Living a Good Day in the Village by the Cliff | By the Well | Never Forget the Water | Good Day
Starting south from Lanzhou, Gansu, it takes about an hour to reach Dongxiang Autonomous County in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. This is located at the transitional intersection of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau, with over 1700 ridges and over 3000 gullies distributed, known as the "ribs of the earth" and the "gathering place of mountains.". Bulenggou Village, as its name suggests, is located in the heart of this mountain fold and deep valley.
"The village of Bolenggou is ahead!" Looking up, layers of grooves seemed like solidified waves. Large areas of flat land have been carved out of the mountain valley, with rows of beautiful residential buildings neatly arranged. The flat cement road leads from the mountain ridge to the village head, like a silver jade belt. Entering the village house, exquisite brick carvings depicting landscapes and flowers adorn every corner, exuding a rustic charm. In front of the village history museum, which was transformed from the old houses of the villagers, a group of tourists came in droves, creating a lively atmosphere.
The picture shows the panoramic view of Bulenggou Village. Provided by the Propaganda Department of Dongxiang County Committee
The scene before us is hard to imagine. The former village of Bolenggou was an extremely poor place where the sparrow died of thirst and the snake died. The average annual precipitation here is only 290 millimeters, but the evaporation is nearly 1500 millimeters. The villagers mainly rely on water cellars to store rainwater, or drive donkeys back and forth 30 kilometers to fetch water from the Tao River to drink. At that time, water was more expensive than oil. Relatives and friends could borrow money to borrow food, but they wouldn't lend water. If there were guests at home, they would rather give a steamed bun than a bowl of water. The harsh natural environment made it extremely difficult for the villagers to live, suffering from the "six difficulties" of difficulty in drinking water, traveling, housing, going to school, seeking medical treatment, and increasing income.
The great change began 10 years ago.Upon understanding the situation in the village, the General Secretary emphasized that "the Party and government attach great importance to poverty alleviation and development work, especially the development of ethnic minorities and ethnic areas, and will definitely provide more support and assistance to the villagers." He urged "to bring water, repair roads, and build a good new countryside." He also encouraged the villagers to carry forward the spirit of self-improvement and self-reliance, find the right path to development, work hard, and change the face of poverty as soon as possible.
"The road is potholed, and the floating soil does not reach the feet. The general secretary walked all the way, and his shoes and trouser legs were covered with dust, but he didn't care at all." Ma maizhi, a villager, said that the scene at that time was still full of warmth and emotion. "the general secretary opened the noodle cabinet in my house, went into the kitchen, looked at the sheepfold, and sat on the adobe bed bed, holding my hand and chatting about the daily life. He told me to let my children study hard, raise more sheep, and have the confidence to get rid of poverty and become rich."
In the past, Bolenggou Village was characterized by deep mountains, extreme drought, and extremely harsh conditions. Provided by the Bulenggou Village History Museum
Kind care and earnest instructions, like the spring breeze sending hope to Bolenggou Village, also rooted the confidence and strength in the people's hearts to pursue a better new life. Over the past 10 years, with the strong support of the Party Central Committee, Party committees, and governments at all levels, the vast number of cadres and masses have been grateful and tirelessly working hard. The appearance of Bulenggou Village has undergone earth shaking changes, and this small village known as the "cliff edge" has now become the "Happiness Village".
Water has drawn in. A 15 kilometer long pipeline has been built from Dongxiang County to Bolenggou Village, along with 7 reservoirs. Clear tap water flows into the village courtyard and also into the hearts of the villagers. Every household's new home has a white ceramic tile faced stone tablet standing by the water well, with two rows of bright red characters on it: "Never forget the General Secretary when drinking water, always be grateful to the Communist Party", which is particularly eye-catching.
The road has been repaired. The more than 20 kilometer long cement hardened road not only leads to the doorstep of the villagers in Bolenggou, but also solves the transportation difficulties of 6 townships, more than 20 villages, and more than 20000 people in the entire Bolenggou watershed. The winding mountain road is no longer dusty. The folding red second-class highway passes through the village, becoming an express way for villagers to go to Lanzhou City, Linxia City and Dongxiang County, and also making everyone run faster on the road to becoming rich.
The construction of the new countryside has been completed. A flat area was once pushed out on the loess slope, and 56 villagers moved from dilapidated adobe houses to spacious and bright new homes. Public facilities such as village activity centers, convenience supermarkets, cultural rooms, and health clinics are scattered around residential buildings like stars and moons. The newly built primary school is the most beautiful building in the village. Under the fluttering five-star red flag, in the spacious two-story teaching building, the sound of reading can be heard, and it also conveys the vitality of the village rushing forward.
Every household in Bulenggou Village has erected a stone tablet next to the water well in their new homes, which reads "Never forget General Secretary, always grateful to the Communist Party for drinking water.". Provided by the Bulenggou Village History Museum
The changes in Bulenggou Village are not only related to the hardware facilities in the village, but also to the spirit and enthusiasm of the villagers.
"Many villagers have returned to start their own businesses." Ma Dawu De, who was originally working outside, saw the changes in his hometown and decided to return to the village for development. With the help of the government, he established a professional farmer cooperative for corrugated ditch farming, driving villagers to develop large-scale farming. In the breeding shed, thousands of lake sheep, small tailed Han sheep, Du Bo sheep, and fine wool sheep are crowded and crowded, making it very lively. Ma Da Wude proudly introduced, "Our 'Bolenggou Dongxiang Handmade Lamb' is now exported to various parts of the country. Villagers who invest in it can receive annual dividends of 3000 to 5000 yuan per household, and they can also earn wages by working in breeding farms."
In 2018, the "Women's Workshop" was completed, mainly producing Dongxiang ethnic characteristic delicacies such as oil dumplings. She was the first to sign up and even worked with the women in the village. Nowadays, Ma Maire, who excels in making various Dongxiang ethnic delicacies, has become the head chef of the village's farmhouse, earning four to five thousand yuan per month.
At present, the honeysuckle in Bulenggou Village is blooming perfectly, with its branches and vines spreading out and a pleasant fragrance. "Honeysuckle is the gold and silver flower that we have become rich!" The villagers who are picking on the slopes happily introduced, "One acre of land can pick at least 100 kilograms, and if calculated at an average of 10 yuan per kilogram, each acre of honeysuckle can earn more than 1000 yuan." Since 2013, Bulenggou Village has combined ecological environment restoration with promoting agriculture and income, and has afforestation more than 6700 acres. At the same time, it has developed economic forests mainly consisting of walnuts, apricots, Sichuan peppercorns, goji berries, etc., and promoted the planting of 800 acres of honeysuckle. Not only has the barren mountains been covered with green clothes, but it has also planted a "green bank" for villagers to become rich.
The picture shows Bulenggou Elementary School. Provided by the Propaganda Department of Dongxiang County Committee
"General Secretary Xi Jinping's entrustment has long since become a reality. Now there are six farming cooperatives, six vegetable greenhouses, three farmhouses, and photovoltaic power generation projects to help the masses increase their income, the village is on the fast track of development, and the per capita disposable income of villagers has increased from 1624 yuan in 2012 to 9218 yuan in 2022." Shan Binjie, head of the working group of Bulenggou Village, said that the village is vigorously developing cultural and tourism projects, relying on the village history museum to build a red education and research base, making use of Dongxiang people's characteristic folk customs to create tourism and cultural industries such as folk custom display, farm leisure and courtyard commerce, and striving to turn Bulenggou Village into a window for displaying rural revitalization and folk culture to the outside world.
"The phoenix spreads its wings and flies high, magpies chirp incessantly, and the happy flowers sing endlessly..." The villagers use "flowers" to sing about their current happy life, and also yearn for a better future in Bulenggou Village.
