lives－convenient transportation, decent jobs and access to internet, to name but a few improvements.
Although they are living in a mountain village, the villagers enjoy just as much of a modern lifestyle as urban residents do.
A photographer who was born and raised in the village has used his camera to document how his hometown has changed over the years.
The villager, Liu Xinxi, recently published a photo album featuring pictures he took of the village. Here are some of his most interesting photos.
People escape hot weather and spend their leisure time playing mahjong and drinking tea in a river on July 26, 2016. LIU XINXI/FOR CHINA DAILY
Workers of a printing company pack product at a workshop on Aug 22, 2020. There are more than 40 such companies in the village. LIU XINXI/FOR CHINA DAILY
Sanitation workers spray disinfectants as villagers stay at home to help control the spread of COVID-19 on Feb 2, 2020. LIU XINXI/FOR CHINA DAILY
