Nowadays, the “red” gene has been transformed into the drive for green development. The compound industrial system of “red agriculture, rural areas and rural residents + cultural tourism” has become a new growth point for rural revitalization of old revolutionary base areas on Hunan-Jiangxi border.
In Shatian Town of Guidong County where the “First Military Regulations” was issued, a young female entrepreneur Li Yongfeng planted roughhaired hollies in the transferred barren mountains covering an area of over 2,000 mu (about 133.33 hectares).
“One mu (around 0.07 hectares) of field can yield profits reaching about 15,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan, and our company plans to grow 2,000 mu (about 133.33 hectares) to 4,000 mu (about 266.67 hectares) of roughhaired hollies each year.”
Tourism and agriculture can promote each other. Guidong County regards traditional Chinese medicinal herbs as its leading industry of “one county, one specialty” and strengthens the integrated development of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
It is advancing pluralistic development models such as “traditional Chinese medicine + tourism”,“traditional Chinese medicine + medical care” and “traditional Chinese medicine + exhibition” to accelerate the formation of an industrial system with multi-point support and multi-industry integration.
Shazhou Village in Rucheng County, Chenzhou City has been honored with “the Landlord Village of the Red Army” for the story of “Half A Quilt”.
In the past, young people in the village rushed to economically developed areas. The statistics show that the targeted poverty alleviation has lifted 93 people in 30 households out of poverty among the total 529 people of 142 households in the village.
In recent years, Shazhou Village has redoubled efforts in infrastructure construction and successively completed the construction of cultural tourism scenic spots, including the site of “Half A Quilt” story, Shazhou Folk Cultural Square, the Red Army Square and Shazhou Pastoral Complex.
On this basis, it has also relied on red resources to launch characteristic cultural tourism services like “re-walking the Long March Road” and special Party lectures. The quaternity model of “red tourism + fruit industry + e-commerce + beautiful countryside” has begun to take shape.
Zhang Youfa, head of the Little Yellow Ginger demonstration base, planted 30 mu (2 hectares) of little yellow ginger with the “cooperative + farmer” model and led 11 households to grow 9.8 mu (around 0.65 hectares) of little yellow ginger with funds and land shares, increasing the income of each household by 8,000 yuan per year.
He also led farmers to plant 350 mu (about 23.33 hectares) of fruits like Nai-plum, honey peach and crystal pear, increasing their income by more than 400,000 yuan.
Zhu Xiaoying, a girl of the post-90s generation from Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, married into Shazhou Village in 2014 but returned her hometown due to the inadaptation to Shazhou Village.
With the booming development of tourism in Shazhou Village, she came back to open three stores, including a specialty store and a souvenir shop.
In 2020, she opened the first milk tea shop in this village. Considering the thriving business in these four shops, she even asked her families to come here and help her.
“The future of Shazhou Village is promising, and I decide to settle myself down,” Zhu Xiaoying said.