Discovering love and purpose in rural China
A pair of fresh college graduates from Beijing took on leadership roles in a rural village, and found their lives' mission to contribute to China's poverty alleviation efforts.
By Cui Can
Xingshou's village leaders, including Zhang Yu, travels to Spain in 2008 to learn more about growing strawberries and expanding the market, in a bid to adapt the project to local conditions in the county. [Photo provided to China SCIO]
Today, strawberry production in Beijing totals 500 million kilograms annually, with a major portion grown in Changping. The district commands 30 percent of the market share in the Chinese capital, according to official data.
Looking to the future
In addition to the agricultural development, Xingshou county and the greater Changping district are diversifying their economy and integrating agriculture with tourism.
The district has played host to the Beijing Agriculture Carnival for six consecutive years, taking advantage of its strawberry season that runs for five months beginning in March. Every April, tourists from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the surrounding area arrive at the pick-it-yourself farms, enjoying the experience of farming labor and bringing back freshly picked fruits to families and friends.
In recent years, tourism has become a pillar to the Changping economy. According to the officials from Changping Agriculture Service Center, an influx of 5.9 million visitors spent 1.3 billion yuan in the past five years, ranking it first among the capital's suburban districts.
Wang and Zhang's time as village officials came to an end in 2009, but the couple's commitment to serving in rural China and helping villagers escape poverty continues today.
"What's happening in Xingshou county is an epitome of China's rural transformation," Wang said. "After witnessing the changes in Xiongshou county in the past decade, we made our determination to watching over the lands that we used to carefully cultivate and waiting for the day to reap the fruits of our labor."