What do the hometowns of the graduates of the “Village Head Class” look like now?

Starting today, the China Business Times has launched a column titled "Uniting the Power of Private Enterprises to Paint a New Chapter of Revitalization." This column will highlight exemplary private enterprises from the first batch of outstanding cases, demonstrating their innovative explorations and vivid practices on the path to "village revitalization." This will showcase the responsibility and wisdom of private enterprises, encourage more private enterprises to actively participate in rural revitalization, and jointly write a magnificent chapter in the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.

In May, the green peppercorns in Tianxing Village, Ma'anshan Township, Xichang City, Sichuan Province, entered their critical ripening period. Dew-drenched green peppercorns hung thickly from the branches, their weight weighing them down, evoking the joy of a bountiful harvest. "Our geography and climate are uniquely favorable, and the peppercorns we produce are of exceptional quality. Since 2017, we've made peppercorn cultivation our leading industry. The cultivated area has now reached 15,000 mu (approximately 16,000 acres). With both yield and quality improving, villagers' incomes have naturally risen accordingly," said Shen Genfa, Secretary and Director of Group 6 of Tianxing Village, expressing his pride when discussing the green peppercorns.

As a participant in the fourth class of the Rural Revitalization "Village Head Class," Shen Genfa has benefited greatly. "In the class, I learned how to leverage modern technology and the internet to expand sales channels. These new concepts and strategies are crucial to the future development of our village." Today, the small Sichuan pepper tree has become a cash cow for Tianxing Village.

The Rural Revitalization "Village Head Class" is a public welfare training program initiated by New Hope Group in 2021 with the goal of improving the thinking and industrial development capabilities of grassroots rural development leaders in China. Over the past four years, the Rural Revitalization "Village Head Class," fully funded by New Hope Group, has successfully held four sessions. Over 3,000 "village heads" nationwide have applied for the selection process, and over 400 students have graduated, impacting over 3,000 villages. Participants in the "Village Heads' Class" include veteran Party secretaries with decades of grassroots experience, leading village cadres from underdeveloped areas, and rural development leaders with advanced development experience. The "Village Heads' Class" provides a platform for them to learn about policies and knowledge, grasp the new direction of national policies, and gain new insights into management practices from experts. They also engage in outward-looking learning, earnestly studying from large enterprises and model villages, identifying new examples for their own development, and making new friends with shared aspirations. These "village heads" from across the country, united as one, scattered like stars, continuously sowing the seeds of hope for rural revitalization.

Unlocking the code to prosperity amidst verdant mountains and clear waters

Located in Jingning She Autonomous County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, Fenghuangzhai Village, leveraging its abundant natural resources and cultural heritage, has developed a series of tourism initiatives, including a sun, moon, and starry sky observatory, space-time camping, future terraced fields, and a snail viewing garden. These initiatives have revitalized the village. Today, Fenghuangzhai Village lives up to its name, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, becoming renowned as the "Phoenix Legend."

Explaining the secrets of this "Phoenix Legend," Chen Xianqing, Secretary and Director of Fenghuangzhai Village in Yingchuan Town, Jingning She Autonomous County, Zhejiang Province, and a participant in the fourth "Village Head Class," told reporters that Fenghuangzhai Village has implemented a "Terrace Revitalization Plan," which not only restores the terraces but also introduces smart agricultural technologies, giving the ancient terraces a new lease of life. There's also a local "Cultural Revitalization Plan," which aims to allow traditional culture to flourish in modern society through the restoration of ancient buildings and cultural festivals. "I gained a lot from participating in the fourth Village Head Class. I learned many new concepts and strategies for rural revitalization, particularly how to leverage modern technology to promote agricultural development and cultural heritage. This knowledge is crucial for the future development of Fenghuangzhai Village. I have a clearer understanding of how to formulate appropriate development plans tailored to the village's specific circumstances, and how to leverage technology to improve agricultural production efficiency and villagers' quality of life," said Chen Xianqing.

When discussing "poetry and distant places," one cannot help but mention Mingyue Village in Pujiang County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. Its unique cultural atmosphere and historical background have fostered a renowned poetic culture. However, Mingyue Village also faces a challenge: retaining young talent. "In 2023, over 100 participants from the 'Village Leader Program' visited our village for inspection and exchange, providing valuable insights," said Wu Junjiang, Deputy Secretary of Mingyue Village. "To encourage these creative young talents to stay, we introduced cultural and creative industries and rural tourism cooperatives, attracting many ambitious young people. The village's intangible cultural heritage and handmade products, blending traditional and modern aesthetics, are highly appealing to young people. They see this as more than just a way of life, but also a form of art, and many of them stay and don't want to leave."

Rural cultural tourism is now a crucial bridge connecting urban and rural areas, promoting economic development and cultural exchange, and a new path to rural prosperity. The "rural innovation + cultural and creative" approach has not only improved the quality of agricultural products but also significantly increased villagers' incomes. "We've also leveraged 'Internet Plus' to open up sales channels and build a multi-layered ecological industrial ecosystem, integrating traditional agriculture with refined agriculture, cultural creativity, deep processing, and leisure tourism. This has enabled us to leverage all available resources and forge a path to rural revitalization that integrates agriculture, commerce, culture, and tourism," said Wu Junjiang.

Exploring and Building Differentiated Competitive Advantages

Lianxing Village, Shangtashi Town, Pingjiang County, Hunan Province, is located in a remote mountainous area at the junction of Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi provinces. "In the past, the economic development of my hometown lagged behind. I myself had little education, and when I was less than 20 years old, I went to work in Yueyang and Changsha. I even set up stalls to make a living for my family. Later, I took my parents to settle in Wuhan. I finally achieved some success in the catering business. At the end of 2019, I returned to my hometown to serve as the Party Secretary of Lianxing Village." Liu Yingchun, Party Secretary of Lianxing Village, recalled, "After I became the village secretary, I felt a great sense of responsibility and wanted to do more good things for the development of my hometown. In the past few years, we invited many fellow villagers to return to the village to invest. We have a good environment here, so we began to try to raise wild boars and free-range chickens, grow peppers, sweet potatoes, and mountain spring water. Fish farming, among other activities, lacked product branding and sales channels, resulting in limited success.

In 2023, Liu Yingchun joined the third cohort of the "Village Head Class." He was deeply impressed by the opening lecture by Liu Yonghao, Chairman of New Hope Group. "After studying in the 'Village Head Class,' I began to rethink what differentiated path my village could take. What unique culture and resources did it have? Later, I invited experts to visit the village, and they provided many valuable insights." Lianxing Village boasts renowned cultural attractions such as Zhangshi Mountain, Zhang Liang Temple, and the ancient city wall. Liu Yingchun was determined to promote Zhangshi Mountain. Leveraging Zhang Liang's culture, Lianxing Village began developing new health and wellness businesses. "We planted many Chinese medicinal herbs, such as Evodia rutaecarpa, Polygonatum sibiricum, Polygonum cuspidatum, and Lilium bulbs. We also developed health and wellness tourism in the mountainous environment, exploring a new path for industrial development based on the 'company + village collective + farmer' model," Liu Yingchun said.

Liu Yingchun had finally found a differentiated path combining traditional agriculture with health and wellness. "I've used my own homestead to create a social venue for wellness tourism. Guests who come here put down their phones and their busy schedules and truly experience a state of tranquility and self-cultivation," Liu Yingchun told reporters. Here, they also learn about health preservation techniques by making their own moxa sticks.

"In addition, we also make a lot of our own medicinal wines and soup dumplings. Guests can actually see and touch the food they eat here. We show them the chickens raised by farmers and then combine them with our herbal soup dumplings, which are incredibly delicious. Many guests ask for our soup dumpling recipe, and we're currently looking for ways to expand our sales channels." Liu Yingchun added, "I hope there will be more training programs like the 'Village Head Class' to help us connect with more resources."

In the Daliang Mountains of Sichuan, there's Zhengjiawan Village. Qu Muwuha, deputy secretary of the village Party branch, is a participant in the third "Village Head Class." "After returning from the 'Village Heads' Training Program,' I immediately convened an in-depth discussion with the village committee and its members. During the meeting, I shared my observations and reflections. I realized there was indeed a gap between us and other villages, and everyone was driven to make our village even better."

How to forge a differentiated path to prosperity became a daily concern for Qu Muwuha. In the village, there's the Yuexi County Red Army Long March Memorial Hall, covering approximately seven mu (approximately 7 mu) and over 450 square meters. "When the Red Army passed through here during the Long March, one of our villagers, Qu Mu'azhen, resolutely joined the Red Army. To commemorate this veteran's heroic deeds, the village built a Red Army monument," Qu Muwuha explained. Zhengjiawan Village has now been designated a key target for development as a "Red Beautiful Village" by Sichuan Province. Red resources are both a valuable resource and a new driving force for rural revitalization. "In addition to the memorial hall, we are also planning to build a Red Army Road and a restaurant featuring Red culture. This will provide visitors with an immersive experience of Red culture, allowing them to retrace their steps while savoring a historically significant meal that evokes bitterness and sweetness." Qu Muwuha expressed confidence in the future.

Capitalizing on IP traffic to pursue economic growth

As the saying goes, "Look at Shanxi for terrestrial history." Last year, the explosive success of "Black Myth: Wukong" sparked a new wave of tourism in Shanxi's ancient architecture. The Guanque Tower in Yongji County, Shanxi Province, was one of the filming locations for "Black Myth: Wukong." "The Stork Tower is one of the four famous towers in ancient China. The Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan's poem 'Climbing the Stork Tower' originated here," said Wei Fei, a member of the Yongji Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Shanxi Province and Secretary-General of the Yongji Municipal Federation of Non-Party Intellectuals. "My hometown, Yongji, is the only county-level city in Shanxi Province to be designated an 'Excellent Tourism City in China.' In 2020, it was designated as a second-batch National All-Area Tourism Demonstration Zone by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism."

As a third-term student, Wei Fei admitted that her experience in the "Village Head Class" has given her much inspiration for developing her hometown. "We have currently launched a branded itinerary featuring Wukong, featuring tours from the Wulao Peak to the Wuxing Lake, from the Shentan Grand Canyon to the Yaowang Terrace, from the Puji Temple to the Pujindu Ruins Museum to see the Tang Dynasty Iron Ox, and then to reciting poetry at the Stork Tower and expressing emotions on the banks of the Yellow River. This allows for a deep understanding of Yongji's landscape, history, and cultural heritage."

Leveraging the phenomenal IP of "Black Myth: Wukong," Yongji has not only launched a tourist check-in itinerary but also leveraged the opportunity to promote its specialty agricultural products. Yongji boasts a developed and distinctive agricultural sector. According to Wei Fei, in recent years, Yongji has developed ten 10,000-acre (approximately 10,000 mu) production bases encompassing grain, grapes, winter jujubes, fresh peaches, Chinese toon, aquatic products, livestock, asparagus, Chinese yam, and lotus root, centering on the four major industries of "grain, fruit, vegetables, and livestock." The city has also established 60 standardized demonstration parks and 168 agricultural industrialization enterprises. In 2010, Yongji Asparagus and Yongji Cherries were designated "Agricultural Products with Protected Geographical Indications" by the Ministry of Agriculture; in 2023, Yongji Chinese Toon was recognized as a "National Famous, Special, and New Product" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Yongji's fishery industry accounts for half of Shanxi Province's GDP, and in 2020, it was awarded the honorary title of "National Demonstration County for Healthy Fishery Breeding." Yongji dumplings, a representative of Yongji's pasta culture, boast over 100 years of history, blending ethnic characteristics with a homely flavor, and are renowned throughout China. Furthermore, Yongji's livestock farming adheres to a scientific approach that prioritizes ecological development and promotes green development. Yongji Beef Cattle, Superman Dairy, and Suhai Broilers have achieved high-quality development through standardization and branding. Yongji products like Huichang Old Coarse Cloth, Lao Feng's Beef Sauce, and other cultural and creative products are being exported to the Middle East through cross-border e-commerce, enhancing the international visibility and competitiveness of Yongji's agricultural products. More emerging products, such as Zhongtiao Liquor, Tanchao Persimmon Vinegar, and selenium-enriched flour, are also developing.

"Through my studies in the 'Village Head Class,' I learned that New Hope Group, under the leadership of Chairman Liu Yonghao, has not only achieved strong corporate development but also placed a high priority on fulfilling its social responsibilities, building a public welfare platform, and, through branded projects, enhancing the thinking and industrial development capabilities of grassroots rural development leaders in China. Through the 'Village Head Class,' we can gather talent and resources, attract more social forces, and explore innovative paths for rural revitalization." Wei Fei stated that she will follow New Hope Group's example and benchmark, exploring ways to unite think tank talent, youth entrepreneurship alliances, and public welfare and philanthropy to contribute to Yongji's development.