Huamao village: A rags-to-riches story to tell
China Daily, 09-14-2016
One family hotel has hung the photos of President Xi Jinping's visiting on their houses on the wall for memory. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
One year ago, President Xi Jinping made a stop in Huamao village of Zunyi city that has been lifted out of poverty in recent years.
He visited greenhouses, financial centers, bamboo and poverty workshops to learn how poverty reduction projects were running. Xi also spoke with the villagers, saying the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee cares a lot about farmers, particularly those in poverty, and has enacted various policies to boost rural development.
One year later, I had the chance to visit Huamao village on my Long March trip in Southwest China's Guizhou province and found a rags-to-riches story to share with you.
Clean and tidy streets, neat and beautiful dwellings, white clouds and green mountains as well as simple and nice locals, all these mixed together render me a sense of peace and belonging.
They form my first impression of Huamao village.
"Our village was once called Huangmao Tian, which literally means a desolate and uninhabited place for human beings. Later, we changed the name into Huamao, a symbol of prosperity and flourish. And it really works," one local people said to me.
In recent years, the local government has taken a series of measures to reduce poverty and support the poor by developing efficient modern agriculture and guiding local to explore rural tourism.
Many villagers have turned their houses into a hotel integrating cantering, residence and entertainment. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
At here, it is not a strange thing to see many villagers have turned their houses into a hotel integrating cantering, residence and entertainment. For instance, visitors can rent part of the farming land to plant vegetable and fruit planting or pick up fruits by themselves.
A local farmer told me that it was a win-win strategy. For one thing, visitors would get a fresh experience and take green foods assuredly, and for another, they could make money about one million yuan annually to better their lives.
At present, a total of 42 rural hotels have been running in the village, attracting more than 250 farmers to return to the hometown to start businesses with an overall turnover of 135 million yuan in 2015.
"Wherever you go, you will see a picturesque scene," Pan Kegang, secretary of the Party committee in Huamao village, said to me proudly, adding that tremendous changes had happened here.
"The most obvious change is the income of farmers. In 2014, the per capita income only reached 8,000 yuan, but the figure roared to 12,607 yuan just within a year," Pan said.
Ceramics products can be seen everywhere in Huamao village in Zunyi city. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
As a matter of fact, rural tourism is not the only achievement to show off in the village. Huamao is also renowned for its ceramic industry with a history of more than 400 years.
Moutai liquor once won the golden medal in the Expocomer International Trade Exhibition partly due to the bottle was made of ceramics in Huamao village, which helped Huamao earn the reputation both at home and abroad.
In the high-tech dominated era, many local people still have chosen to stay at the traditional workshops. And Mu Xiangang is one of them.
"To continue the ceramics workshop is not a easy decision to me, as the business in the past decades was slack. However, I do not want to lose our family traditional culture and skills, so I just stayed in the field," Mu said.
"Since last year after Xi Jinping's visit to my workshop, my life has changed considerably as the business has gained huge momentum. People paying a visit to our village, more often than not, will come to my workshop to purchase some artworks or just experience the fun of making ceramics," Mu added.
As I left the village, what impressed me most was the smile in every local's face. From a barren placed to a rural tourism demonstration zone, Huamao has made a new leap forward in economy and people's daily life.
"Find your memorable nostalgia here" is a slogan in red set in one of the hotels in Huamao village, which really attracts the attention of every passerby. To me, it is not an empty promise but is worthy of the name.
China Daily, 09-14-2016
One family hotel has hung the photos of President Xi Jinping's visiting on their houses on the wall for memory. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
One year ago, President Xi Jinping made a stop in Huamao village of Zunyi city that has been lifted out of poverty in recent years.
He visited greenhouses, financial centers, bamboo and poverty workshops to learn how poverty reduction projects were running. Xi also spoke with the villagers, saying the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee cares a lot about farmers, particularly those in poverty, and has enacted various policies to boost rural development.
One year later, I had the chance to visit Huamao village on my Long March trip in Southwest China's Guizhou province and found a rags-to-riches story to share with you.
Clean and tidy streets, neat and beautiful dwellings, white clouds and green mountains as well as simple and nice locals, all these mixed together render me a sense of peace and belonging.
They form my first impression of Huamao village.
"Our village was once called Huangmao Tian, which literally means a desolate and uninhabited place for human beings. Later, we changed the name into Huamao, a symbol of prosperity and flourish. And it really works," one local people said to me.
In recent years, the local government has taken a series of measures to reduce poverty and support the poor by developing efficient modern agriculture and guiding local to explore rural tourism.
Many villagers have turned their houses into a hotel integrating cantering, residence and entertainment. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
At here, it is not a strange thing to see many villagers have turned their houses into a hotel integrating cantering, residence and entertainment. For instance, visitors can rent part of the farming land to plant vegetable and fruit planting or pick up fruits by themselves.
A local farmer told me that it was a win-win strategy. For one thing, visitors would get a fresh experience and take green foods assuredly, and for another, they could make money about one million yuan annually to better their lives.
At present, a total of 42 rural hotels have been running in the village, attracting more than 250 farmers to return to the hometown to start businesses with an overall turnover of 135 million yuan in 2015.
"Wherever you go, you will see a picturesque scene," Pan Kegang, secretary of the Party committee in Huamao village, said to me proudly, adding that tremendous changes had happened here.
"The most obvious change is the income of farmers. In 2014, the per capita income only reached 8,000 yuan, but the figure roared to 12,607 yuan just within a year," Pan said.
Ceramics products can be seen everywhere in Huamao village in Zunyi city. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]
As a matter of fact, rural tourism is not the only achievement to show off in the village. Huamao is also renowned for its ceramic industry with a history of more than 400 years.
Moutai liquor once won the golden medal in the Expocomer International Trade Exhibition partly due to the bottle was made of ceramics in Huamao village, which helped Huamao earn the reputation both at home and abroad.
In the high-tech dominated era, many local people still have chosen to stay at the traditional workshops. And Mu Xiangang is one of them.
"To continue the ceramics workshop is not a easy decision to me, as the business in the past decades was slack. However, I do not want to lose our family traditional culture and skills, so I just stayed in the field," Mu said.
"Since last year after Xi Jinping's visit to my workshop, my life has changed considerably as the business has gained huge momentum. People paying a visit to our village, more often than not, will come to my workshop to purchase some artworks or just experience the fun of making ceramics," Mu added.
As I left the village, what impressed me most was the smile in every local's face. From a barren placed to a rural tourism demonstration zone, Huamao has made a new leap forward in economy and people's daily life.
"Find your memorable nostalgia here" is a slogan in red set in one of the hotels in Huamao village, which really attracts the attention of every passerby. To me, it is not an empty promise but is worthy of the name.
