Editor's note: With its people-centered philosophy, China will build the eastern province of Zhejiang into a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity. This series looks at the latest steps taken in various areas to meet that goal.
Attractive accommodations, amusement park among highlights of rural vitalization pilot project
Chen Xiaojing once worked in the clothing accessories business in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and in Shanghai, with an annual income of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan ($29,600-$44,400). She decided to quit her job and returned to her hometown, a village in Yongjia county of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.
In 2017, when the local government introduced favorable policies to attract young talent to promote rural vitalization, Chen decided to open a homestay in Yongjia.
"As a member of the village, I sincerely hope that it will get better and everyone will become rich," said Chen, who was elected that same year as Party secretary of the village of Yuantou.
Since 2017, Chen has been working to make the village cleaner and more orderly by clamping down on such things as piles of discarded items and abandoned cottages.
To improve the village environment, Chen went to every villager's home to raise awareness and posted 10 rules on village cleanup and environmental protection, such as arranging furniture neatly and cleaning the land around homes.
In addition, all pig sheds and open-air, thatched pits in the village were demolished, and a household waste disposal station was set up at the entrance to the village.
A woman accompanies students wading across a farm during a field studies course in July in Yuantou, a village in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, that has made strides on the path to ecological protection and improved livelihoods. CHINA DAILY
Yuantou is among pilot villages for the "zero-pollution village" construction project, which was organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Environmental Protection Federation.
In 2019, Wenzhou's first "zero-pollution village" pilot project was launched in Yuantou to increase recycling, bring about higher efficiency in the use of resources and reduce waste via multiple measures, such as using degradable bags, recycling trash and building an ecological agricultural garden.
Over the past five years, the village, which has nine homestays as well as various farmhouses and snack bars, has become known to more people via the internet.
In 2021, Yuantou hosted more than 180,000 tourists, with total income from tourism hitting 2 million yuan. During the National Day holiday in October last year, it attracted more than 30,000 tourists.
Chen told China Daily that the village is planning to build a research base in the beautiful countryside, and she hopes that more young talent will return to their hometowns and help with rural vitalization.
Yuantou, which is in the northern mountainous area of Yongjia, has promoted the integrated development of agriculture and tourism as it strives for common prosperity.
In the town of Dajing, known as the hometown of Dendrobium candidum, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Fang Yuyou, co-founder and CEO of Proya, led the villagers to plant 20 hectares of Dendrobium officinale, also a medicinal plant, and more than 45 hectares of different fruits.
Fang invited foreign experts to conduct research and develop applications for Dendrobium officinale, and produced a variety of products that meet the consumption habits and needs of the market. More than 70 products have been developed, including those for health and skin care.
Fang also invested in the construction of an amusement park in his hometown, the village of Xiashantou, which more than 10 years ago had no resources, no industry and no development environment.
Recreational facilities are seen in an amusement park in Xiashantou, a village in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. The development of such villages in Zhejiang has offered a glimpse of the progress made by the province as it strives for common prosperity. CHINA DAILY
The park, which covers 20 hectares, opened in October 2020 and is centered on Dendrobium candidum. It integrates themed attractions, science education, pastoral leisure and tourism.
Other features of the park include homestays and specialty restaurants, and various tourism activities are held there, such as the Pear Blossom Festival, Dendrobium Cultural Festival and Loquat Festival, which promote the development of surrounding industries and increase villagers' income.
Yang Bingjun, who led the amusement park project, said the park has attracted 500,000 to 600,000 tourists a year. In addition, since the park opened, more than 400,000 people from all walks of life have traveled to the village to enjoy health tours and for scientific research activities.
Furthermore, over 800 local people have been provided with job opportunities with good salaries.
Chen and Fang are among those in Wenzhou who are at the forefront of promoting rural vitalization in the next crucial stages of the country's development.
Last year, five mountainous counties in Wenzhou, including Yongjia, recorded a combined GDP of 173.5 billion yuan, an increase of 7.23 percent year-on-year. The figure was higher than the provincial average, with high-quality rural development making a key contribution.
China's central authorities released a guideline in June last year on building Zhejiang, one of China's most affluent provinces, into a demonstration zone for common prosperity.
The province in East China has a target to achieve common prosperity by 2035, with its per capita GDP and the income of urban and rural residents reaching the standard of developed countries.
