Dazhai, a mountainous village in north China’s Shanxi Province, was an example of China’s rural development model under the highly centralized, planned economy in the 1960s-70s. It slid into a lackluster period in the early 1980s after the market economy began to gain ground in China. The resurgence is painstaking but remarkable amid local people’s unremitting efforts to develop industry and tourism. The village is now at a moderate development level among counterparts nationwide, according to official statistics.
　　Beijing Review reporter Lan Xinzhen spoke to village head Guo Fenglian on Dazhai’s current situation and future plans.
　　
　　Beijing Review: Forty years ago, because villagers in Dazhai had high grain production under tough conditions, it became an example for the entire country. Do the villagers still plant crops?
　　Guo Fenglian: They still plant crops, as agriculture is the root of China, but they plant much less than before. In the past, we had a 53-hectare farmland but now only half remains for this purpose. To avoid soil erosion, residents in some areas plant trees, while others build factories. Currently, fewer than one third of the villagers still farm while many are engaged in non-agricultural businesses.
　　
　　Does that mean Dazhai has changed its economic mode, not relying only on agriculture?
　　
　　Dazhai started its reform in 1992. In that year, we set up an economic agency and established eight enterprises including a cement plant, brewery, walnut juice factory, wool sweater factory and clothing company. All bear the name Dazhai as the trademark and market their products accordingly. The factories employ 700 people, even including some from neighboring villages. Tourism has also developed very quickly, because Dazhai’s reputation attracts many people who want to know the village’s history and understand it better. So far, Dazhai has received more than 10 million tourists. In the village’s gross economic income, agriculture only accounts for 0.3 percent, while industry contributes 56 percent, commerce, 10 percent and tourism, 30 percent.
　　
　　We can see from Dazhai’s economic structure that farming is not the main pillar of its economy. As the whole country is carrying out a move toward narrowing the divide between cities and the countryside, what is your view on boosting the rural economy?
　　
　　We started to grope for an all-inclusive development before the Central Government made the initiative of building a new countryside. We are not making money from the farmland and we cannot rely solely on the farmland to prosper the countryside, to be frank. As we don’t enjoy favorable natural conditions, no matter how high our grain output is, it will only be enough to feed the farmers, far from enough to boost development. I know that in China actually there are many more villages that may have even worse natural conditions than us, so building the new countryside must change the economic structure, such as setting up some factories for processing farm products, while developing advanced agricultural techniques.
　　
　　How do you picture China’s new countryside?
　　
　　Well, it should have a clean and beautiful environment, green mountains and pure water. Farmers should enjoy favorable living conditions, and a sound social security system should be set up, especially with regard to medical care and education. The cultural aspect should be more developed as well. Some of the centuries-old habits have to be changed to keep up with the times.
　　
　　What do you mean by habits?
　　
　　For example, an improved awareness of health matters, such as people and cattle living together, the non-treatment of rubbish, which is scattered about, infrequent bathing in the case of some farmers, and spitting. All of these are things that should be changed in the process of rural modernization.
　　
　　Has Dazhai made any plans for building a new countryside?
　　
　　First of all, we made plans for economic development, taking a mode that is mainly supported by manufacturing industries, animal breeding, tourism and the service industry. Our biggest enterprise produces walnut juice and we also have a large scale farm that raises 60,000 pigs.
　　Second, we made plans for the renovation of the village. We’ll follow a principle that requires reservation of one third of the original houses, which can give visitors a picture of what Dazhai was like before, new construction of one third and renovation of one third. The latter two should have drainage systems, separate bathrooms and separate toilets, more suitable for human habitation.
　　Third, we are helping villagers to change. As there are an increasing number of people visiting Dazhai, we encourage local residents to engage in the service industry. Some of our neighboring villages are still very poor, so we can absorb more laborers from them to work in our factories or the service industry, which can also help them a lot. Under such a development plan, the neighboring area will develop into a town centered on Dazhai.
　　
　　What opportunities can building a new countryside bring to Dazhai? Is it possible for Dazhai to become an example again in this move?
　　
　　For some of the difficult aspects in building a new countryside, such as social security and educational resources, we will seek help from the government, which will boost Dazhai’s economic development.
　　As to the question of whether Dazhai can become a new example, I think building a new countryside must conform to different characteristics in different regions. Enough consideration should be given to local conditions. None of the villages can be built in the exact same way and we should try to avoid any impractical action.
　　
　　How long do you think it will take Dazhai to reach the standard of the so-called new countryside? What are the difficulties for Dazhai now?
　　
　　This is hard to predict, because the new countryside is a comprehensive standard. If we are only talking about economic development and living conditions, we’ve improved a lot. We have posed the goal of building a garden village with a sound ecosystem. We adopted a “five uniform” idea in dealing with farmland: uniform mechanized cultivation, uniform irrigation, uniform purchase of seeds and fertilizer, uniform technical service and uniform field management for farmers. We have also treated all barren mountains. Walking into Dazhai, now you can see greenery all around. The Hutoushan Hill near the village has become a tourist attraction.
　　Living conditions are also improving a lot. The village and individuals share the expenses equally in building new houses, which has helped to build 54 new-style houses, each with a floor space of 180-220 square meters. Currently, one third of the villagers have moved into new houses. Regarding social security, people above 60 years of age enjoy pensions. Children are exempted from all educational expenses from kindergarten to primary school and university students enjoy scholarships. All these are achieved through our courage, diligence and hard work.
　　However, in the “soft” environment, such as the habits I mentioned, change takes longer. Education and guidance are needed; it’s not a simple question of money. Improving farmers’ quality is not a difficulty that we alone are encountering but a tough job in building a new countryside throughout the country.
　　
　　Ups and Downs
　　Dazhai, with a population of 520 and covering an area of 1.88 square km, is a small village located in the mountainous region of north China’s Shanxi Province. Forty years ago, Dazhai seemed to be a name every Chinese person knew. The land was barren and it often suffered from floods, but village residents realized high grain production through their own efforts. In 1964, the Central Government called on the agricultural sector to learn from Dazhai, and in the following 15 years the village became an example for China’s rural areas.
　　After China’s reform and opening-up policy was initiated in 1979, dramatic changes took place in rural areas. Many villages had a better economic performance than Dazhai and its achievements soon became a memory.
　　However, Dazhai didn’t stop its development. The village’s revenue in 2005 totaled 116 million yuan and yearly per-capita income reached 5,500 yuan, exceeding the average rural income. Dazhai’s current economic situation is better than that of 60 percent of rural villages in the country. Particularly in the last couple of years, with frequent TV broadcasts of advertisements for Dazhai Walnut Dew and sales of various light-industry products with the Dazhai trademark, the village is once again becoming well known.
　　Similar to many other poverty-stricken rural villages in China in terms of geographical location and natural conditions, Dazhai has set a good example for others in the construction of a “new countryside.” In fact, Dazhai launched its development plans before the Central Government proposed the idea earlier this year.
　　
　　Profile: Guo Fenglian
　　Guo Fenglian, 59, Secretary of the Dazhai Village Committee of the Communist Party of China, first became famous for her defiance of all difficulties in “fighting nature.”
　　A devastating flood hit Dazhai in August 1963, which put the village’s field and houses under a vast expanse of water. Only rocks were left on the nine-hectare terraced field after floodwaters rushed through. A total of 113 cave dwellings out of 140 in the village collapsed and 77 houses among the total of 125 were buried in mud. Villagers had no place to stay. In this urgent situation, Guo and 22 other young women formed a brigade, working in the most dangerous part to save people. She was given the title of “iron girl” later and became the village’s Party secretary in 1965 at the age of 18.
　　Guo left Dazhai in 1980, and in the following 10 years no major development was seen in the village. She returned to Dazhai in November 1991 and was made Party secretary again. Taking up her post, she said, “In the past, all other villages in the country learned from Dazhai, but now Dazhai will learn from all other villages.” Under her leadership, substantial developments are taking place.

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