Young people in Daxing District return to their hometowns to start businesses, driving villagers to increase income and become prosperous

Xiaoheifa Village in Changziying Town, Daxing District, is bustling with activity. In the forest beside the village, villagers have been busy in recent days weeding and turning the soil, preparing to introduce edible fungi cultivation next year.

"This more than 2,000 mu of plain afforestation is our treasure for getting rich," said Han Sen, the village Party secretary. It is this post-80s generation man who has led the barren little village onto the road to prosperity.

After graduating from secondary school, Han Sen had a stable job in the city. Later, his father asked him to return to the village to take over the family's meat pigeon farm. But when he saw the barren village, he changed his mind. In 2013, he switched careers to serve as a village Party committee member, wanting to do something practical for the villagers. "So young, can he handle it?" Giving up the meat pigeon farm to take on all this, the villagers all called him "foolish."

Calling him foolish made sense. Xiaoheifa Village has a population of more than 1,100, with the elderly accounting for 22%, and as many as 120 disabled people. Young people basically all go out to work, there is a lack of labor, and the village has no industry at all. The per capita annual income is only more than 6,000 yuan, making it one of only two low-income villages in the entire town.

"If only my family is rich, that doesn't count as rich. Only when all the villagers are rich does it count as rich. I must develop Xiaoheifa Village well and put money in the farmers' pockets." In the second year after taking office as a village Party committee member, more than 2,400 mu of plain afforestation was carried out in the village. Han Sen saw the potential of under-forest economy and cooperated with an enterprise to plant marigolds. However, the villagers had no confidence about planting chrysanthemums. Han Sen went door to door to persuade them, wearing out plenty of talk. "We signed a planting contract with the enterprise, got 350,000 yuan in credit first to provide seedlings to the village, the village provides labor, and after maturity the enterprise purchases on order. The benefits are high and the risks are small." Han Sen said that after much persuasion, 39 villagers gradually came to work in the fields.

"The village collective had 900,000 yuan in debt at the time, and then another 350,000 yuan was added. If we couldn't make money, I would have to bear the responsibility." Young Han Sen felt the burden on his shoulders was very heavy. Every day he got up early and worked in the fields with everyone under the blazing sun. Whenever the weather changed slightly, he would suffer insomnia all night, afraid of encountering natural disasters. In the harvest season, the patches of chrysanthemums were not only bought back by the enterprise, but also increased the income of more than 50 villagers by more than 8,000 yuan each.

In addition to the under-forest economy, that same year Han Sen also used the village's abandoned fish ponds to build a wetland park and held a wetland walking event attended by more than 1,000 people. Many urban residents signed up to participate, and Xiaoheifa Village quickly became famous.

At the end of last year, Han Sen's efforts won the trust of the villagers, and he was elected village Party secretary by a unanimous vote. After taking office, Han Sen also opened a restaurant for the elderly, a library, and so on, built a collective cemetery, widened the village's main road, and gave the village a completely new look, showing the villagers a promising young leader.

"The under-forest marigolds were only an exploration. Next year, the village will also invest 5 million yuan to plant enoki mushrooms, large-leaf mushrooms and other more profitable fungi under the forest, attracting urban residents to come to the countryside to pick mushrooms and enjoy the scenery, and fight a turnaround battle for prosperity." Han Sen has not given up his original ideals and beliefs.