Leading the Way | From “Impoverished Mountain Village” to “Green, Prosperous, and Beautiful”

Release time:2022-10-14

Leading the Way | From “Poverty-Stricken Village” to “Green, Prosperous, and Beautiful” Amidst rolling green hills and murmuring streams, Xiajiang Village, located in western Zhejiang Province, has become a well-known “internet-famous village.” It proudly holds numerous titles, including National Civilized Village and Town, China’s Beautiful Leisurely Rural Area, and National Demonstration Village for Rural Governance. On November 9, 2017, the villagers of Xiajiang received a special gift—the General Secretary Xi Jinping personally signed and sent them a first-day cover from the 19th National Congress. This was a heartfelt gesture from the General Secretary himself. As a grassroots contact point during Xi Jinping’s tenure in Zhejiang, Xiajiang Village, under his direct guidance, has successfully transformed itself from a “poverty-stricken village” into a “green, prosperous, and beautiful” one. Back in April 2003, then-Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, Xi Jinping, visited Xiajiang Village for an inspection and pinpointed the crux of the village’s struggle to achieve prosperity: “We have failed to pursue high-quality, efficient development and differentiated growth.” Since then, the cadres and villagers of Xiajiang have adapted to local conditions, vigorously developing specialty agriculture, opening farmhouses for tourism, promoting eco-tourism, and cultivating sightseeing agriculture. As a result, the local economy has undergone a dramatic transformation, making Xiajiang a renowned leader in rural revitalization. In 2017, the per capita disposable income of Xiajiang’s permanent residents reached 27,045 yuan—a 12.56-fold increase from the 2,154 yuan recorded in 2001. By helping those who are already prosperous lead the way for others, Xiajiang is steadily advancing toward common prosperity and placing great emphasis on “shared benefits.” In 2019, Xiajiang Village, together with more than 20 neighboring villages, officially established the “Greater Xiajiang” Rural Revitalization Consortium. Through joint platform building, resource sharing, collaborative industrial development, and co-creation of brands, the consortium has pooled development resources and driven shared prosperity. With Xiajiang Village serving as the central hub, all villages have joined forces through cooperative development, not only addressing the challenges of small size and limited projects but also establishing a unified production, processing, and sales chain through specialized division of labor among the villages. In 2021, the per capita income of villagers in “Greater Xiajiang” grew by over 10% year-on-year. From “Xiajiang” to “Greater Xiajiang,” from “one village becoming prosperous” to “every village thriving,” Xiajiang Village is writing a grand chapter of rural revitalization—“helping those who are better off assist those less fortunate, and achieving shared prosperity across regions.” Editor-in-Chief: Wei Xiaoyu_1042

Leading the Way | From “Poor Mountain Village” to “Green, Prosperous, and Beautiful”

With rolling green hills and murmuring streams, Xiajiang Village in western Zhejiang is a locally renowned “internet-famous village,” boasting numerous prestigious titles including National Civilized Village and Town, China’s Beautiful Leisure Village, and National Demonstration Village for Rural Governance.

On November 9, 2017, the villagers of Xiajiang Village received a special gift—the General Secretary Xi Jinping sent them a first-day cover of the 19th National Congress, personally signed by him. This was a heartfelt gesture from the General Secretary. As a grassroots contact point during Xi Jinping’s tenure in Zhejiang, Xiajiang Village, under his personal guidance, has successfully embarked on a remarkable journey—from being a “poor mountain village” to becoming a “green, prosperous, and beautiful” community.

As early as April 2003, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, visited Xiajiang Village for a research visit and pointed out the crux of the problem hindering Xiajiang Village’s path to prosperity: “The village has failed to achieve high-quality, efficient development and differentiated growth.”

Since then, the village officials and residents of Xiajiang have leveraged local conditions to vigorously develop specialty agriculture, launch farm-stay businesses, promote eco-tourism, and cultivate sightseeing agriculture. As a result, the local economy has undergone a dramatic transformation, making Xiajiang a well-known leader in rural revitalization. In 2017, the per capita disposable income of Xiajiang’s permanent residents reached 27,045 yuan, a 12.56-fold increase from the 2,154 yuan recorded in 2001.

By helping those who become prosperous first to lead the way for others, and by embarking on the path toward common prosperity, Xiajiang Village is putting great effort into “sharing.” In 2019, Xiajiang Village, together with more than 20 neighboring villages, officially established the “Greater Xiajiang” Rural Revitalization Consortium. Through joint platform development, shared resources, collaborative industrial growth, and co-creation of brands, the consortium pools development resources in a concentrated manner, thereby driving common prosperity.

With Xiajiang Village serving as the central entry point, the villages have adopted a collaborative development approach. This not only addresses the challenges of small village sizes and limited project opportunities but also enables them to form an integrated development chain—covering production, processing, and sales—through division of labor and cooperation among the villages. In 2021, the per capita income of Xiajiang villagers increased by more than 10% year-on-year.

From “Xiajiang” to “Da Xiajiang,” and from “one village becoming prosperous” to “every village becoming prosperous,” Xiajiang Village is now writing a grand chapter of rural revitalization—“the well-off helping the less well-off, and regions achieving shared prosperity.”