In2003,despiteherunsupportiveparents,ZhongstillmarriedherboyfriendandmovedtoChixiVillage.Today,sheisdirectorofthelocalwomen’sfederationandapioneerindevelopinglocaltourism.“Thebiggestchangeformyfamilyisthatwemovedfromashabbywoodenhousetoabeautifulconcretevilla,withextraroomstoaccommodatevisitingtourists,”saidZhong,whosechanginglifeisashiningexampleofchangeacrossChixiVillage.
PovertyReliefinThreeDecades
Threedecadesago,Chixiwasanimpoverishedandremotevillage,withover280households,mainlypeopleoftheSheethnicgroup,residingin14isolatednaturalvillagesthathadneitherelectricity,runningwater,norroads.TouristsvisitanexhibitiononpovertyreductioninChixiVillage.PhotosbyYuJieOnJune24,1984,thePeople’sDailypublishedanarticledescribingthepovertyinthevillage.ItdrewattentionfromtheCPCCentralCommitteeandtheStateCouncil.Threemonthslater,theCPCCentralCommitteeissuedanannouncementaboutthelaunchofanationwidepovertyreductioncampaign.ChixiVillagewasoneofthefirstvillagestobeincludedinthecampaign;therefore,itwasdubbed“China’sfirstpovertyreductionvillage.”
“Atthattime,localresidentslivedinthatchedhouses,usedkerosenelamps,andhadverylimitedchoicesforfood.Insummary,welivedinextremepoverty,”saidDuJiazhu,thePartybranchsecretaryofChixi.HeexplainedthatChixiVillageshookoffpovertyinthreephasesoverthepastthreedecades.
“Thefirstphasewasfrom1984to1993,andIwouldcallitthe‘bloodtransfusion’phase.Afteroursituationwaspublishedinthenewspaper,wereceivedhelpinvariousformsfromgovernmentsatdifferentlevelsandpeoplearoundthecountry,suchasfruittreesandlivestock,includingrabbitsandlambs.Theywantedtohelpusdevelopalocaleconomy,”saidDu.However,duetothelackofplantingandbreedingtechniques,thelocalsfailedanddidn’tearnmoney.The“bloodtransfusion”turnedouttobeinvain.
Povertygivesrisetoadesireforchange.In1994,roadswerebuilttoconnectthecentralvillagetotheoutsideworld.Then22householdsthatlived7.5kilometersawayonmountainsmovedintothecentralareaatthebaseofthemountain.“Residentsin10othervillagesalsosuccessivelymovedintothecen-tralarea,”saidDu.WiththehelpandsupportofdifferentlevelsofPartycommitteesandgovernments,theShepeoplethathadlivedinremotemountainousareasforgenerationsfinallyhadhopeofshakingoffpoverty.“By1995,over350householdsmovedfromthatchedhousesonmountainstobrickhousesatthebase,”saidDu.Withthesupportofthelocalgovernment,abatchoftouristprojectsandeco-agriculturalprogramswerecarriedout,allowingpeopletostarttheirownbusinessesintheirhometown.“Localvillagersgrowteaandfruittrees,andopenrestaurantsorprovideBed&Breakfast(B&B)services,receivingover150,000touristsperyear.”Dusaiditwaspreviouslyunimaginableforlocalstomakemoneyjustwiththeirhouses.
Thethirdphasefrom2007to2017isabout“generatingblood”byitself,whichmeansreducingpovertylargelydependsonself-relianceandstronginternalmotivation.“Alongsidethedevelopmentofruraltourism,weestablishedaprofessionaltouristcompanyin2016,planningandimplementingsixprojectssuchasatouristcenterandavalleyresortinXiashanxiVillage,whileatthesametimeimprovingtourisminfrastructure,”saidDu.Thefastdevelopmentofruraltourismsubstantiallyboostedlocals’income.LocalfamilieslikeZhong’sstartedtodevelopruraltourismbusinesses,reapingbothintangibleprofitsandasenseofachievement.
“Through10yearsofdevelopment,wehavedevelopedvarioustourismofferingssuchasrafting,pickingfruitsandvegetables,climbingmountains,andotherrecreationaloutdooractivities,byutilizingthevillage’snaturaladvantagesofbeautifulriversandvalleys,aswellasoldtraditionalhouses,”saidDu.ChixiVillagesawtremendouschangesoverthepastdecade.In2016,thevillagesawaninflowofmorethan200,000tourists,withasingle-daynumberreaching10,000atmost.ThetouristindustryhasbroughtanaverageincomeofRMB60,000foreachfamilyperyear.
“Thelocalpeoplearegratefulforthehelpandsupporttheyhavereceivedfromgovernmentandpeoplearoundthecountry.Theyerectedastonetabletonwhichtheyinscribed‘China’sfirstpovertyreductionvillage’toletfuturegenerationsbearinmindwheretheirimprovedlivescamefrom,”saidDu.
OnthemorningofFebruary19,2016,XiJinping,generalsecretaryoftheCPCCentralCommittee,chattedwithlocalvillagersandgovernmentofficialsinChixiVillageofNingdeCityonlineinastudioofPeople’sDailyOnline.WhenXiwasthePartychiefofNingdeCity,hepaidgreatattentiontopovertyreliefofChixi.PresidentXispokehighlyoftheachievementsthatlocalshavemadeinpovertyreductionandhopedforabetterlifeforthem.
Throughtrialanderroroverthepastthreedecades,ChixiVillagehasblazedatrailinseekingabalanceddevelopmentoftourism,agriculture,culture,andenvironmentalprotection,withthepercapitadisposableincomeincreasingfromRMB166in1984toRMB16,640in2017.ThelocalgovernmenthadadebtofoverRMB100,000in1984,butachievedfiscalrevenuesofaboutRMB800,000in2017.
ExpandingGrowthandOpportunities
CrownedasamodeltourismvillageinChina,ChixiVillagehasneversloweddownitspaceindevelopment.Inrecentyears,withtheimprovementininfrastructuresuchasroadsandotherfacilities,Chixihasattractedmoreandmoretouristsfromaroundthecountry.ZhouXueqin,alocalvillager,isrunningaruraltourismbusinessatherhouse.SheadmittedthatshehaswitnessedfirsthandthechangesofChixi.
“Intheverybeginning,IhadonlypreparedtwotothreeroomsforB&Bservices.Weoccasionallyreceivedtourists,butwestillneededtodofarmworkwhentherewerenoguests,”Zhouexplainedabouttheinitialdevelopmentofruraltourisminthevillageover10yearsago.Atthattime,notmucheffortwasmadetopromotethevillageorimprovethelocalinfrastructure;thevillagewasunknowntomosttourists.Alongsideincreasinginvestmentmadebythegovernments,thedevelopmentofruraltourismhasenteredthefastlane.“Nowmanylocalsrunbusinessestoreceivetourists,providingrestaurants,guesthouses,andrecreationalactivities,”saidZhou.Thechangethatimpressedhermostisthatmanyyoungpeoplewhowenttobigcitiestoworkarecomingback,astheyseenewdevelopmentopportunitiesintheirhometown.
DuYingfromChixiVillagechosetogiveupthejobinthecityandreturntohishometownaftergraduatingfromGuangxiUniversity.“Fiveyearsago,Ihadopportunitiestofindajobinacity,butIstillcamebackasIsawgreatpotentialinmyhometown.Ibelievedtheruralrevitalizationstrategyproposedbythegovernmentwouldbringaboutmoreopportunities,”saidDu.HelaunchedateaprocessingbusinessbyraisingnearlyRMB1million.Hedealtwithteaprocessinginthedaytime,andordersviatheInternetintheevening,andhiscompanyhasgrownintooneofthemajorplayersinboostingthelocaleconomy.
“Myhometownboastsrichtearesources,butwedidn’thaveateaprocessingfactory.IwasthinkingaboutestablishingonemyselfandIdidit.Inrecentyears,Ialsoinvitedsomeofmyfriendswhorecentlygraduatedorwhohaveworkedforaperiodoftimeandgainedcertainexperiencetojoinmybusiness,”saidDu,whoworkstogetherwithhispartnersdrawingablueprintforthefuturedevelopmentofChixi.
Today,ChixiVillageintegratestourismwithecology.Thevillageestablishedacompanytodeveloplocallandresourceswithanoverallplanandimplementationmethods,invitingbusinessesandinvestments,whileequalattentionhasbeenpaidtoenvironmentalprotection.Abalancehasbeenachievedbetweenboostingtheincomesoflocalsandbuildingitselfintoabeautifulruralvillage.
PresidentXiemphasizedmanytimeswhenheworkedinNingdethatthoughoneispoor,onestillneedstohavehighaspirations.Povertyalleviationrequiresachangeofattitudeandthesupportofeducation.“Theforemostistouprootour‘povertymentality.’Theweakhatchlingbirdcanstillbethefirsttotakeflightandthepoorestcanalsoshakeoffpovertyandbecomerichfirst.Themostimportantisthatwehavethisbeliefandmotivation,”saidXi.
Forthepastfewyears,thelocalgovernmentinNingdehasinsistedonhelpinglocalgovernmentofficialsandpeoplechangetheirattitudefromidlingaroundandwaitingforhelpandsupporttoseekinggrowthforasustainabledevelopmentbythemselves.
ChixiVillageservesasaparadigmforthesuccessofhowtheoncepoverty-strickenvillagegotitselfoutofpovertyandembarkedondevelopmentbytranslatingitsownadvantagesintoprofits.C