Grains are put out to dry on traditional mats in the village of Huangling. The settlement in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, boasts 600 years of history, and the scenic area is now a prime example of how rural tourism benefits remote communities, according to Koh King Kee. HU CHENHUAN / XINHUA

Pools of water amid the otherwise arid landscape of a desert in Alashan make for a snaphappy tourist’s dream in this part of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. WANG ZHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY

Koh King Kee in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, in 2017. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Koh King Kee is a seasoned observer of political and economic developments that have shaped China over recent decades. He was appointed an adviser to the Asia-Pacific Economic Research Institute in Beijing in 1989.