YuandworkersinYanbodistilleryOnenteringthemountainousvillageofYanboinsouthwestChina鈥檚GuizhouProvince,thefirstthingnoticeableistheflatroadsandrowsofnewhouseswithcarsparkedinfrontofthem.Againstthehillsidebehindthehousesareseveralbustlingvillage-runenterprises,includingadistilleryandpoultryfarms.
Thescenewouldhavebeenunimaginable17yearsago,whenthevillage,hometomorethan300householdsoftheYiethnicminority,hadnoroads,electricityandeventapwater.Villagerslivedinshabbyhousesbuiltwithearthorbasichuts.Thevillagewasindebtandtheannualper-capitaincomeofvillagerswaslessthan800yuan($123).
However,bytheendof2017,thevillage鈥檚collectiveassetsreached76millionyuan($11.69million),withacollectivedisposableincomeof6.1millionyuan($938,000),andannualper-capitaincomereaching18,600yuan($2,861).Inthistime,Yanbohasgainedfamenationwideasawealthy,advancedandharmoniousmodelvillage.Allthesechangeswouldn鈥檛havebeenpossiblewithoutYuLiufen,49,SecretaryoftheYanboVillageBranchoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),andamemberofthe13thNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople鈥檚PoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC).
Adversityleadstochange
鈥淵anbowassopooratthattime,鈥漎usaid,recallingthefirsttimeshearrivedatthevillagein1989.In2001,Yu,whowasinher30swhenshebecamethefirstfemalesecretaryoftheCPCYanboVillageBranch,vowedtoleadherfellowvillagerstoprosperity.Thefirstthingshedecidedtodoaftertakingofficewastobuildaroadleadingtotheoutsideworld.Asthevillagecofferwasempty,Yuused40,000yuan($6,154)ofherownmoneyforallthematerialsneededtobuildtheroad.
FollowingYu鈥檚selflessexample,thevillagersallworkedtogethertomaketheroadareality,andafterthreemonths,itstretchedatotaldistanceof28.5km.Thisenabledthevillagetobringingoodsfromoutsideand,intheprocess,gavetheresidentsmuchhopeforabetterfuture.OneyearafterYutookoffice,thevillageroad,electricityandwaterproblemswereallsolved.
Collectivesuccess
Tohelpvillagersshakeoffpoverty,Yuturnedhereyestothevillage鈥檚99-hectareforestfarm.It鈥檚managementwaspreviouslycontractedbyanindividualfarmer.However,duetopoormanagement,thefarmwasrunatalossandthecontractorwasconsideringtotransferringitsmanagementrightin2002.Yumadeaquickdecisiontobuyitbackasitwouldmeananincreaseinthevillage鈥檚collectiveassets,whileaddingtoitssourcesofincome.
Meanwhile,however,italsomeantthevillagehadtopay230,000yuan($36,335)forit,afigureunaffordabletothevillageatthattime.ButYudidn鈥檛wanttomisstheopportunity,soshewentdoortodoortopersuadevillagerstocontributetheirpart.Sheherselfagaintookout40,000yuanofherownsavings.Togetherwith110,000yuan($16,923)raisedfromvillagersand80,000yuan($12,307)ofbankloansheborrowedinhername,thevillagegotbackthemanagementrightoftheforestfarm.Theensuingoneyearofmorescientificandprofessionalmanagementofthefarmledtoinitialprogress.Thevillagenotonlypaidoffthebankloan,butalsoearnedextra160,000yuan($24,615).Withtheearnings,Yuandthevillagersstartedupvillagebusinesses,suchasvegetablegreenhouses,cattleranchesandpoultryfarms.
Leadingindustry
Yuwasnotsatisfiedwithjustliftingvillagersoutofpoverty,butwantedtoseethembecomewealthy.In2004,shesethersightsonavillagedistillery,producingYiethnicspecialtyspirits.Withitsuniqueflavor,theliquorgainedrapidpopularity,enablinglarge-scaleproductionofalocalliquorbrand,knownasYanbo.
In2012,thecompanyexpandedintoajoint-stockbusinesswithanannualoutputof5,000tons.Over100familiesinthevillageholdover55percentofitsshares.YanboDistilleryhascreatedmorethan400jobsforthevillage,anditsprofitsaresharedbyvillagers.
AsforthefuturedevelopmentofYanboVillage,Yuhopestomovesteadilyforward.鈥淭heroadaheadislonganddifficult,butIamfullofhope,鈥漵headded.
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