InFebruary2016,aweekbeforetheSpringFestival,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingvisitedthepeopleresidinginJinggangMountain.Duringhisvisit,herepeatedlystressedthatnooneshouldbeleftbehindwhenthecountryisbuildingamoderatelyprosperoussocietyinallaspects;theJinggangMountainshouldbecomeanexampleinthepovertyalleviationcampaign,andtheJinggangMountainSpiritshouldusherinfreshinspirationinthenewera.
ByFebruary2017,theJinggangMountainhaslifteditselfoutofpovertythroughcomprehensivemeasuresfeaturedbyredtourism.Itspovertyratehasreducedfrom13.8percentin2014to0.42percentin2017,percapitadisposableincomeinruralareasreachedalmostRMB10,000.LiuHong,PartysecretaryofJinggangshanCity,said:“Gettingridofpovertyfastisnotourultimategoal.Westrivetoletallthepeoplelivingintheformerrevolutionarybasetoliveabetterlife.”
BashangVillage,onceapoverty-strickencommunity,hasbecomeanepitomeofthepeople’spursuitforabetterlifeintheJinggangMountainarea.
“RedArmyExperience”EnrichestheVillage
BashangVillageislocatedatthecentralareaoftheJinggangMountainrevolutionarybase,onlysixkmfromtheoctagonalhousewhereMaoZedongoncelived.Inthevillage,peoplecanfindsitesoftheBuyunMountainRedArmytraininggroundandheadquartersfortheFourthFrontRedArmy,andtomboftherevolutionmartyr,YuanWencai.Hence,BashangVillageisalsocalledthe“RedArmyVillage.”
In2016,BashangVillagebegantodeveloptourism,takingadvantageofthese“red”resources.TheJinggangMountainwasdesignatedasanationalyoutheducationcenterofmodernhistory.Takingthisopportunity,BashangVillageinvestedmorethanRMB500millionanddevelopedaprogramnamed“ADayintheRedArmy.”Intheprogram,themedactivitieslikerapidmarches,RedArmymeals,homevisits,andRedArmystorysharingareincluded.Everyyear,morethan40,000touristsparticipateintheprogramtogetatasteoftheRedArmysoldiers’dailylife.
Inthevillage,touristsdressedinRedArmyuniformsareascenetobehold.PeoplefromallacrossChinaattendtoexperiencefirsthandadayinthelifeofaRedArmysoldier.“Allthedrills,presentations,andfieldstudyhavemademyday,”saidYueGuiyong,astudentfromBaodingCollege,HebeiProvince.
Duetothepopularityoftheexperienceprogram,thelocalpeople’slifehasseenimprovement.
WuYunyueisaresidentofBashangVillage.Shelostherhusbandtodiseaseyearsago,andledatoughliferaisinghertwochildrenalone.Before2013,herwholehouseholdreliedonincomefromplantingriceandraisingpigs.EvenwhenthereareerrandsforWutomakeextramoney,shecanearnnomorethanRMB17aday.In2013,Wuparticipatedinthepreparationforthe“RedArmymeals,”andthatyearsheearnedmorethanRMB3,000.By2016,Wuhadcateredtomorethan1,000visitors,earninganetincomeofRMB15,000peryear.“SometimesIwillalsodosomeerrandsinthevillagetoearnextramoney.MysoncanmakeaboutRMB20,000ayear,sonowourincomereachesnearlyRMB40,000everyyear.”Wusaid,withacontentsmile.
“In2017,morethan50familiesparticipatedinthediningbusiness,andeachoneofthemendedupmakinganextraRMB20,000onaverage”,saidLiuWeidong,anofficialofMaopingTownship.“Nowlow-incomefamiliesinthevillagehaveallgottenridofpoverty.Theexperienceprogramhasreallyincreasedthevillagers’incomes!”
EducationBaseBringsMoreVisitors
Julyisthepeakseasonfortourism.Duringthistime,DengZhuxiang’sfamilyisparticularlybusy.ProvidingvisitorswithauthenticfarmhousemealshasbecomeanindispensablepartofDeng’sdailylife.Onaregularday,sheisbusyinthefamilykitchen,mindingthesteameddishesonthebrickstove,andatthesametimestir-fryingthevegetablesharvestedinthebackyard.ThediningcostisRMB33perperson.Atablefor10cangenerateanetincomeofRMB180forDeng’sfamily,whichbringsmuchneededfinancialreliefforher.
SinceMay,anabandonedprimaryschoolinthevillagehasbeentransformedintoa“rededucation”base.BashangVillagehaswelcomednewvisitors–childrencomingforsummercamps.
“Asingle-bedroomcostsRMB30.Atwin-bedroomcostsRMB50.Andanair-conditionedroomcostsRMB80.”InearlyJuly,Deng’sfamilyhosted14elementaryschoolstudentsatthesummercampsforafewdays,addinganotherRMB1,000to2,000toherincome.
“BashangVillagewillsoonsignacooperationagreementwithNanchangTiangeEducationGrouptopromotesummercampsandoutwardboundtraining.Bythen,BashangVillagewillbeabletoaccommodate200additionalstudentsperday.”Seeingthataone-offinvestmentcanbringsustainedandsubstantialincome,LiGuofeng,PartysecretaryofBashang,isurgingthevillagerstofollowDeng’sexample,andtransformtheirfarmhousesintohomestayoptionsforstudentsattheeducationbase.ItcanincreaseBashang’spopularity,andopenupnewchannelsforfarmerstogetrich.
AccordingtoLi,“Wemustensuregrowthinboththevillage’scollec-tiveeconomyandthevillagers’income,andbuildupthevillageandhouseholdstogether.Inlinewithsuchrequirements,BashangVillagehasmadefurtherprogressthisyearinpovertyalleviation,seenhomestayflourishing,intensifiedeffortsinenvironmentalremediation,andcontinuedtoincreasethevillage’scollectiveincome.Wewilltransformourhistoricalandnaturalresourcesintodevelopmentadvantagesforruraltourismandredtourism.”Thisyear,BashangVillagehasfurtherimproveditsenvironment,andelectedmodelhouseholdswiththemostbeautifulcourtyards.Deng’sfamilyranksamongthem.Moreover,solarpowergenerationalonecanbringRMB80,000ofincometothevillage’scollectiveeconomythisyear.PassingontheRedGene
TheJinggangMountain,withitssplendidrevolutionaryhistory,servesasamassiveclassroomandbaseforeducationinthePartyspirit,ideals,beliefs,revolutionarytradition,andpatriotism.
LiZufang,61,isthegrandsonoftheRedArmymartyrLiXiaofu.Hewasheadofaproductionteamattheageof21.In1987,hejoinedthePartyandservedassecretaryofthevillagePartybranch.Litellstherevolution’sstoriesbrimmingwithemotion,singsRedArmysongsfromtimetotime,andhasbecomethemostpopularteacherattheJinggangshan“red”trainingbase.Hetoldthestudents,“Weshouldneverforgetwhattoday’slifeisbasedupon,andpassonthe‘redgenes’.”
“Thisishowastretcherismade...”Liinstructedthestudentswhoparticipatedinthe“ADayintheRedArmy”program.Hetookbamboosticksandhempropes,anddemonstratedhowtomakethestretcherwithgreatskill.InLi’sopinion,lettingyoungpeopleexperiencethelifeoftheRedArmyisthedutyandresponsibilityforaRedArmy’sdescendent.Nowadays,hewantsmorethanteachingatBashangVillage.HewantstospreadthestoriesoftheRedArmyandtheJinggangshanspiritoutsidethemountains.Infact,Lihasalreadybroughtthestoriestootherpartsofthecountry.InNovember2017,hewenttoSouthChinaNormalUniversitytospreadthe“redgene.”Andthisyear,LiwashiredasasocialpracticeteacherattheGraduateSchoolofCapitalNormalUniversity.
“Thosewhohaveheardmylectureshaveinvitedmetogivefurtherlectures.Myaudiencehaveprobablyreached300,000innumber,”Lisaid.Hislectureskepthimsobusythathefrequentlyskippedlunch.Andoncehehadtoparticipateinmorethan180groupphotosinaday.
Inthepast,LiusedtoearnamonthlyincomeofaboutRMB1,000byworkingawayfromthevillageandfarming.Sinceheparticipatedinthevillage’spovertyalleviationprojectin2016,hisyearlyincomehassteadilyincreased.“Thisyear’sincomewillprobablyreachRMB50,000.LastyearImadeRMB30,000,”Lisaidwithsatisfaction.
Atthebeginningofthepovertyalleviationoperation,BashangVillagehad36poverty-strickenhouseholds,withatotalpopulationof92.By2017,onlyonehouseholdremainedinpovertyintheentirevillage.
Inthefuture,lifeinBashangVillagewillbeevenmoreprosperous.ThisisbecauseMaopingTownship,wherethevillageislocated,isimplementingadevelopmentstrategythatpromotestourismintheentirearea,entrepreneurshipforeveryone,abeautifulenvironment,andmoderateprosperityinanall-roundway.Thetownshipaimsatbecomingthemostbeautiful“redtown,”andfocusesonbuildingalandscapebeltforecotourism,anexperiencezoneforredtraining,andaresortforrelaxationandholidays.TheredtrainingexperiencezoneatBashangVillageisalreadylistedforplanning.