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HANGZHOU, Jan. 1-- The sun finally emerged from the horizon off the coast near Shitang Township in east China's Zhejiang Province, greeting the Chinese mainland on the first day of the new year. Shitang became an instant hit 20 years ago when the mainland's first ray of sunshine in the new millennium was officially announced to hit the town. Before then, Shitang was a tiny and little-known fishing town, with only stone houses facing the East China Sea having stood through the wind and rain for thousands of years. The town's overnight fame brought with it enormous business opportunities. In 1999, the city of Wenling, which administers the town, only received 556,000 domestic and foreign tourists with a revenue of just 334 million yuan (47.8 million U.S. dollars). But in 2000, thanks to the sun, Wenling received 1.03 million tourists. Since then, the sunshine economy has become a development engine of Wenling's tourism. From 2001 to 2018, the number of tourists to Wenling continued to grow at an average annual rate of over 20 percent. In 2018, it received 18.9 million tourists with total tourism revenue rising to 20.76 billion yuan. The once trash-filled beach has been transformed into a spotless stretch ideal for sun viewing, with trails stretching along the sea and recreational facilities everywhere. Shitang was once known as a "vacant village" as fishermen usually stayed out at sea for several months on end, leaving behind an unattended village. | 
