A young man returns home to lead his fellow villagers onto the road of shared prosperity

In Dachengzi Town, Ningcheng County, there is a small mountain village named Jiguanshan Village because it sits near a mountain shaped like a rooster's comb. The land here covers more than 73,000 mu, of which mountainous land accounts for nearly three-quarters. The farmers have lived by farming for generations and had not escaped poverty.

In 2006, Jiguanshan Village began developing apple cultivation thanks to its unique geographical advantages. Per capita income rose from less than 2,000 yuan in the past to more than 6,000 yuan today from fruit trees alone, and apples became the farmers' main source of income. But as the fruit trees entered their full-bearing period and apple yields increased year by year, "difficulty getting around" and "difficulty selling apples" were becoming two heavy stones weighing on the hearts of Jiguanshan villagers.

Since the implementation of the "Ten Full Coverage" public-benefit project, the road into the village has been widened from a single lane to two lanes, and cement roads now reach every household's front door and the edge of the large orchards, solving the problem of poor roads. In July this year, Wang Zhiyong, the village director newly elected by the villagers, also brought hope for solving the villagers' difficulty in selling apples.

Wang Zhiyong, 32, is a villager of Jiguanshan. He left the village at 20 to make his way in the wider world, having driven a taxi, taken odd jobs, and bought and sold grain. Now his steel business is thriving. This year he returned to the village, wanting to lead everyone in developing an industry together. Speaking of why he came back, his idea was simple: "I am a child of the mountains. Going out of the mountains broadened my horizons, and I made money. I want to use my vision to help my fellow villagers turn Jiguanshan's green mountains and clear waters into real gold and silver."

Wang Zhiyong is optimistic about the village's apple industry. He believes the village's "difficulty selling apples" is related to the villagers' fixed mindset of each household growing on its own and selling in a scattered way. Last year he transferred wasteland from villagers to build a farm and plant apple trees. After it is completed, he plans to adopt a company-plus-farmers cooperation model, produce apples to a standard, and drive a shift in the farmers' concepts of care, packaging, and marketing, gradually integrating Jiguanshan Village's apples into a high-end apple brand to further open up the large market and raise its profile. At present his farm has already begun to take shape.

Wang Zhiyong also sees the potential for picking and tourism in Jiguanshan Village. "There are more than ten kinds of fruit trees here, including walnut trees, pear trees, apricot trees, and apple trees. A small river that flows year-round runs through the village. In spring there are azaleas in the mountains and apricot blossoms along the river, in summer there are mountain views, and in autumn there are bright red apples. Jiguanshan's scenery is beautiful in all four seasons." This year, the "Ten Full Coverage" project repaired the roads the villagers cared about most. The village specially built a parking lot, and also set up a calligraphy and painting art exhibition hall, a red Ningcheng photo exhibition hall, and a butterfly exhibition hall. Many more people came into the mountains than in previous years. Wang Zhiyong told reporters that this year apples sold through picking alone accounted for one quarter of the village's total apple sales.

The good start gave Wang Zhiyong even more confidence in the work ahead. Next year, Boston ivy will be planted along the base of the village walls to beautify the countryside with real scenery, and 20 more "farmhouse inns" will be opened to raise the level of tourism hospitality. Groups Four and Six are the two groups in Jiguanshan Village farthest from the central village. The hawthorns there grow especially well, and next year cement roads will also reach there. He plans to help the two groups introduce good hawthorn saplings. Hawthorns are very expensive on the market now, and this can help them increase their income too. How to help everyone get rich is something he calculates every day...