While most Chinese were relaxing during the recent weeklong National Day holiday, Wang Zaolin was seeing his busiest time of the year.

The peak travel week brings hordes of city dwellers to his hotel to seek pastoral pleasures. The rustic hotel in Hongcun, an ancient village in East China's Anhui province, has 20 beds and can accommodate 100 people.

"Both visitors and revenue have surged nearly 50 percent this year," says Wang, adding that he is seeing the best business since the hotel opened in 2000.