Villages in Jiangxi take on new look

Farmers in Dongxiang, East China’s Jiangxi province, are enjoying a higher living standard thanks to rural reforms implemented by the local government.

Chentang village, in Dongxiang’s Huwei town, was poor and humble for many years. There was no running water or other modern living facilities. Young residents had to make a living in big cities with their elderly parents and young children left behind in the village.

In order to improve residents’ lives, local government started new rural construction in 2018 with a total investment of 13 million yuan ($1.94 million). By a series of solutions such as farmland circulation and village renovation, living conditions of local residents have improved.

“The village is developing modern agriculture,” said Zong Jianming, director of Huwei town. “We lease the farmland to agricultural companies, so that the farmers can not only get the rent, but are also free to do other work.”

The village now has become a demonstration plantation base for organic vegetables and herbs and the annual income per capita of local residents exceeds 15,000 yuan, he added.

Wang Gaojin, a local resident said that he and his family are glad to see the change.

“Thanks to the government, the village now enjoys a better environment, and more people are willing to come back to work or start their own businesses,” said the 55-year-old man.

The new look has not only beckoned young people to return, but also inspired people to develop local tourism.

Zhoujia village of Dongxiang’s Dengjia town is famous for its agricultural products such as roses, tangerines, grapes and cherries. The local government helped farmers make good use of these resources to develop rural tourism. Since the new rural construction in 2015, the village has become a homestay destination offering flower-watching and fruit-picking tours for visitors and pools for angling lovers.

The gardens and homestay are all operated by travel companies from Zhejiang, which have rich experience in rural tourism, said Liang Zhiqiang, vice-director of Dengjia town.

“We are trying to build a tourism industry chain so that residents can benefit from the tourism development,” he added.