Across China: Winter sports boom turns former coal town into tourism gold mine

WUHAN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nine years ago, when guesthouse manager Li Li decided to turn her family villa into accommodation for travelers taking the provincial highway in central China's Hubei Province, she had hoped to make a modest income.

However, that income was not guaranteed all year round. The biting cold would freeze the water in the pipes, and without access to water, she would have to shut her doors to