NanpingCityhasfivecounties,whichhadbeenincludedintheprovincialpovertyalleviationproject.Inits346impoverishedvillages,therewere129,400registeredpoorpeoplein2013.Injustfouryears,theentireregisteredpoverty-strickenpopulationand96impoverishedvillageswereliftedoutofpoverty.ShunchangCountyisoneofthefrontrunnersinthepovertyreductioneffortsinNanping.
ABeautifulLife
LateMaysawlotusesinfullbloominZhangdunVillage,PushangTown,ShunchangCounty.WuXiufengandhermotherHuangChangjibegantheirbusydayearlyinthemorning.Theywenttothevineyardtoprunegrapevines.鈥淭hegrapesgrowwellthisyear.Icaneasilyharvest3,000kgpermu(0.07hectare),鈥漌uXiufengsaidwithpride.
Wu,49,marriedintoZhangdunVillagein1988.鈥淏ackthen,everyonewaspoor.Wereliedsolelyonrainfalltofeedthecropsgrownonoursmallpatchoffarmland,鈥漵herecalled,addingthatsheneverexpectedherfamilycouldlivealifeasgoodasitistoday.鈥淢yfamilyhasafarmlandoffourmu(0.28hectare).ThegrapesbringanannualincomeofaroundRMB150,000(US$23,400).Duringtheoff-season,myhusbandhassomesidejobs,sowetogethermakeaboutRMB200,000($31,200),鈥漵hesaid.AhouseholdincomelikeWu鈥檚isaboutaverageinZhangdunVillage.LotusflowersareinfullblossominZhangdunVillageinChunchang,FujianProvinceinMay,2018.LinZhengrongLifewastoughadecadeago.鈥淢yhusbandandIworkedasmigrantworkersandstruggledtosavemoneyyearround,鈥漌urecalled.In1996,theybegantogrowgrapesintheirhometown.鈥淲estillcouldnotmakemoneyafterdeductingthecostsoffertilizersandlaborasthepriceoffreshgrapeswasrelativelylow.鈥滱tthattime,Wu鈥檚familywaspredominantlypoor.
Thingschangedin2009.ThecommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)inPushangTowninitiatedasupportprojectinwhichCPCmemberswereencouragedtohelpandleadlocalfarmerstoseekprosperity.Basedontheiroccupations,CPCmemberswereaskedtoleadfourgroupsconcerninggrapeproduction,winemaking,ricegrowing,andagritourism.Poorhouseholdscouldjoinanygrouptheyliked,dependingonwhattheywantedtolearn.Withactivitiescarriedoutonamonthlybasis,CPCmemberstaughtruralresidentstechniquesthatwouldbeusedintheiroperations.鈥淢yfamilyjoinedthegrapecultivatinggroup.Technicalstaffcametomyvineyardandtaughtushowtotakecareofthevinesandgrapes.Thetownalsoofferedwinemakingclasses.Withknowledgeofhowtocultivategrapesandmakewine,myincomebegantogethigherandhigher,鈥漵aidWu.
WuXiufengdidsomemathbasedonpresentpricesoffreshgrapesandwine.Anannualwineyieldof3,500kgmultipliedbyaunitpriceofRMB20(US$3.12)equalsRMB70,000(US$10,900).Asforfreshgrapes,producepermugeneratesarevenueofRMB18,000(US$2,810).Wuhasavineyardoffourmu.ShecanmakeuptoRMB72,000(US$11,200)fromfreshgrapes.
鈥淟ookatourlivingenvironment,it鈥檚likeapainting.Myfamilyhasathree-storyhouseinthevillageandtwoapartmentsinthecountyseat.Thevineyardhasbroughtusawell-offlife,whichistangible,andIcanfeelit,鈥漌usaid.
Atpresent,thereare86householdsinZhangdunVillagegrowinggrapesandmakingwines.Theexpandingindustryhasinspiredsurroundingvillagesandcountiestogrowgrapes.TheannualoutputofZhangdun-brandwinestotals30tons,contributinganincomeofRMB1.5million(US$230,000)tolocalfarmers.
BambooBusiness
Developinganindustryisthefundamentalwaytorootoutpoverty.鈥淧residentXiJinpingvisitedLaibuVillageBambooDemonstrationBaseinDaganTownwhenheworkedinFujianProvince.Hetoldustoharnesslocalecologicalandresourceadvantagesforeconomicdevelopment,鈥漵aidZhangJingzheng,PartysecretaryofDaganTown,ShunchangCounty.
XiJinpingmadethevisitonApril9,2002whenheworkedasgovernorofFujianProvince.HeencouragedLaibuVillagetodevelopabambooindustrytoenrichlocalpeople.
LianHengrong,thenheadofLaibuVillage,wastheonlylocalpersonwhoreceivedXiandtheinspectiongroupin2002.
In1999,Lian,togetherwithsomeofhisfellowfarmers,wenttoneighboringZhejiangProvinceandbroughtbackthebamboospeciesthathaveedibleshootsandcanalsobeusedformultiplepurposes.Thebambooscanhelpconservewater,maintainsoil,purifytheair,andbeautifytheenvironment.
Atfirst,localfarmersjustwantedtomakesomecashbysellingbamboos.Later,theyfoundthatthebambooshootscouldbringlucrativebenefits.Now,bambooshootshavebecomeoneofthepillarsofthevillageeconomy,astheyarethemainsourceoffarmers鈥檌ncomes.Locallygrownbambooshootsarefreshanddeliciousandsellwellonthemarket.Assaidbylocalpeople,theearningsfromonemuofbamboosequalthoseoffourmuofgrains.
Drivenbythebambooindustry,agriculturaltourismbegantoboom.AccordingtoincumbentvillageheadLianYiming,LaibuVillagereceivedtwogovernmentsubsidiesofRMB5.3million(US$828,000)andRMB1.5million(US$234,375)andbuilta1.2kmbankrevetmentprojectand1.8-kmscenicroadrespectively,preservingtheecologicalenvironmentandimprovinglocaltourisminfrastructure.鈥淭hevillagereceived30,000touristsin2017,generatingRMB2.1million(US$328,000).Thesituationthisyearisevenbetter,鈥滾iansaid,confidentthatthefuturewillbeevenbrighter.
In16years,thebamboogrowingbusinesshasevolvedintoaboomingindustry.Thebambooshavebecomeauniqueecologicaledgeforthevillagetodeveloptheirlocaleconomy,agriculturaltourism,andawaytoreducepoverty.CLocallygrownbambooshootsellswellinthemarket.LinZhengrong