Witness the continuous improvement of China's ecological environment (China's well-off life in the eyes of foreigners)
"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." In the process of building a moderately prosperous society in China in an all-round way, some international people who work and live in China feel that China's rural environment is more pleasant and farmers' lives are more prosperous. They have witnessed the continuous improvement of China's ecological environment. The construction of ecological civilization has made remarkable achievements.
“The place to enjoy the ideal life”
Our reporter Yang Wenming
In Longyuan Village, Songyang Town, Songming County, Kunming, Yunnan, walking into Martin's berry base, the first impression is that the environment is good and there are many birds.
Although it was still a bit chilly outside, it was full of spring in Martin's blueberry nursery greenhouse.
The blueberries grown in the demonstration greenhouse have become a delicacy for the surrounding birds to come and taste.
16 years ago, French agricultural engineer Martin Dabili came to Yunnan, China.
Since then, his life and career have unfolded here.
From first growing raspberries to now focusing on blueberry seedlings, Martin said: "What attracts me is the good climate and the good ecology. This is where I enjoy my ideal life."
"The good climate attracted me to Yunnan"
In 2006, Martin came to China on a business trip.
During his inspection, he found that the common raspberries in the European market are rare in the Chinese market.
"Raspberries are rich in vitamins and have high nutritional value. Can raspberries be introduced into the Chinese market?" Martin began to look for a suitable place for raspberry cultivation.
Passing through Songming once, he found that the climate here is suitable, the ecological environment is good, and the terrain is flat, and the transportation is convenient because it is close to Kunming Airport. Martin decided to install the raspberry planting base in Longyuan Village, which is more than 10 kilometers away from Songming County.
"The good weather attracted me to Yunnan," recalled Martin.
Raspberry has high requirements on the growth environment, and needs sufficient sunlight and suitable temperature. In addition, because cleaning will wash away the fruit powder with high nutritional value on the raspberry peel, it is best to avoid washing the fresh raspberry. There are strict requirements for the air quality in which it grows.
Longyuan Village meets these requirements. Not only does it have good environmental conditions, but the local area also attaches great importance to green and sustainable development.
"Can foreigners come to China to farm?" At first, the surrounding villagers were full of curiosity and doubts about this "foreign farmer" who came from afar and could only speak a few simple Chinese.
The first thing Martin did was plant trees.
In addition to fast-growing eucalyptus trees, he also planted walnut trees, sweet-scented osmanthus trees, cherry trees... a variety of tree species, providing abundant food for the surrounding insects and birds, making the base a healthy ecology system.
Since then, raspberry saplings have been planted.
Martin did not adopt the planting model of "big water and big fertilizer", but chose the precise irrigation method.
This can not only improve the utilization rate of water resources, but also maximize the protection of farmland soil quality.
The saplings have grown vigorously, and Martin's greenhouses have become more and more popular. Villagers often come to him to exchange "tree planting classics".
"This approach is in line with the concept of green development that has been promoted locally." Huang Jianwei, deputy director of Songyang Sub-district Office of Songming County, introduced that in the past, local farmers built ordinary greenhouses, and the extensive planting method caused many chemical fertilizers and pesticides to remain in the In the soil, it will not only cause damage to the environment, but also the economic benefits are not ideal.
In order to change this situation, the government provides a variety of policies and financial support to help villagers change their production methods.
Slowly, more and more greenhouses were replaced with degradable films, and organic fertilizers were used in the soil.
"Growing berries is not just a job, it's a career"
During the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the export of raspberries was affected to some extent. After analyzing the market, Martin adjusted the production direction of the base in time and turned to blueberry seedlings.
Walking through the contiguous blueberry seedling workshop, Martin squatted down from time to time to check the growth of the seedlings.
"Our blueberry seedlings are mainly aimed at the winter market." Martin pointed to the map of Yunnan on the wall and circled the green contiguous south of Yunnan with his hand. "These places all have our potential customers."
Data from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that in recent years, Yunnan has become the core production area for domestic berry cultivation.
In 2020, the blueberry planting area in Yunnan Province will be 101,200 mu, accounting for 9.5% of the national blueberry planting area, and the output will reach 35,000 tons, accounting for 17.5% of the national total.
Since its establishment, Martin's Yunnan Meiming Agriculture Co., Ltd. has seen its performance increase year by year.
Last year, he applied for patent protection for the six blueberry seedling varieties he cultivated, including Marybub 122, which attracted many large merchants to cooperate with him. Now the planting area of the cooperatives has exceeded 6,000 mu.
"Growing berries is not just a job, it's a career."
"Good berries not only depend on good climatic conditions, but also cannot be separated from scientific management." During the planting process, Martin is very concerned about environmental protection and safety issues.
Fearing that the pesticides would harm pollinating bumblebees or leave residues, he tested all the pesticides he bought before using them.
Songyang Sub-district will also check the cold storage and pesticide and seed business stores within its jurisdiction every quarter to ensure that farmers can buy reliable agricultural materials.
In addition, the local area continued to promote water environment management, and rice fields were successively replanted on both sides of the river to improve water quality through natural purification.
The government also conducts regular tests on soil and farmland irrigation water to ensure that the soil and water quality are safe to meet standards.
"I am very happy to be a witness to the changes in the village"
Walking in Longyuan Village, when the villagers encountered Martin saw Martin, they all greeted him kindly: "Boss Ma!"
The more than 30 workers who work in the Martin Berry Base are all nearby villagers. When everyone saw that the base was well built, they came to apply for jobs.
In order to let the villagers from vegetable farmers get started as soon as possible, Martin will gather everyone from time to time to explain on the spot.
Soon, the villagers could not only identify the ripeness of the fruit, but also quickly complete the work of picking and packaging.
"They're all half berry picking experts now," Martin said happily.
In the past ten years, driven by the local party committee and government, Longyuan Village has developed the planting industry, excavated and built characteristic industries, strived to achieve "one product in one village", and strengthened support for potential enterprises and products to drive local economic development.
With the development of the industry, everyone's life is getting better and better.
"In the past, many people in the village lived in earthen houses, and the villagers walked to work. Now most people have built small buildings and drove cars. I am very happy to be a witness to the changes in the village." Martin said.
Outside of work, Martin loves cycling.
The village is surrounded by large natural mountains and forests. Every week he invites friends to ride with him. He likes the mountains, trees, green and vitality here.
The wife and three children usually live in Kunming, and they like to come to the Berry Base on weekends. The children like to pick fruit and play with mud here.
Before the end of the interview, Martin picked a few blueberries for the reporter to taste, and the sweet fruity aroma with a slightly sour taste bloomed on the tip of the tongue.
"A little sour right? Don't worry, they'll be sweeter after a while!"
"It's a miracle that the face of Chadong Village has changed dramatically"
Our reporter Zhang Yunhe
At the foot of the green hills, Zhadong Village is surrounded by grass and green waves are rolling.
The big man Nick bent down, clutched the grass in his left hand, waved the sickle in his right hand, slashed into his arms, and skillfully harvested it.
Nick, 63, is a retired police officer from Luxembourg.
He has traveled around the world and came to Hechi for the movie "Liu Sanjie" while traveling in Guangxi, China.
Nick likes the green mountains and rivers here, the lush forests and the bamboos, and has now lived here for 11 years.
In Hechi, Nick’s most affectionate place is Zhadong Village, Liusanjie Town, Yizhou District. As a volunteer, he has participated in poverty alleviation work in the village for three consecutive years since 2018, and has witnessed the changes here.
Now, he still returns to Zhadong Village from time to time to see, exchange feelings with fellow villagers, help out with work, and is full of affection for every family, plant and tree in the village.
"In the past, Zhadong Village had no access, and the villagers lived in poverty. The house was built of adobe, and the house was very empty with very little furniture." Nick recalled.
Zhadong Village was once a poverty-stricken village at the autonomous region level. In 2014, the incidence of poverty in the village was as high as 51%.
As a poverty alleviation volunteer, Nick witnessed that Zhadong Village got out of poverty step by step with the joint efforts of party members and cadres and local people.
He also built roads with everyone, set up orchards, planted seedlings, and helped the village buy lawn mowers and drills.
Walking in Zhadong Village, passing the luxuriant yellow skins, plantains, and Tianzhugui, there is a sugarcane field that is growing well.
Nick said: "Zhadong Village has a good ecological environment and is very suitable for the growth of crops. This is a gift from nature."
Under the leadership of the village party branch, Zhadong Village vigorously develops green industries, cultivates a group of leaders to become rich, and explores a new development path of "village collective economy + enterprise + poverty alleviation".
La Fantun leased more than 300 mu of pasture fields and introduced breeding farms.
The people in the Tunli can not only have rental income, but also work in the nearby farms, and their income is more diversified.
The pasture itself can be used as the raw material for raising cattle, and the cow dung can be returned to the field. The cycle of planting and breeding promotes the continuous growth of the village collective economy.
The weather was cool, but Nick was in high spirits.
Everywhere I go, there are always exciting discoveries: when the farm was first built, Nick helped to dig the foundation and build a shed. Now the Tanmu School who works here has a monthly income of more than 5,000 yuan; Shangdongtun old man Mo Zijigai When the house was built, Nick helped pull the cement and bricks, and now the 80-square-meter brick building of Mo Ziji's house is bright; the children are playing on the newly built basketball court in the village. The results of the financial support of the Tourism Bureau and other units...
Nick has an English version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of the Country". He has read it many times over and over again, and is deeply impressed by the "blue sky, green land, and clear water production and living environment for future generations" mentioned in the book.
"It is crucial to avoid environmental damage while developing, and China's efforts in ecological civilization construction are remarkable," Nick said.
Today, Zhadong Village has Tuntun Road, and households have access to electricity, water, and the Internet. After the mountain goods came out of the mountain, the wallets of the villagers have become bulging, and many people have built new houses.
"They created a new life with their hands." Nick said with emotion: "In just 4 years, the appearance of Chadong Village has undergone tremendous changes, which is truly a miracle! The practice of the Communist Party of China in leading the Chinese people out of poverty and living a moderately prosperous life is amazing. admire."
Talking about the future development of Chadong Village, Nick said he hoped that more young people with skills would return to the village and participate in the village construction.
He will also continue to work hard for the development of Zhadong Village: "When I see the villagers' lives are getting better and better, with smiles on their faces, it's like the sun shining into my heart."
"Let's live a better life together"
Our reporter Fang Min
"Old Cui, why are you so busy?" asked Li Zhiyang, deputy director of the Economic Development Office of Shangshu Township, Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province when he visited the company.
"Prepare for a big fight this year!" Cui Chengxia replied with a smile, looking around the busy workshop.
Just after the Spring Festival, Cui Chengxia started to get busy.
Not long ago, he just negotiated a lease agreement to expand the plant area to 6,000 square meters.
In the past few days, he has been busy recruiting again, planning to increase the workforce from 40 to 60.
Cui Chengxia is from South Korea and is currently running a wood products production enterprise in Shangshu Township. All the products of the enterprise are exported to South Korea and Japan.
This year is the ninth year that he came to Anji to start a business and live.
The new crown pneumonia epidemic has spread around the world, and his business operations have also been affected.
Lao Cui decided to use this time to study how to make the product quality better and more environmentally friendly.
Walking in Lao Cui's workshop, there are traces of all kinds of changes.
In front of a working activated carbon waste gas treatment equipment, Cui Chengxia introduced: "This machine replaces the original photolysis device and water washing tower, which can further improve the purification rate of waste gas."
As a traditional wood product production and processing enterprise, how to better achieve green production is a problem that enterprises must think about.
Cui Chengxia spent a lot of energy to find green and environmentally friendly process equipment and raw materials to achieve energy saving, consumption reduction and pollution reduction.
In 2021, he took the initiative to find a paint supplier in Hangzhou, and the two parties cooperated to develop an environmentally friendly water-based paint.
"At present, we have cooperated to develop water-based paints, which can replace some oil-based paints after ensuring stable performance, making the products more environmentally friendly." Cui Chengxia said.
Although the factory's operating scale is not large, Cui Chengxia spends 20% of the annual profit every year as the company's environmental protection investment.
"In the long run, these investments will help companies achieve sustainable development," he said. "Over the years, Anji County has been making every effort to promote a green economic development model, and local companies are seeking transformation and upgrading, and we must keep up."
"The ecological environment here is getting better and better." Cui Chengxia recalled that he first came to Anji in 2002.
In the past 20 years, he has witnessed the green transformation and growth of this mountain city in northern Zhejiang.
"Take Shangshu Township, where I live, for example, the changes have been too great. In the past, there were some paper-making enterprises, cement building materials enterprises and mines here, which caused great damage to the ecological environment." Cui Chengxia said, "Now the government is paying more and more attention to green To develop, a series of measures have been launched, and polluting enterprises are either shut down or upgraded to environmental protection. When the government is attracting investment, it also first considers whether the enterprise meets the requirements of green development. Green and environmentally friendly enterprises have gradually become the main force of local economic development. "
"Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." In the interview, Cui Chengxia mentioned this sentence many times.
"Anji is the birthplace of the 'Two Mountains Concept'. I work in Anji, and I deeply feel the charm of this sentence. I also personally feel the well-off life here - people are prosperous and the environment is beautiful. Now China is vigorously promoting rural revitalization, I As a Chinese son-in-law, I should also do something. I think there are two main things I can do." Cui Chengxia thought seriously.
"Which two?"
"One is to improve the quality of products and meet the requirements of green environmental protection; the other is to conscientiously run the enterprise well and run it for a long time, so that the villagers working in the enterprise will have long-term income, and everyone can live a better life together." Cui Chengxia said.