Zhoushan, January 1 (Lin Bo, Hu Sijia, Zhang Zhou) Zhuang Yingying, who has been engaged in tourism for many years, opened a "Under the Camphor Tree" coffee and light food bar in Yancang Guzhangyi, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, so that more tourists can taste Dinghai's special food; Taiwanese compatriot Ye Junwei opened the "Tai Dad Wang" braised meat restaurant in Sanmao's hometown because of his relationship with Sanmao's works to help the development of the Xiaosha section of the Baili Cultural Corridor in the East China Sea; Zhang Jingbo and his friends chose to open a "wild play forest" courtyard in the picturesque Baiquan Ruyi Xiangzhang Bay and took their children with themFeel the beauty of nature in a "wild play" way......

This is a snapshot of the rural development of Zhoushan, the "City of a Thousand Islands".

A view of the countryside in Dinghai District, Zhoushan City. Photo courtesy of Hu Sijia

As it has gradually become a trend for young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses, diversified "young formats" such as cafes, book houses, homestays, and camping bases have allowed a number of new rural spaces with style, warmth, and favor to take root and grow branches, and let the old villages glow with new vitality.

With 2085,<> islands, Zhoushan is known as the "City of a Thousand Islands", with a vast sea area and many islands. Nowadays, with the popularity of slow life on the island, the island villages with different styles have attracted more and more attention. On the road to common prosperity, how can the island villages, which have a large amount and a wide area, break out of a "blue ocean" of revitalization?

Taking Dinghai District of Zhoushan City as an example, under the guidance of the "Ten Million Project", in 2023, relying on the construction of the "Nuanao" cultural and ecological tourism co-prosperity project, the district will create a Baili Cultural Corridor in the East China Sea that connects 8 towns (streets) and integrates agriculture, culture and tourism, opening a picture of the common prosperity of Dinghai with the integration of ancient and modern, and constantly stimulating the vitality of the countryside.

A view of "Xiaozhu Photography Studio on the Clouds". Photo by Le Keyan

Along the Ma'ao section of the Donghai Baili Cultural Corridor in Dinghai District, the "Cloud Xiaozhu Photography Studio" has recently been officially opened to the public. This two-storey renovated studio is simple and welcoming, with a simple wooden reception room on the first floor and a different photographic theme on the second floor.

"When I was a child, the beautiful and quiet life in the countryside left me with good memories. The studio's manager, Wang Zhinan, is a "post-90s". In his opinion, the beautiful environment of the island countryside, especially the pristine natural scenery, is very suitable for photography.

In addition to shooting, he also published his photographic works on multiple online platforms, not only to promote himself, but also to let more people know about Ma'ao, Dinghai Village, and yearn for island life.

With the development of the countryside, more and more people in Zhoushan have also integrated into the rural construction, from "standing and watching" and "following along" to "consciously doing".

Walking in the rural fields connected by the Donghai Baili Cultural Corridor, the self-service sales signs with the words "Gongfu Pastoral" in the fields are particularly eye-catching. If you look closely, the self-service sales board also records information such as growers, varieties, prices, and picking times. This "self-help model" allows local farmers to achieve direct sales of agricultural products in the field without leaving home.

"In the past, when the fruits and vegetables in my own field were ripe, most of them would be sold nearby, but now they are mainly sold in the fields. Wang Zhonghai is a grower in the Baiquan section of the Donghai Baili Corridor, since the opening of the Donghai Baili Corridor, with the increase in the number of tourists, the price of fresh produce is very popular among tourists, and the spring breeze of common wealth has also blown into the fields of remote villages.

It is reported that the "Gongfu Pastoral" is a micro-unit of Gongfu explored and built by Dinghai along the Baili Cultural Corridor of the East China Sea in 2023. As a new model of joint agriculture and common prosperity, Dinghai excavates the picking resources of orchards, vegetable gardens and other characteristic agricultural products along the Baili Cultural Corridor of the East China Sea, and provides farmers with "six-piece service sets" such as warm signs, farm tools, and collection codes according to local conditions, and connects the picking routes of the Baili Cultural Corridor in the East China Sea based on rich peasant points such as "Gongfu Pastoral" and "Gongfu Bazaar".

At present, 18 picking points have been set up along the corridor, and by accelerating the coverage of the "common wealth pastoral" points, the Donghai Baili Cultural Corridor has become a common wealth road for villagers to increase their income and get rich, and the village collective economy to develop.

Small guys, but also big energy. Since June 2022, Zhoushan launched the "Hello Island" - Island Co-prosperity Action, and has integrated "available" co-prosperity resources through the differentiated development path of "one island, one product, one island, one policy", telling a different development story of "island co-prosperity". (ENDS)