It wasn't an easy decision for Jiang Lijuan to quit her promising design career in Hangzhou six years ago. She wanted to move back to her home village to take care of her parents, but she didn't have a job lined up.

"I was in the design industry back then, so I thought that I might open a homestay. That was a hot opportunity at the time," she told CGTN. China's niche "minsu" market has sprung up in recent years in the wake of the country's strong push for rural tourism and growing urban demand for weekend getaways.

So she decided to take her artistic talents home. Jiang refurbished her family's four-story village house into a homestay with a cozy fireplace, an elegant courtyard and exquisite furnishings. "Our high-end homestay doesn't just give tourists a taste of the village's beautiful scenery and authentic rural life, more importantly, it also helps them to understand local culture and history, which delivers a better sense of involvement and fulfillment," Jiang explained.

She was living her truth, but this budding innkeeper didn't stop there. "I knew it was time for me to give back," she mused. Thanks in part to her business acumen and experience helping her community, she was elected as the village's Party chief.

When asked if she had any words of wisdom for young college graduates who are perhaps hesitant about jumping into entrepreneurship, Jiang encouraged them to just go for it.

"As young folks, I think they all need to have the guts to fight, go all out, and try. Don't be afraid of failure. You can always start over," she said.