Big Industry, [Big Country New Village: Following the Footprints of General Secretary] Datong, Shanxi: Little Yellow Flower Industry | Rural | General Secretary
Special topic on "Da Guo Xin Cun: Following the Footprints of General Secretary"
The nation must be revitalized, and the countryside must be revitalized.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that "the most arduous and arduous task of comprehensively building a socialist modernized country still lies in rural areas. We will prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas, adhere to the integration of urban and rural development, and facilitate the flow of urban and rural factors. We will accelerate the construction of an agricultural strong country and solidly promote the revitalization of rural industries, talents, culture, ecology, and organizations." The People's Forum website has launched a series of reports on "New Villages in a Great Country: Following the Footprints of General Secretary", telling the story of the revitalization of the vast rural areas of China. Today, we walked together into Tangjiabao Village and Fangchengxin Village in Xiping Town, Yunzhou District, Datong City, Shanxi Province, to witness how "little yellow flowers" have driven rural prosperity.
Although the Xuancao is a tiny flower, it is solitary and beautiful, capable of pulling itself out. Amidst the disorderly leaves in the pavilion, one by one my heart pierces.
In July, Datong, Shanxi Province, welcomed the season of picking yellow flowers. The vast sea of golden flowers was magnificent, and the seven core yellow flowers swayed lively in the breeze like waves, competing with the sun in the scorching sun.
The research team arrived in Yunzhou District, Datong City, taking the characteristic yellow flower industry of Yunzhou District as the starting point, and explored important experiences in promoting rural revitalization in the field.
Although Xuancao is small, it can still become a "wealth making herb"
Huanghua, also known as Xuancao, Forgetful Worry Grass, and Golden Needle Vegetable, is both medicinal and edible. Datong, Shanxi has a history of planting Huanghua for over 600 years, and the rural areas under the jurisdiction of Yunzhou District are one of the main production areas of Huanghua.
"Big day lily industry! This industry is really promising. We must protect and develop this industry well, and let it serve as a good way for the people to get rich." On May 11, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech during an inspection of the organic yellow flower standardized planting base in Yunzhou District, Datong City, Shanxi Province, made the "yellow flower people" of "Huanghua Township" see a bright future like flowers.
In the Baigaoshan family, a relocated household in Fangcheng New Village, Xiping Town, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Communist Party is dedicated to working for the interests of the people. Now it does not accept withdrawals, taxes, fees, or grain, but sends medicine to the poor., Build houses, teach technology, and find ways to get rich. I believe that the better days of the villagers are yet to come.
Tangjiabao Village is the village with the longest history and largest area of large-scale cultivation of yellow flowers in Yunzhou District. The current arable land area in the village is 5290 acres, with a yellow flower planting area of 4200 acres. The village has 1047 people, and each person has 3 acres of yellow flower land. For the past three years, the village has been dominated by yellow flowers as its main industry. Relying solely on yellow flowers, the per capita income of farmers has exceeded the national average and is increasing at an annual growth rate of 15%. Last year, the collective operating income of the village increased from 55000 yuan three years ago to 555000 yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 316%. This year, with further investment in funds, technology, and facilities, there will be a greater leap in the income of farmers and village collectives, becoming an advanced demonstration village for the yellow flower industry in the city.
Fangcheng New Village is a relocation and resettlement village for poverty alleviation in Yunzhou District, formed by the merger of Dafangcheng and Xizui villages. Before 2016, Dafangcheng Village and Xizui Village were surrounded by deep ditches on three sides. Most of the villagers lived in earthen caves built in the 1950s, and their living conditions were very difficult. In 2018, Fangcheng New Village was completed, and 200 households of villagers moved into new houses with independent courtyards. Natural gas was used for bathing, cooking, and heating. In today's Fangcheng New Village, there is a complete range of facilities including a health room, a library, a party building room, a cultural activity room, and a skills training service station. Driven by the development of the yellow flower industry, the per capita income of villagers has increased from around 2800 yuan in 2016 to 13000 yuan in 2021.
In recent years, villages represented by Tangjiabao Village and Fangcheng New Village have taken industrial revitalization as an important starting point for rural revitalization, keeping in mind the ardent instructions of the General Secretary, vigorously developing the yellow flower industry, and promoting the scale and greening of the yellow flower industry. At the same time, the integrated development of the Huanghua primary, secondary and tertiary industries has been accelerated, and the "poverty cap" has been successfully removed. The rural industry has developed by leaps and bounds.
Draw a concentric circle for party building, forget worries, and create a treasure of wealth
A continuous and undulating volcanic group stands at the end of the yellow flower field that is out of sight, while the Sanggan River flows quietly.
Due to its location at the foot of the volcano, Tangjiabao Village has a soil rich in zinc and selenium, with a large temperature difference between day and night. The cultivated yellow flowers have excellent appearance and quality.
Although the economic value of yellow flowers is high, due to the short harvesting period and the departure of young and middle-aged labor from rural areas for work, the yellow flower industry has not formed a large-scale planting in the village. Farmers have always planted a few acres in front and behind their houses. With the promotion of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization strategies, local policy support has increased, and yellow flowers have been able to be planted on a large scale.
"At that time, the village unified the transfer of 1300 acres of land from farmers to establish cooperatives. Poor households received a subsidy of 1000 yuan per acre of land, while ordinary farmers received a subsidy of 500 yuan per acre. From 2017 to this year, there were subsidies ranging from a few hundred yuan to 1000 yuan per year. There was almost no yield in the first three years of yellow flower cultivation, and it was not until the fourth year that production began. Without subsidy support, it would be difficult for ordinary farmers and cooperatives to persist." The villagers said.
During the critical period of Huanghua's growth, sufficient water supply must be ensured. The grassroots party members and cadres of Tangjiabao Village have promoted the construction of a high standard farmland construction project, which has been invested by the government to convert the original dry land into irrigated land. Intelligent sprinkler equipment, large self-propelled sprinkler machines, and other water and electricity facilities are used to irrigate Huanghua. The government has also subsidized the installation of drip irrigation pipes, transforming Huanghua fields into precision drip irrigation and guaranteed yield fields. The Huanghua industry is flourishing, and the annual income of farmers is rising to a higher level every year. Even if Huanghua planting encounters natural disasters such as drought, hail, and insect infestations, farmers will still have Huanghua policy insurance to cover their profits.
After July, entering the picking season, yellow flowers must be picked every night, otherwise they cannot be sold when they bloom during the day. During the yellow flower picking season, facing the phenomenon of farmers facing difficulties in sales, price guarantee, production enterprise procurement, and quality guarantee, the Tangjiabao Village Party Branch organized party members and cadres to set up service procurement points in the field. By acquiring land, intermediate links are eliminated, ensuring the price of Huanghua's acquisition.
"At night, there was a lot of dew. I put on long clothes and pants, brought some dry food and water, and wore a light hat on my head. I went down to pick yellow flowers. I worked from midnight until 9am the next day, and when I got tired, I went to the ground to sit for a meeting. The next morning, I weighed and settled the yellow flowers picked that day, which cost 1.2 yuan per kilogram. A quick hand can earn two to three hundred yuan a day. Last year, during the 40 day picking season, I earned more than 8000 yuan!" said villager Lv Yonghong.
Injecting innovative vitality and empowering new industries with youth
Relying on the large-scale cultivation of yellow flowers, the local yellow flower industry has formed a dynamic industrial chain.
An Yiping, Director of the Datong Huanghua Industry Development Service Center, has a keen insight into the changes in the Huanghua industry in recent years. "In the past, Datong Huanghua sales were mainly in the wholesale market, and were sold out by August. Now, in addition to dried and air dried Huanghua, there are also fresh and freeze-dried Huanghua, as well as a variety of Huanghua products. The industrial chain has been extended, the value has increased, and more employment opportunities have been created."
Datong Sanli Agricultural Products Company has partnered with Tairui Group to build a Huanghua full industry chain that integrates acquisition, processing, research and development, logistics, electronic warehousing, and tourism. The Huanghua Industrial Park covers an area of 605.73 acres with a total investment of nearly 12 million yuan.
Tuofang Village, located near Fangcheng New Village, eight years ago utilized government investment to transform the original abandoned greenhouse into a yellow flower themed agricultural, cultural, and tourism integration project - Forget Worry Farm. The farm cooperates with local colleges and universities to set up a Huanghua Research Base to study scientific methods to increase production and improve quality of Huanghua and resist diseases and pests. At the same time, it develops the biotechnology industry of Huanghua, develops cosmetics and health care products with essence of Huanghua as the main component, and regularly carries out education, research, and parent-child leisure activities in the farm.
Cultivate yellow flower seedlings
More and more young people who are away are seeing hope for the development of industries in their hometowns and are returning to start businesses.
Duan Yaping, the person in charge of Forget Worry Farm, said, "The original intention of founding Forget Worry Farm is to return to our hometown to start a business, revitalize the countryside, integrate the development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, integrate agriculture, culture, and tourism, turn small yellow flowers into a big industry, and drive the income of surrounding farmers."
Pang Ershun, the head of the Huanghua workshop at Sanli Agricultural Products Company, is a post-95s. He fully utilizes his familiarity with network technology to sell locally produced Huanghua products on e-commerce platforms. At the same time, he has also signed purchase contracts with many farmers and large Huanghua growers to ensure that the Huanghua they plant can be sold smoothly.
The students visited the Huanghua Exhibition Hall under the guidance of the guide
Integration of agriculture and tourism, rich and beautiful countryside with wide roads
In April 2022, the People's Government of Yunzhou District, Datong City, made every effort to promote the "dual drive" of cultural and tourism industries, highlighting both short-term effects and long-term development, and striving to build the brand of "Worry free Countryside, Shanshui Yunzhou".
Relying on the profound cultural connotation of the "Mother Flower of China" in Huanghua, rural areas represented by Tangjiabao Village and Fangcheng New Village fully tap into the potential tourism resources of Huanghua. With the main line of Forget Worry Avenue, it connects high-quality tourist attractions along the line such as Forget Worry Farm, Volcano Sky Road, Peony Flower Sea, Sanggan River Wetland Park, etc., forming an integrated agricultural, cultural and tourism scenic area. Activities such as Huanghua sightseeing, agricultural picking experience, volcano sightseeing, low altitude tourism, education and research, leisure vacation, outdoor exploration, and ecological health are carried out.
During the peak tourist season, visitors come in a constant stream, strolling along the Forgetful Avenue, where endless yellow flowers waft fragrance, making it an excellent holy place for tourists to take photos and check in.
The members of the practice team followed the footsteps of General Secretary and witnessed the perfect transformation of the once declining village. Represented by Tangjiabao Village and Fangcheng New Village, rural areas have promoted the development of "small yellow flowers" into "big industries" for wealth, making the road to rural revitalization wider and wider. At the same time, this social practice activity is also an important action taken by the Marxist College to research the achievements of the Party's poverty alleviation campaign and deeply understand the rural revitalization strategy. For many years, the College has continuously promoted students to go deep into the grassroots and rural areas, deeply implement the Party's original intention and mission, truly internalize theoretical learning in the heart and practice in the outside, uphold the concept of knowing China and serving China, and polish the "Four Similarities" education brand.
