＂China’s rural construction keeps pace with the times and continues to make new achievements＂

　　Rural scenery of Sikou Town, Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province.
　　Photo by Edward

　　With the steady progress of China’s livable and suitable industries and the construction of beautiful rural areas, the people’s sense of gain, happiness and security continues to improve. Many foreigners who study, work and live in China have witnessed the positive results achieved by the high-quality development of China’s agriculture and rural areas.

　　"The pleasant life in the Chinese countryside is yearning for"

　　"Under the warm sunshine, children are running on the field paths, the elderly are leisurely basking in the sun, and the comfortable life in the Chinese countryside is yearning for people." Zeng Jiayi, secretary general of the Vietnam International Students Alumni Association of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, often watches videos about rural life in China on the short video platform. "Some show beautiful landscapes, and some teach me how to grow vegetables and cook, which is very interesting."

　　Zeng Jiayi studied in China in 2011. While studying abroad, she learned about vegetable planting technology in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, and participated in the Harvest Festival activities in Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province. "The celebration of the Harvest Festival left a deep impression on me. I not only experienced the colorful culture of the Yao people, but also felt the great achievements of China’s poverty reduction," she said.

　　When participating in social practice in Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Zeng Jiayi saw the local village team promoting rural infrastructure building, revitalizing "mountains and paddy fields" resources, taking industrial poverty alleviation as one of the main measures to increase the income of poor households, trying to increase the added value of agricultural products, opening up more sales channels for agricultural products, and effectively increasing the income of local villagers. "Today, from poverty reduction to comprehensive rural revitalization, China’s rural construction keeps pace with the times and continues to make new achievements," Zeng Jiayi said.

　　After graduating from university, Tsang has been working in brand marketing, often traveling between Vietnam and China. She has noticed that in recent years, Vietnam’s high-quality agricultural products have become more and more common in the Chinese market, and fruits produced in China have also been welcomed in the Vietnamese market. According to Chinese customs data, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and Vietnam was 78.93 billion yuan in the first 11 months of 2023. "Vietnam and China are both facing the task of modernizing agriculture and rural areas. Relying on the Vietnam-China Joint Committee on Agricultural Cooperation, China-ASEAN Agricultural Cooperation Forum and other institutional platforms, Vietnam-China agricultural cooperation is benefiting more people in both countries," said Tsang Jiayi.

　　"General increase in farmers’ awareness of the use of agricultural machinery and technology"

　　After graduating with PhDs from Chinese universities, Pakistani students Hyde and Naeem chose to stay in China and work at Qujing Teachers’ College in Yunnan Province. They both made honeybees their research direction.

　　The sky is blue, the white walls and green tiles of Shengguan Tun Village, Xiaoxiang Street, Qilin District, Qujing City are full of spring. In the afternoon, when bees are active, Hyde and Naim, accompanied by their Chinese partners, go along the narrow ridge to check on the beehives.

　　Over the years, Hyde and Naim have been both witnesses and participants in the comprehensive rejuvenation of rural China. Last year, Hyde’s team found a strawberry farmer in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming City, to conduct a bumblebee pollination experiment. In less than half a year, strawberry production increased by more than 14%, the number of deformed fruits fell sharply, and the taste was better.

　　"It looks like they are all bees, but there is a difference." Hyde opened the hive and said, "The Chinese bees are raised here, and they have a strong ability to collect honey, but there is a disadvantage in pollination. If you want to increase the yield of the surrounding crops, you can keep a few more boxes of bumblebees."

　　Mr. Naim added that the value of bumblebees was becoming increasingly apparent as more and more places developed facility agriculture. "Especially for greenhouses, bumblebees have more advantages than Chinese honeybees. Current research shows that the dense fluff on bumblebees improves pollination efficiency and has broad application prospects." The use of bumblebees also helps to "develop agriculture with quality and green agriculture" because bumblebees are very sensitive to pesticides. To use bumblebees for pollination, pesticides must be used scientifically.

　　In recent years, agricultural investment in Yunnan province has continued to grow, and the proportion of agricultural facilities has continued to increase. From vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants to berries such as strawberries and blueberries, more and more companies need bees to help pollinate. Hyde has traveled a lot because of research needs. "I have observed a general increase in farmers’ awareness of using agricultural machinery and technology," Hyde said.

　　Over the years, Shengguan Tun Village has built brick-and-concrete houses, the village’s hardened roads extend to every household, and people have opened cafes and started small businesses. Tourists flock to the village every holiday. Walking through Shengguan Tun Village, Hyde lamented that it is because of the huge investment of the Chinese government in agriculture and rural areas that his research can be carried out smoothly.

　　It is understood that Qujing Normal University and Pakistan’s National Agricultural Research Center have established a good cooperative relationship. "A lot of Chinese research results have been shared in Pakistan, and the two sides are still docking joint research projects recently," said Hyde. "Knowledge knows no borders, and Chinese research results are also promoting the development of Pakistan’s agriculture."

　　"Tourism and ecological protection bring tremendous changes to rural China"

　　The white wall is covered with a horse head wall, and the back corridor hangs a lattice window. While traveling in Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province, Edward, an Englishman, was attracted by the ancient village of Sixiyan, Sikou Town, which is very characteristic of traditional Chinese culture. "I have been interested in Chinese culture since I was a child. Wuyuan has a long history and profound cultural heritage. It has unique Huizhou architecture, and there is a simple and elegant atmosphere everywhere," Edward said.　　　　　　　　

　　The vigorous development of the homestay industry has injected fresh energy into Wuyuan’s tourism industry, and has also avoided the ancient buildings from being abandoned and damaged due to long-term vacancy, effectively protecting the traditional culture of Wuyuan. In 2015, in Sixi Yancun, Edward and his girlfriend Liao Minxin transformed a nearly abandoned Huizhou-style ancient house into a homestay that integrates Chinese and English styles, and named it "Tianjing Sand". In the spring of 2017, the restoration project of the ancient house was completed. Edward and Liao Minxin held a Chinese wedding with the traditional wedding customs of Wuyuan, witnessed by relatives, friends and local villagers at home and abroad. " Most of the guests of "Tianjing Sand" are foreigners. Edward warmly introduced the traditional culture of Wuyuan to each visitor, taking them to visit the local ancient villages, visit the traditional market, and experience intangible cultural relics such as banlong lanterns. "Tianjing Sand" has become a small window to spread the traditional Chinese rural culture to the world.

　　As the exchanges grew, a new idea sprang up in Edward’s mind. In Qiantan Village, not far from Sixi Yan Village, the clear river bypasses the village, the tea gardens on the shore are neat and green, and the grass is lush on the hillside not far away. Every time I pass here, Edward always has a feeling of returning to the British countryside. "I want to build an English-Chinese cultural exchange base here, and this idea is more and more strong in my heart." Edward said his idea has also been supported by the local government.

　　From site selection to design, Edward makes full use of the natural landscape pattern, cleverly combining the beauty of Chinese countryside with exotic holiday style. In April 2021, the British-style homestay "Victoria Manor" built by him and local craftsmen in Wuyuan officially opened. Sullivan and Mark from the United Kingdom opened an oil painting studio in the manor, and local farmers in Wuyuan opened an exhibition of traditional farming culture. Visitors can eat pizza here, as well as taste roast duck and Malatang.

　　Edward has witnessed the growth of Sikou Town from an ordinary Chinese township to a popular rural tourist resort. In recent years, Wuyuan County has deeply implemented the concept that green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains, and innovatively launched special measures such as recruiting ancient buildings "protectors", forest redemption (replacement) and tea price index insurance for the world. With the model of "company + scenic spot + farmer", it has added new vitality to the local economic development.

　　"The bumper harvest in the fields and the smiles of the local farmers made me deeply feel that tourism and ecological protection have brought great changes to the Chinese countryside." Edward said that the life he once dreamed of – baking bread in the tea garden in the spring, playing guitar on the river in the summer, picking in the fields in the autumn, and heating by the fireplace in the winter – has become a reality in the Chinese countryside. In his opinion, "ancient traditions and modern innovation are intertwined, which is why the Chinese countryside is full of vitality and constantly blooming charm."

　　People’s Daily (March 24, 2024)