"Million Project" Research Tour | From "Poor Environmental Students" to Internet Celebrity Check ins - Visiting and Seeing Tourists in Pujiang Rural Area, Zhejiang | Internet Celebrities | Poor Students

Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, June 22 (Xinhua) - From "Poor Environmental Students" to Internet Celebrity Check ins - Visiting Pujiang Countryside in Zhejiang Province

Xinhua News Agency reporter Yin Xiaosheng

After the summer rain, the distant mountains are shrouded in mist, and a clear river flows around the village in front of me. The ancient houses in the village are grand, with the elderly enjoying their grandchildren and enjoying themselves. This is a popular check-in spot for tourists, located in Shanghe Village, Dafan Township, western mountainous area of Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province.

Chen Jian, the person in charge of Ginkgo Inn, is filming a short video in front of the famous fish scale dam in the village. In front of the camera, he introduces the scenery and cuisine of the village to netizens. "More than 20 years ago, this place was a different place," said Chen Jian.

Back then, Chen Jian was still a workshop owner of artificial crystals. Due to the production and processing of crystals by every household in the village, tons of milky white production wastewater are discharged directly into the ditch every day. He witnessed with his own eyes that the verdant Huyuan River at the village entrance had turned into a "milk river" and a "garbage river", with no grass growing in the area where sewage flowed. Sitting on a garbage dump counting money and lying in a hospital bed spending money has become a true portrayal of the abnormal development of Pujiang back then.

Local residents told reporters that after the launch of the "Thousand Village Demonstration and Ten Thousand Village Renovation" project in Zhejiang Province in June 2003, Pujiang County has taken an iron hand in water control and promoted industrial transformation, ushering in a turning point in the improvement of rural living environment. After 20 years of continuous treatment, the water quality of all 51 tributaries of the Pujiang River has reached Class III or above. The villagers not only saw the emerald waters and green mountains, but also boarded the fast train of common prosperity.

In summer, the fish scale dam in Shanghe Village, Dafan Township, Pujiang County attracts tourists from all over the country.

Nowadays, Shanghe Village has become a well-known internet celebrity check-in point. During the peak tourism season, an average of 20000 tourists come from all over the Yangtze River Delta to play in the water every day. The crystal workshop in the village has become a themed homestay and farmhouse restaurant. During holidays, there is a long queue of private cars entering and exiting the village, and it is difficult to find a single room in the village homestay.

Under the guidance of the "Ten Million Project", the crystal industry has also experienced a butterfly transformation and upgrading. In 2012, Pujiang County invested 2 billion yuan to establish four modern crystal industrial parks. Following the concept of "park aggregation, unified pollution control, and industrial upgrading", the "low scattered" workshops in the towns were eliminated and integrated, and moved into the parks in batches.

"Forming industrial clusters is conducive to large-scale production. As long as there are orders, the technical talents of the entire park can be used by me." Chen Guangguang, who is engaged in the production of optical glass lenses, was also a crystal processing workshop owner. After moving into the park in 2016, he explored improving quality and efficiency, and the company has achieved rapid growth over the years. Last year, the output value exceeded 25 million yuan.

Aerial photo of the Central Crystal Park in Pujiang County.

"Who could have imagined it? In the past, we were the 'worst environment county' complained about by downstream districts and counties, but now we have transformed into one of the first national demonstration counties for ecological civilization construction. Looking back at the past of the village, Zhu Yutang, former director of the Xinguang Village Committee in Yuzhai Township, Pujiang County, was deeply moved. The solid promotion of the 'Ten Million Project' not only improved the rural living environment, but also brought about improvements in infrastructure and equalization of public services, which is even more admirable.".

Zhu Yutang said that more than 20 years ago, the villagers in the western mountainous area of Pujiang only had a narrow and steep winding mountain road when going out. Due to the steep terrain and sharp curves of the mountain, it is not easy to get out of the mountain. The then provincial party committee leader visited and listened to public opinion, transforming the bumpy and dangerous road into a flat and broad road to prosperity.

With the convenient transportation conditions after the renovation of Provincial Road 210, Xinguang Village took the opportunity to introduce young makers with dreams and opened a maker base. By exploring the development model of "ancient villages+makers+agricultural tourism", Xinguang Village has stood out in the crowded track of rural tourism, and the rapidly growing tourist flow has become a source of wealth for the villagers.

The ancient building "Runde Hall" in Xinguang Village, Yuzhai Township, Pujiang County has now been developed into a cultural and creative gathering area.

In Xinguang Village, there is the largest surviving single pillar ancient building in Pujiang, the Runde Hall. It was a former crystal processing workshop, where sewage flowed horizontally, machines roared, and dust filled the sky. Nowadays, makers have turned this place into a cultural and creative gathering area with dozens of formats such as handmade jewelry, rural cafes, and folk bars. A portion of the annual income earned by the maker base is fed back to the village.

"The 'Ten Million Project' aims to restore this ancient village, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, to its original state. We not only need to explore and protect the traditional culture of the village, but also lead the villagers towards common prosperity." said Chen Qingsong, founder of the 'Twenty Nine Leagues' maker base in Xinguang Village and president of the Pujiang County Youth Entrepreneurs Association.