Manyyearslater,GeneralSecretaryXistillrememberstheteathatwasofferedbythevillagers.ArefreshingcupofteatorelievesummerheatbecamethelingeringtasteofXiadangVillageinhismemory.OnJuly19,1989,XiJinping,thenSecretaryoftheCPCNingdePrefecturalCommittee,tookafive-hourcardriveandwalkedfourandahalfhourstoXiadangtoconductafieldinvestigation.PhotocourtesyofXiadangVillageLocatedinthenorthwestofShouningCountyofNingde,XiadangVillageis43kilometersfromthecountyseat.Thereare1,341villagersin309householdsinthevillage,whichusedtobetheareaforanoldrevolutionarybase.Before2014,thepercapitaannualincomeofthevillagerswasonlyRMB4,200,andthevillage’sfiscalrevenuewaszero.
Inrecentyears,villagerskeptinmindXi’sardentassertionthat“Thedevelopmentofthevillagedependsondoingpracticalworkratherthanmakingemptytalk.”Now,thevillagehasdevelopedateaindustryinaccordancewithlocalconditions,exploringanewmodelbyestablishing“customizedteagardens”forpovertyalleviation.
“TheVillageICanNeverForgetinMyLife”
“Withanearnestdesiretofosterchange,GeneralSecretaryXivisitedthepoorinthevillagethreetimeswhenheworkedinFujian.Everytimehearrived,hegavegreatencouragementtolocalgovernmentofficialsandthepeople.”LiuMinghua,formerdeputysecretaryoftheCPCXiadangTownshipCommittee,clearlyrememberedthedetailsofXi’sthreevisits.
OnJuly19,1989,XicametoXiadangforthefirsttime.Atthattime,therewasnohighway.Hetrampedoverhillsanddales,workedonthespot,visitedandofferedconsolationtopeopleinchallengingcircumstances.
OnJuly26,1989,onlysevendayslater,Xicametothevillageagain.Atthattime,thevillagehadjustfloodedduetoheavyrainfall.Hewalkedthreekilometersinspiteoftherainandwentdeepintothedisaster-hitareatopersonallycheckthesituation,anddeployedthereconstructionworkafterthedisaster.Hetoldeveryonetobestrong,andhisencouragementwarmedtheheartsoflocalpeople.
OnAugust7,1996,sevenyearslater,Xi,thendeputysecretaryoftheFujianProvincialPartyCommittee,cametoXiadangforthethirdtimeaccompaniedbythedepartmentheadsofprovincialtransportation,finance,civilaffairs,andpovertyalleviation.“Ifthepovertyproblemcan’tbesolved,IfeelashamedtomeetthefellowcountrymeninXiadang!”ThepowerfulwordsmadelocalsfeelXi’ssenseofresponsibilityanddeepconcernforthepeople.
“Nowmorethan20yearshavepassed,servingasthetopleaderofthePartyandthecountry,XistillcaresaboutXiadangandrememberslocalpeople.Herepeatedlyrecalledthat‘difficultandunforgettable’pastondifferentimportantoccasions,”LiuMinghuasaidthatthegeneralsecretaryandXiadanghaveaninextricableconnection.
“XiadangisaplacethatIhaveneverforgotten,”Xispokeofthevillageengravedinhismemory.LocalgovernmentofficialsandpeoplerememberedXi’shelp,concern,andencouragementaswell.
InnovatingtheTeaPlantingModeltoReducePoverty
Formanyyears,growingtea,pickingtea-leaves,andsellingteahavebeenthemainsourceofincomeforlocals.However,itisdifficulttocreatetheirbrandsbyscatteredbusinessmodels.Theincomeofthelocalpeopleremainedlow.TheteaindustryinXiadangVillagedidnotboom.WangMingzu,secretaryofthevillagePartybranch,felthugepressure.
In2014,thedevelopmentofteaindustryusheredinanewturningpoint.“WiththeassistanceoftheOrganizationDepartmentoftheProvincialPartyCommitteeandthesupportoftheFujianBroadcast&TVNetworkGroup,andwiththehelpofthegovernmentsatcityandcountylevels,China’sfirstpoverty-reductionorientedteagardenwaslaunchedinXiadangVillage.Thescatteredindividualteagrowerswereintegratedandorganizedtoplantteasona40-hectareplantation.Localcompaniesandentrepreneursareencouragedtosignfive-yearsubscriptionagreementswiththeteagardenforRMB20,000permu(15mu=1hectare).WiththehelpofdigitalconnectivityprovidedbytheInternet,theyestablishedatraceabilitysystemforproductsrangingfromteaingardenstoteaincupsandpromotedthesimilarmodelingrowinggrapesandnaveloranges,aswellasotheragriculturalproducts.Priortothis,thisdevelopmentmodelwasunattainabletoWangMingzuandlocalvillagers.Aclerkatalocalexperiencestoreintroducingproductsusingmodernmultimediaequipment.UncreditedphotosbyYuJieInAugust2014,thevillageestablishedMengzhixiangAgriculturalComprehensiveDevelopmentCo.,Ltd.andMengzhiyuanTourismDevelopmentCo.,Ltd.successively.MengzhixiangisengagedintheteabusinessandMengzhiyuanfocusesonruraltourism.Mengzhixiangadoptsajoint-stockstructure.Tobespecific,thevillageholds20percentoftheshares,themanagersandoperatorshave60percentoftheshares,andthevillagerstakeup20percentoftheshares.InSeptember2014,Mengzhixiangregisteredabrandtodeclareandprotectthetrademarksuchas“Xiadang.”InOctober2015,therelevanttrademarkappliedforwasauthorizedbytheTrademarkOfficeoftheStateAdministrationforIndustryandCommerce.
Forthesustainabledevelopmentoftheindustry,thevillageadoptsaframeworkofseparatingproductionandsales.RongdangTeaPlantingCooperativewasestablished,whichisprofessionalingrowingteas,andimpoverishedfamilieswereinvitedtobecomeshareholders.Inaddition,professionalsalesteamsfromQuanzhouandShenzhenwereintroducedtojointhecooperative,inchargeofbrandoperationandproductsales.ThevillagePartycommitteesupervisedthecooperative’soperation,andcollectedamanagementfeeofRMB3perhalfkilogramofteaasthevillage’sincome.
Throughthedevelopmentofthepoverty-reductionorientedteagardens,thepricefortea-leavesincreasedfromtheoriginalaveragepriceofRMB2.4forhalfkilogramtothecurrentaveragepriceofaroundRMB10,andfarmersintheteagardenhavereceivedanincomeofRMB90,000perhectarefromtheoriginalRMB36,000.ThevillagesawincreasedfiscalrevenuebymorethanRMB80,000fromteaprocessing,packaging,andmanagementfees.
Theprojectbuildsanewmodelfeaturingtargetedmeasuresforpovertyalleviation.BylinkingtheInternet,theInternetofThings,traditionalagriculture,andthecooperative,thenewmodelhelpstransformtheresourcesinmountainousareasintoprofitableproducts.
“Duringhisvisittoourvillage,XiemphasizedthatpeopleinXiadangshouldupdateconcepts,comeupwithnewideasandputthemintoactions,”saidWangMingzu.Theprojectisinaccordancewiththegeneralsecretary’srequestforXiadang.Since2017,thevillagehassoldmorethanRMB6millionofecologicalagriculturalproductsandthevillagefiscalrevenuehasincreasedbymorethanRMB200,000.ThepercapitadisposableincomeofvillagershasincreasedtoRMB12,550andthevillagefiscalrevenuehasreachedRMB233,000,allowing31impoverishedfamiliestoescapetheclutchesofpoverty.C