A rural sample of Chinese path to modernization, "Ten Million Project" village | environment | Zhejiang | protection | ecology | China | project | countryside
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 7, special report: "Ten million project", a rural sample of Chinese path to modernization
Xinhua News Agency reporter Han Liang and Guo Yuqi
The mountains are green and the rivers are clear, birds are flying and insects are chirping. Pushing the window reveals greenery. In the midsummer season, walking on the land of Zhijiang, amidst the continuous beautiful scenery, the gentle and satisfied smiling faces of the people are even more unforgettable. Green mountains and clear waters bring poetry and distant places to our side, and also bring good days to our eyes.
Looking back 20 years later, the "Ten Million Project" not only changed the style and features of Zhejiang villages, reshaped the fate of local farmers, but also explored a scientific path for rural sustainable development, created a rural sample of Chinese path to modernization, and provided useful lessons for developing countries.
Green transformation protects the Earth's home
Amidst the sound of a whistle, the sightseeing train from Lujia Village in Anji, Zhejiang Province started, and this 4.5-kilometer village view line connected more than ten characteristic family farms along the way.
In the lily farm, green willows shade. Qiu Lijin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Village Committee of Lujia Village, spoke eloquently and couldn't help but feel excited when talking about the "shining moment" five years ago.
In 2018, Zhejiang Province's "Ten Million Project" was awarded the highest environmental honor of the United Nations, the "Earth Guardian Award". As one of the award-winning representatives, Qiu Lijin shared with the world the gratifying changes in her hometown. She said that a Chinese farmer in his 50s was able to stand on such a high international podium "thanks to the achievements of our Lujia Village in the" Ten Million Project ".".
"In the past, the villagers of Lujia Village had a catchphrase: garbage was scraped by the wind, sewage was evaporated, mosquitoes and flies flew everywhere, and the stench blew all year round. Now, the entire village of Lujia Village is a scenic spot, and the door is a garden," said Qiu Lijin.
From "garbage management" to "toilet revolution", from shutting down "small scattered" enterprises to implementing ecological restoration, with the deepening of the "millions of projects", mountainous areas have shed their old appearance and taken on a new look.
Eric Solheim, former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the Environment Programme, has visited urban and rural areas in Zhejiang multiple times and witnessed the changes brought about by the "Ten Million Project". In Pujiang County, the once turbid and heavily polluted "Milk River" has become clean and clear. Now, "even a few sips of the river water are fine for children swimming in the river"; Local residents often stroll along the riverbank and enjoy the beautiful environment, which is unforgettable and satisfying; Huzhou City has transformed its mountain and water scenery into tourism resources, relying on artificial breeding to save endangered bird populations. This ecological restoration method that combines the beauty of nature with advanced technological means is commendable
Scholars at home and abroad believe that the rural development model promoted by the "Ten Million Project" in China has solved development problems in three dimensions: social, economic, and environmental, and is highly in line with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Here, green development has created a large number of jobs, providing people with more development opportunities, cherishing their homes more, and becoming conscious guardians of the environment.
A cup of Anji white tea has a refreshing fragrance that fills the heart and spleen. Anji is the birthplace of the concept that "green mountains and clear waters are like mountains of gold and silver". In Solheim's view, the proposal of the "Two Mountains" concept can be seen as an important node in the transformation of China's development model.
"In the past, people only focused on economic growth, but now the focus is on high-quality development." Under the impetus of President Xi Jinping, a profound and lasting green change has been launched on the land of China.
From the protection of rare animals such as giant pandas and snow leopards, to the implementation of the phased fishing ban policy in the Yangtze River, from the blueprint of the national park system to the continuous promotion of sand prevention and afforestation, Solheim believes that China has achieved ecological and environmental governance results that Western countries can only achieve in a short period of time, demonstrating the determination and wisdom to build ecological civilization and protect the Earth's home, and bringing rich inspiration to the world.
Solheim said that President Xi Jinping visited the mangrove area of Jinniu Island in Huguang Town, Mazhang District, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province this spring, emphasizing the importance of mangrove protection. President Xi Jinping's personal efforts to promote the construction of ecological civilization are deeply touching.
"I hope more national leaders will visit mangroves, because this is a very important ecosystem that needs to be protected." Solheim believes that it is the spirit of President Xi Jinping's hard work and long-term success that has brought about amazing changes in China's rural landscape and made this road of sustainable development wider and wider.
Poetic Dwelling, Creating a Beautiful Economy
Bamboo is like a sea, and the blue waves are surging. Moganshan, named after Mo Xie and his generals who forged swords here during the Spring and Autumn period, has been rated by foreign media as one of the 45 most worthwhile travel destinations in the world.
Strolling in the cool mountain breeze at the foot of Mogan Mountain in Wusi Village, Noradana, a member of the Cambodian People's Party Youth Politician Inspection Team who came to inspect, fell into contemplation. Moganshan gave birth to the earliest batch of "Yangjiale" in China. Nowadays, there are many boutique homestays and a thriving cultural and tourism industry, attracting tourists from all over the world.
"The people here are very hardworking, highly invested in their work, and particularly good at innovation," Noradana exclaimed. "Turning these villages into popular tourist destinations has inspired developing countries, including Cambodia, to prioritize ecological and green development."
In the past twenty years, poetry and painting in Jiangnan have given birth to a beautiful economy, with new rural industries such as leisure agriculture, cultural tourism, education, health care, and cultural creativity constantly emerging. Local characteristic industries such as rural leisure and rural intangible cultural heritage are flourishing. Shancun Primary School has a "cloud data center", "digital shepherd" has a new life, and public facilities such as smart health service stations and unmanned gyms have made rural life more convenient.
Every inch of mountains and rivers has a unique scenery. The "Ten Million Project" aims to create a livable and tourism friendly future countryside, the "Co Prosperity Workshop" enables farmers to increase employment and income at their doorstep, and the "Mountain Sea Cooperation" drives underdeveloped areas to achieve common development through developed areas... A modern version of the "Fuchun Mountain Dwelling Map" is slowly unfolding.
"There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below" is a proverb that Nabiran Muhammad Hanur é, a professor at Ali Farabi Kazakh University for Nationalities in Kazakhstan, was familiar with decades ago when he studied in China. In 2018, he was invited to visit Zhejiang and was amazed by the local natural beauty and ecological welfare concept. This scholar called it a true "ecological paradise".
The local villagers told him that in the past, there was no clean drinking water at home. Now, through ecological restoration and the development of rural industries, not only is the natural environment improved, but also the people live and work in peace. "Kazakhstan also has a large number of rural areas, and this development model of rural economy has important reference significance for our practice."
Based on local characteristics, while adhering to the overall planning of urban and rural areas; Through technological empowerment, industrial extension, and innovation driven efforts to maintain rural vitality... Through on-site inspections and in-depth exchanges with local people, member of the Cambodian People's Party Youth Politician Inspection Team, Sai Mengjin, has gained a lot. He said that the "Ten Million Project" has narrowed the urban-rural development gap, benefiting low-income groups and underdeveloped areas greatly.
The vivid practice of promoting rural revitalization and common prosperity in Zhejiang is the epitome of Chinese path to modernization. In the view of Mohammad Hanur é, China has explored a path of rural modernization that protects ecology, develops economy, and achieves common prosperity. "The prosperity of rural areas leads to the prosperity of the country, which brings important inspiration to developing countries.".
Putting people first and sharing modern civilization
A majestic rooster, golden rice ears, and running sheep... Walking in Yudong Village, Quzhou City in the western mountainous area of Zhejiang Province, colorful murals can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys. The villagers stepped on long ladders and held paintbrushes, blooming the unique rural art on a white wall. Among the over 800 villagers in the village, there are over 300 who can draw.
Yu Xiaoqin, the Party branch secretary of Yudong Village, said that in the past, the village mainly planted rice and citrus, and developed handicrafts such as Zhalong Lantern and Lion Lantern. Riding on the spring breeze of the "Ten Million Project", Yudong Village has built a rural art museum, from selling paintings and copyrights to selling cultural and creative works, forming a leading industry with an output value exceeding ten million yuan.
Since the implementation of the "Ten Million Project", a number of villages in Zhejiang have emerged that explore the empowerment of art in rural revitalization. Traditional culture, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and artistic creation have given new connotations to beautiful rural areas. Only with a prosperous spiritual life can one achieve comprehensive development.
The "Ten Million Project" has always focused on achieving human modernization from the very beginning.
From "thousand village demonstration and ten thousand village renovation" to "thousand village boutique and ten thousand village beauty", and then to "thousand village future and ten thousand village common prosperity", for the past twenty years, the "ten million project" has always carried a strong foundation of the people, always starting from human needs and development, constantly iterating and upgrading, committed to creating the life that the people yearn for.
Walking through the mountains and rivers of Zhejiang, Noradana was deeply touched: "President Xi Jinping puts the people in the most important position in his heart."
Making people's lives happy is the greatest of a country. The "Ten Million Project" not only allows the people to share the fruits of development, but also changes people's ideological concepts and unleashes their creativity and initiative.
Qiu Lijin has a deep understanding of this. She said that what is changing is not only the environment, but also the concepts and habits of rural residents - "garbage needs to be sorted, and sewage has been collected.".
Mohammad Hanur é said that a good environment has a subtle impact on people, which helps to form a social atmosphere that advocates ecological civilization and encourages individuals to "transform their thoughts into conscious actions to protect the ecology.".
Zhu Bingqian was one of the first post-2000s in Lujia Village to decide to return home and start a business. She, who had originally planned to pursue graduate studies in the UK, felt Anji's favorable entrepreneurial and employment atmosphere and policy support, and decided to start her own business first after graduation, focusing on vocational skills training such as tea artists, tea tasters, and tea processing.
"The happiness index of rural life is very high now, and we need more young people to stay and inject fresh blood and vitality into our countryside." She said, "There is nothing more fulfilling than building a good hometown."
The United Nations Development Programme stated in its 2022 Human Development Report that "the people are the true wealth of a country.".
The value of the people interpreted by the "Ten Million Project" and the creative energy released coincide with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The ecological protection, sustainable development, and modernization exploration in rural China have made the choice of "balancing human and green mountains", telling the world a beautiful story of China. This story not only supports the dreams of billions of Chinese people, but also continues to inspire global sustainable development practices, jointly creating a beautiful future of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
