The nongjiale serves homemade dishes from bamboo steamers.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

It became a stopover for officials visiting Nongke, largely by chance, Xu says.

"The road to Nongke was terrible," Xu recalls.

So, they'd stop at his eatery before making the long, rough ride out of the settlement.

Xu used to serve his guests homemade tofu pudding, preserved meat and chicken.

And he says he used to refuse payment.

"It's an honor as a farmer to treat guests, especially to food," Xu says.

Everything changed when the county hosted a national singing competition in 1988. Local authorities arranged for many visiting participants to dine at Xu's place.

He purchased ingredients to fulfill the orders and charged for the food since there was a large number of diners.

Soon travel agencies were knocking on his door to propose cooperation.

Xu then had more customers than his nongjiale could accommodate.

And his success inspired other households to set up shop. Incomes increased in the village.

Later, outsiders visited Xu's place and set up even better furnished and managed establishments outside the village, creating competition.

He started to feel anxious and made a drastic move.

"I invested 2 million yuan - all my savings - to improve my courtyard," he recalls.

He planned the landscaping, dishes and services. He built two large villas for leisure and meetings in 2004.