Editor's Note: 
China Rural Revitalization magazine has published a series of articles on the rapid development and transformation of rural China. TheMKsports articles reflect the arduous efforts of rural revitalization across the country, which is an important and genuine solution to China's rural economic development. In the future, articles selected from this series will be published.

A street view of Xitianpo zhuangtai, Limin village of Funan county, Fuyang, East China's Anhui Province Photo: Courtesy of China Rural Revitalization magazine

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited flood-stricken residents in East China's Anhui Province in August 2020, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

While visiting Funan county in the city of Fuyang, Xi checked the water situation of the Huaihe River and learned about local measures for flood control, disaster relief and post-flood production recovery. He also visited and consoled those affected by floods.

"I am very concerned about the flood-affected people and came specially to visit our fellow villagers this time. I am relieved to see your life gradually returning to normal with the help of the Party committee and the government and your own efforts to actively engage in production," Xi told villagers.

Better infrastructure

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 2012, led by the local government and Party committee, the Mengwa flood storage area located in Funan county has developed a flood prevention forecasting and warning system, as well as a drainage engineering network, ensuring the area did not experience flooding during heavy rainfalls in 2016 and 2017, which effectively minimized the losses caused by flooding. 

Local "zhuangtai" is a residential structure built on raised ground with higher elevation that functions as a safe haven from river floods. With the construction of flooding prevention facilities, the infrastructure of Xitianpo zhuangtai in Funan was significantly improved. 

Mengwa central water treatment plant was put into operation in 2019, which marked the end of residents' lack of clean water even if near the Huaihe River, and 195,000 local residents now have access to clean and safe tap water.

As of 2020, Funan county had completed construction and renovation of 54 centralized safe drinking water supply projects. The total population served by the water supply project in the county increased from about 150,000 in 2011 to 1.54 million in 2020, with coverage rates for rural tap water rising from merely 9 percent to 100 percent now.

In 2023, following feedback from local residents and a decision by the villagers' representative meeting, Party branch of Limin village, Caoji town in Funan, invested 360,000 yuan to pave and upgrade their alleyways. In addition, a total of 180 mu(12 hectares) of land were re-cultivated to ensure sufficient planting areas and bolster local residents' income. 

River of wealth

Building up industries is the cornerstone of rural revitalization. Only with thriving industries can local people's life becomes increasingly prosperous.

Today, in the flood storage area, water-related challenges have been turned into advantages, creating adaptive water-based industrial zones such as aquatic crops, ecological farming, and waterfowl breeding. 

Aquatic crop plantations, particularly lotus root and gorgon fruit, now span 45,000 mu, while the integrated rice-fish farming area reaches 28,000 mu.

In addition to enhancing local agriculture, Limin village has actively developed secondary industries. Leveraging unused land, the village has established agricultural produce processing plants for premium rice, edible oil, and lotus root, enabling the full industrial chain development of planting, cold storage, processing, and sales.

Regarding the tertiary industry, Limin village has tapped into local cultural and natural resources, including 2.3 kilometers of Huai River embankments, 500 muof wetland, and seven zhuangtais, to promote rural tourism. 

A view of gorgon fruit planting base in Limin village Photo: Courtesy of China Rural Revitalization magazine

In 2023, at the Xitianpo zhuangtai alone, the village and local residents jointly invested in a rural homestay and a 50-muleisure fishing center, which is able to meet the demand of more than 80,000 tourists in a year. 

In the same year, Limin village registered Xitianpo Ecological Agriculture Co, and established Xitianpo tourists center and agricultural products sales center. 

With the expanding scale of the business, the sources of merchandise sold in the aforementioned two service centers now cover the entire Funan county. 

Additionally, the two service centers offer locally featured cultural and creative products available both online and offline, creating a new source of income for the village. 

Secured employment

Comprehensive and sustainable rural revitalization relies on creating more job opportunities for local residents. 

For instance, Caoji town's industrial zone spans approximately 160 muof land and is one of the five key economic zones in Funan county.

The zone is home to 22 enterprises, focusing on willow wood processing, textiles and apparel, and green food production, including 10 large-scale enterprises with a combined annual output value of 210 million yuan.

Guo Liqiang from Limin village came back to his village after witnessing the rapid development of his birth place. In April of 2023, Guo started his new career after studying crown daisy growing skills, and formed a planting group comprising with 17 local residents with average daily salary reaching 80 yuan now.