HSS Alumni scholarship holders in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province
Information on the natural ecological development and revitalization of rural areas
Paved road leading to the project area
On the 21st, the bus slowly stopped at the main road and at the invitation of Director Luo Qun of the Anyuan County Natural Resource Bureau, the group got off and walked along the highway. At the time of the summer solstice, the sky was high and cloudless, birds and cicadas were singing, the river was gurgling, the vegetation was lush, the paddy fields were green, the mountains were surrounded by houses, and dogs and chickens could be heard in the distance. At the sight of this scenery, you couldn't help but exclaim: "Somehow I feel like I'm walking on a country road in southern Germany". After a few hundred meters, the group reached the village of Hugang at the foot of Mount Sanbaishan.
The land consolidation process took about 10 years and a lot of research and planning has been done, especially in the initial phase, to ensure the project runs smoothly in the future. Dr. Michael Klaus, Chief Representative of HSS Shandong Representative Office, said: "The pilot project of land consolidation and rural development in Sanbaishan was officially launched in 2014. During the preliminary research and planning, the project team attached great importance to the participation of local people and collected expectations and opinions on the project through discussions with various stakeholders such as local residents and students, and many of these ideas were implemented in this project area."
Today, the village of Hugang is a national pilot village for comprehensive rural reform.
"At that time, we visited all the villages related to the project, interviewed about 700 residents and collected nearly 10,000 suggestions," Director Luo added.
Director Luo Qun introduces the project area
Dr. Klaus shared another interesting experience: "One of the problems we had here with the language was that the older locals don't speak Mandarin. So we always take a local with us and translate the dialect into Mandarin, then we translate the Mandarin into German and then back again."
Many details of ecological conservation can be seen in the village. As he led the group to the village parking lot, Dr. Klaus went on to explain: "For example, real grass grows under the grass parking stones in this parking lot, which looks nice and also allows water to drain away. In some conventional parking lots with grass parking stones, the ground is poured with concrete and then grass and parking stones are laid on top, which means that the water cannot penetrate the ground. It is also important, for example, to learn how to open up rivers and restore natural areas. Thanks to the efforts of the relevant authorities, the project team has chosen a natural expansion and detour in its upper reaches while maintaining the natural shape of the river to slow down the flow of water, so that during heavy rainfall, there will be no safety risks from the accelerated discharge of water from the upper reaches, which would cause a surge of water in the lower reaches. The group then drove to the Anyuan County Leisure and Tourism Demonstration Park.
Director Luo pointed out a huge transparent insect net over a forest of navel oranges in the distance, while passion fruit was planted in the nearby fruit and vegetable greenhouses. Navel oranges from Anyuan are famous throughout China and passion fruit is one of the most important industries in Hugang village. Nowadays, these fruits are not only sold domestically, for example to Guangdong, but are also exported to countries such as Australia. Director Luo said that the villagers are still researching and experimenting on how to optimize the cultivation of local crops to maximize the yield.
After visiting the greenhouse, the group followed Director Luo to another village in the Sanbaishan Mountains project area - the village of Zuixia.
On the clean and flat asphalt road, lush green forests and beautifully plastered residential houses could be seen, the rural charm was palpable, the wind was blowing - many souvenir photos were taken. The rainbow suspension bridge, the children's playground, the bridge over the river, the parking lots, the public toilets and other additional services and facilities conveyed a strong atmosphere of the new countryside. Along the sparkling river, the group arrived at a distinctive accommodation built on the mountain: the Lotus Heart Guest House. There we could enjoy a cup of tea, like orchids on the tongue - refreshing!
As an important engine for rural revitalization, rural tourism has the dual role of satisfying out-of-town tourists' desires for a pleasant rural getaway and promoting local economic development. According to Director Luo, Zuixia Village takes the development of the tourism industry as the main line to create a special brand project, with the aim of "retaining guests and creating common wealth".
Dongsheng Wei
Villagers are actively mobilized to revitalize idle land and housing resources, develop "local chickens", "local vegetables" and other local products as the focus of small-scale animal husbandry. They are also encouraged to actively set up farms and family workshops to increase income and bring more prosperity to the region.
Dr. Klaus explained that HSS contributed to the Sanbaishan project in the form of training in land management and rural development. Through close cooperation with various authorities - including the Party College of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Administration) and the Jiangxi Applied Technology Vocational College - HSS not only participated in the concrete implementation of the land use planning, but also provided technical training and talent development in relevant areas.
In 2017, the Chinese government implemented a rural revitalization strategy. Dr. Klaus believes that the Sanbaishan project, which summarizes the approach to rural revitalization master planning and the various lessons from the perspective of landscape and ecological planning, will continue to provide experience and assistance in the implementation of China's new rural revitalization policy.
Group picture in the old city Ganzhou
On June 22, the group visited a historic Hakka building in Anyuan and the surrounding land management projects.
Director Luo explained that southern Jiangxi is a Hakka settlement area and that there are more than 50 Hakka houses in Anyuan County alone. The most important of these is the Dongsheng Wei. With more than 170 years of history, it is a key national monument and the largest rectangular Hakka house in China. Near the Dongsheng Wei Hakka House is also the country's smallest square house (Misheng Wei) and other Hakka House complexes.
To protect the Hakka houses and preserve the history, Anyuan County has coordinated manpower, materials and funding to restore and protect the existing structures. After careful construction work and the continuous improvement of infrastructure, the area was classified as a national 5-A tourist attraction (5-A are tourist attractions that are outstanding) in December 2017.
According to local people, some residents who grew up in Hakka House Dongsheng Wei not only used their homes to invest in the tourism area, but also stayed on site to work after they moved out of Hakka House. Some migrant workers also returned to their home community to start their own businesses when Dongsheng Wei was developed into a tourism area.
After visiting the Dongsheng Wei Hakka House, the group left Anyuan County by bus to return to Ganzhou. In the evening, the scholarship holders were invited to enjoy the special Hakka dishes in a restaurant. During the dinner, the former scholarship holders warmly thanked Ms. Debora Tydecks-Zhou and Dr. Michael Klaus, heads of the HSS Beijing and Shandong Offices, and colleagues from the Beijing and Shandong Representative Office for the successful organization of the trip in Ganzhou and appreciated the role that HSS plays as a bridge between China and Germany in terms of communication and cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, everyone raised their glasses together and wished for a better future for China and Germany.
Author: Liang Wen (HSS former scholarship holder)
