Shengsi Islands in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province is known as the "fairyland on the sea" for its beautiful scenery. [Photo/IC] 

Shengsi county in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, has been honored as one of the nation's second batch of model counties in ecological construction, according to a recent announcement released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

It is the first county in Zhoushan that has received such an honor. 

Shengsi county has been following a development path of economic growth driven by ecological protection in recent years, and has seen much progress made.

It has revived the rural areas by developing ten special fishing villages and a batch of villages of historic interest. 

It has improved infrastructure and strengthened overall pollution control of the air, water and land. 

In addition, it has integrated the traditional fishing and aquatic processing industries with the tourism industry, creating many tourist resorts with distinctive characteristics of a fishing village. 

The county currently houses 819 homestay inns, receiving 82 percent of its total tourists and generating an expected average net income of 155,000 yuan ($22,400) for each homestay inn this year. Its rural areas gained tourist revenue of 240 million yuan this year.

A coastal road in Shengsi county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/IC]

Boats float in the sea in Shengsi county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/IC]