China News Service, Sanming, January 29th: "Taiwan's second generation" invites people to enjoy cherry blossoms in the New Year: cross-strait integration is getting closer and closer
Author Lei Chaoliang Huang Yan
Who knows that spring is still early, and there are several new cherry trees in the mountains. It’s cherry blossom viewing time again, and more than 2,000 acres of cherry blossoms are blooming in the cherry garden located in Yaojia Village, Laifang Town, Qingliu County, Sanming City, Fujian Province, attracting tourists in droves.
"During the Spring Festival, the cherry blossoms here will be in full bloom." Li Qiuyin, a "second-generation Taiwanese" who manages the cherry garden, extended an invitation to reporters from China News Service to "come and enjoy cherry blossoms in the New Year."
In mid-February, the cherry blossoms here will enter the best viewing period. Laibo Sakura Garden has about 300,000 trees of more than 10 varieties, including pink Yoshino cherry, Oshima cherry, Yae cherry, and peony cherry. The flowering period can last until mid-March. It is the largest, most numerous, most complete variety and longest flowering period in Fujian. A long cherry blossom viewing spot.
Laifang Sakura Garden is a testimony to the development achievements of Qingliu Taiwan Farmers Entrepreneurship Park. As early as 2012, Taiwanese businessman Jian Wentong came here to plant cherry blossoms and set out to build a comprehensive agricultural development demonstration base integrating cherry blossom cultivation, planting, leisure sightseeing, and rural tourism development. After more than ten years of construction, the Cherry Blossom Garden has become a local "gilded business card", attracting 200,000 tourists in February last year to encounter the sea of pink flowers.
Recently, cherry blossoms bloomed one after another in the Laifang Sakura Garden in Sanming City, Fujian Province. Photo by Lei Chaoliang
"My father-in-law has been here for more than ten years. From the first few cherry blossoms to the current scale, it is really admirable." Two years ago, Li Qiuyin and her husband came to Qingliu from New Taipei, Taiwan to help my father-in-law take care of the cherry blossom garden. “We felt the atmosphere of the cherry blossom season, and with the local government’s various help in daily life, we finally decided to stay here and develop.”
Li Qiuyin had no experience in cherry blossom planting before, so she started to learn from her father-in-law after coming to Qingliu. "There are more than 10 varieties in the cherry blossom garden. Each variety needs to be learned step by step, which tests people's patience." After accumulating experience in cherry blossom planting, she cultivated multiple new varieties through grafting experiments.
"Crop planting also requires innovation. Only with the introduction of eye-catching agricultural products can we have market competitiveness." In Li Qiuyin's view, as living standards improve, the demand for ornamental bonsai will grow. She and her husband found a new way to turn cherry blossoms into bonsais with various shapes such as "sika deer" and "bell", which were well received by the market.
"She wants to develop into bonsai, so that cherry blossoms can be planted in the living room and office, and the flowering time can be controlled." Jian Wentong also agreed with his daughter-in-law's approach.
In recent years, Qingliu County has relied on the Taiwan Farmers Entrepreneurship Park to build large-scale and branded agricultural projects represented by a hundred acres of fine orchid gardens, a thousand acres of cherry blossom ornamental gardens, and a ten thousand acres of ecological tea gardens to promote the development of characteristic modern agriculture and deepen cross-strait agricultural exchanges. cooperate. Sanming City has also accelerated the construction of a pilot zone for rural integrated development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to promote rural revitalization.
In December 2023, in order to give full play to the "leading" role of Taiwanese compatriots in rural revitalization, the Qingliu County Taiwan Farmers Entrepreneurship Park prepared to establish the Cross-Strait Integrated Rural Revitalization Promotion Association, and Li Qiuyin was elected as the first president.
"The mainland's rural revitalization has provided a larger stage for Taiwan compatriots to display their talents." Li Qiuyin hopes to use the experience of the older generation of Taiwanese businessmen to lead the association members to leverage their respective strengths and build the Cross-Strait Integrated Rural Revitalization Promotion Association into a cross-strait agricultural exchange and cooperation platform to promote cross-strait integrated development.
In September last year, after the release of the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Supporting Fujian in Exploring a New Path for Cross-Strait Integrated Development and Building a Cross-Strait Integrated Development Demonstration Zone", policies and measures to benefit Taiwan have continued to overlap, promoting Fujian to accelerate the construction of a cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone. Li Qiuyin, who lives in a hot spot for cross-Strait integration, "feels very lucky." She believes that cross-Strait agricultural exchanges and cooperation have formed an all-round, wide-ranging, and multi-level development pattern, and the pace of integration is becoming increasingly intensive.
"The mainland market is huge. As long as you are down-to-earth in an industry, there will be opportunities for development." As the cherry blossom garden is about to enter its peak period, Li Qiuyin is working with the relevant local departments to plan and launch activities such as cherry blossom group weddings and cherry blossom runs. Attract more tourists. The Spring Festival is approaching, and she is also preparing to bring her three children from Taiwan to the mainland for the New Year. (over)