The southern China areas usually see abundant rainfall in summer, so Chushui river winding through Shazhou Yao Ethnic Village is now rushing forward merrily instead of flowing down gently. A constant stream of tourists arrive at the village to visit the red tourist sites, where the touching revolutionary stories can be learned through half a quilt, a loan note and a plaque.

On June 1, Zhu Rui, a fourth-grade student from Diyipian Primary School in Wenming Yao Township, told the “half quilt” story to tourists. “I told General President Xi Jinping the red story ‘Monument’ before, and he praised me and encouraged me to pass on the revolutionary spirits, so I became a narrator, hoping to let more people get to know Shazhou Village and Rucheng County.”

“After President Xi Jinping visited Shazhou Village during an inspection tour of Hunan province last year, our village became an internet-famous place, and has received more than 1.2 million visits,” said Zhu Xiangqun, who is Party branch secretary and village committee director of Shazhou. Thanks to the development of revolution-themed tourism, the locals increased their income. Now, there are 135 stalls, 11 restaurants, 7 homestays, and 30 specialty stores in the scenic area, and nearly 100 new jobs are created.

Today, Shazhou village has become a national 4A revolutionary attraction, China’s beautiful leisure village, national key rural tourism village, China’s famous historical and cultural village, as well as a national well-known patriotism education base and original aspiration education base.

Rucheng County boasts many revolutionary stories, including the well-known “half quilt” story and “a loan note” story. The older generation of proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, and Deng Xiaoping have left their footprints on this land.

“We are planning a big cultural tourism development pattern with red tourism as the core based on the opportunity that Shazhou Scenic Spot has been approved as a red cultural tourism characteristic industrial park in Hunan Province,” said Huang Fei, general manager of Rucheng County Investment & Development Group. The county is working to build Shazhou village in Wenming Yao Township and Qingshi village in Yanshou Township into a national well-known education base for patriotism, revolutionary traditions and clean government culture, and create a national classic scenic spot of red tourism and a national 5A scenic spot.

Rucheng County is also developing red scenic spots such as the Rucheng Conference Sites of the Southern Hunan Uprising, the red area of Jiyi Township and Reshui Town. It is also pushing to build 8 characteristic tourist towns with red stories and red culture, such as Wenming, Yanshou, Luyang, Maqiao and Nandong towns.

The county’s red tourism has been gaining momentum. Last year, the county’s revolutionary attractions received more than 4 million tourists. In addition, with advantageous natural resources, the county has been vigorously developing its green industry, with fruits and vegetables thriving in the fields throughout the year.

The 45-year-old Zhu Zhonghui is a native of Xiushui village, Wenming Yao township. At the end of 2017, he returned to his hometown and invested more than 1.3 million yuan in Shazhou village to plant 70 mu (4.67 hectares) of naili (a kind of plum). “This year is the first productive period, so these fruits must be taken good care of.” Zhu Zhonghui said that it’s time for bagging the plums; though he employed more than 20 villagers, labor is still in short supply.

Zhu Zhonghui also plants 30 mu (2 hectares) of loquat and chick peach. The orchard produced more than 30,000 kg of plums and 13,000 kg of other fruits last year, with a total income of 400,000 yuan. Zhu said that this year, the revenue is expected to reach 500,000 yuan. Now, Shazhou Village has fruit orchards over 1,200 mu (about 198 acres). All 142 households in the village have their own orchards, with an average annual income of more than 8,000 yuan per mu (about 0.16 acre).

He Haiying, director of Rucheng County Bureau of Agriculture & Rural Areas, said that the county is an advantageous area of characteristic agricultural products and a vegetable supply base for Hong Kong.

This year, the planting area of pepper, ginger and other major products in the county has increased by more than one third, and the per capita net income of farmers can increase to 11,750 yuan.

“The county promotes the cultivation of super-quality fruits and vegetables, expands and strengthens the green industry, and drives the farmers to increase their income steadily.” He Haiying said that the county has successively issued multiple policies in such aspects as land use, talents and funds, integrated the agricultural industries in 6 towns and villages including Quanshui, Jingpo, Daping, Maqiao and Nuanshui towns, as well as Wenming Yao Village, to build a national modern agricultural industrial park.

Now, it’s time for crops to grow rapidly. Chilies, gingers, fruits, Chinese medicinal herbs and others are growing vigorously all over the county. In a modern agricultural industrial park under construction in the county, a total of 260 enterprises and agricultural operators are engaged in production, processing and sales of vegetables, including 25 enterprises above a designated size. A processing system from primary processing, intensive processing and utilization of by-products has initially taken shape.

Last year, the total output value of the park was 5.629 billion yuan, including 4.137 billion yuan for pop peppers, yellow gingers and other leading industries, and the per capita net income of farmers in the park was 15,687 yuan. It provided more than 600,000 jobs for people and increased the per capita annual income by more than 4,000 yuan.

The county now has 5 Hunan famous brand products, 10 products with green, organic and geographical indicator certificates, and two enterprises have been approved to use “Xiangjiangyuan” regional public brand. 6 bases like Xiangru Agriculture, Xinli Food and Yuewang Agriculture provide vegetables for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 70% of Hunan restaurants in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao use Rucheng peppers or its pepper products.