Fengxian County–A Model for China’s New Countryside

By+staff+reporters+LI+WUZHOU+&+LUO+YAO

EVERY time we travel to the countryside for an interview， we gain a new understanding of China that transcends that of large metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai. Fengxian County of Jiangsu Province offered us just that； its steps towards rural transformation and development show what can be done to help the countryside reclaim its dynamism.

Eco-agricultural Transformation

Located at a junction where the four provinces Jiangsu， Shandong， Henan and Anhui meet， Fengxian County covers an area of 1，500 square kilometers. Levee construction along the Yellow River over thousands of years meant that the once fertile land of Fengxian County was ruined by silt deposits， rendering it suitable for cultivating dry crops such as sorghum and maize only.

After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949， the locals set about to redevelop the sandy wasteland and plant fruit trees on a large scale. At present， the county has an arable land area of 76，000 hectares. Fruit trees cover more than 33，000 hectares of this， yielding about 500，000 tons of fruit annually and making it one of Chinas top 10 counties in fruit production. More importantly， the countys forestcover has reached 34 percent， which has improved the local environment and climate.

The locals made the best out of the environmental conditions and adapted their farming methods accordingly. Sandy soils have good air permeability， which is ideal for growing root vegetables. The county accordingly adjusted its plantation structure and introduced suitable foreign varieties， such as asparagus and burdock， thus developing a modern， highly efficient agriculture system. Nowadays， the county has a vegetable multiple-cropping area of over 53，000 hectares， making it Chinas second best county in vegetable cultivation. The cultivated areas of garlic shoots and onions rank first nationwide； meanwhile， the county is a national special vegetable production base for asparagus， burdock， Chinese yam， white garlic and yellow onion.

In line with modern requirements， Fengxian County has adopted an ecological agriculture structure in recent years. By enforcing standard operating procedures for pollution-free production， the county strictly controls the use of highly toxic or highly persistent pesticides during the production process. As yet， the county owns 20，000 hectares of provincially-certified production bases for pollution-free agricultural products， green food and organic food， producing more than 50 accredited organic and pollution-free agricultural products.

In an orchard in Taolou Village of Huashan Town， apples are wrapped in plastic bags while still on the tree. “These fruits are packed like this from an early stage in their growth so that no pesti-cide can be sprayed on the peel – so you can eat them straight away，” said Dong Liangfen， a female orchard worker who then plucked an apple from its plastic wrapping and ate it without washing it first. According to her， the orchard seldom uses pesticides， but rather biological control techniques and organic fertilizers. All these measures have paid off well： The price of these apples is higher and the orchards income is more than RMB 150，000 per hectare.

Inside a sizable vegetable greenhouse in Xinghua Village of Huashan Town， flypaper and light traps hang everywhere to catch pests. According to Zhou Sixian， a technician from Shouguang， Chinas “Vegetable Town，” responsible for 30 greenhouses in Xinghua Village by special invitation， vegetables here are sprayed with only a small quantity of ecological pesticide with negligible residue. “Although this type of pesticide is not cheap， compared to conventional pesticides， it demands less usage volume and can save labor costs， so the total costs between them are the same，” Zhou said. “Since the vegetables are directly supplied to chain stores， they sell pretty well，” he added.

Developing Green Industries

Although Fengxian County has a population of 1.1 million only， it is one of the top 100 small and medium-sized cities with the most investment potential in China. One reason is that this typical agricultural county is close to several transport channels， less than 100 kilometers from significant rail routes like the Lianyungang-Lanzhou， Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Kowloon lines. More importantly， the county has formed an industrial hub that prioritizes green industries.

The electric tricycle is one of the countys trademarks. The 2012 sales volume of this vehicle made in Fengxian outnumbered three million， accounting for 70 percent of the national market share and making Fengxian County Chinas largest electric tricycle production and research base.

Developed from the diesel and push tricycles of the past， the electric tricycle is a green vehicle with Chinese characteristics. With a load capacity of 500 kilograms and a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour， the tricycle can cover 60 kilometers once fully charged. Besides， the recharge rate is only 20 percent of oil costs， so it is quite popular among rural families on a modest income， and an ideal means of transporting farm products to the market or visiting relatives and friends.

Fengxian County has more than 400 enterprises manufacturing tricycles and accessories with a total sales revenue of RMB 15 billion per year， which are supported by the local government. An electric tricycle industry chain， from raw material processing to semi-finished product， end product， logistics and marketing， has taken shape.

Some leading enterprises， such as Sulida， have developed upgraded products like mini mail cars and fire engines that can access crowded streets， which have received orders from big cities like Shanghai. Other companies products are exported to developing countries such as Pakistan， the Philippines， Indonesia and Zambia.

In the county， most new investment projects are related to green industries； a joint project with Mengniu Dairy serves as a model.

Thanks to the afforestation drives since the 1950s， the countys living wood growing stock has reached 1.3 million cubic meters. Therefore， the wood processing industry has become a pillar of the countys industrial economy. In the past when wooden molding was popular in decoration， related products made in Fengxian County occupied 70 percent of the Beijing market. Now， the county cooperates with large leading enterprises like Jilin Forest Industry Group to produce blockboard and chipboard， which still accounts for more than one third of Beijings market.

Wood processing also boosts the growth of related industries， such as board purchase and sale， transportation and wood pulping. Turning “waste” into wealth – even tree roots and branches can be processed in the county – effectively prolongs the wood processing industry chain. Currently over 3，000 wood processing enterprises settle in the county with their annual output value topping RMB 2.1 billion， accounting for one third of the countys gross value of production.

As the hometown of Liu Bang， the founder and first emperor of the Han Dynasty （202 BC-AD 220）， and a key scenic spot of Han culture， Fengxian County has numerous sites of Han Dynasty heritage including the ancestral mausoleum of Liu Bang. The county has also maintained a number of traditional customs， such as sugar and dough figure sculpture， suona horn playing （a woodwind instrument）， and wushu displays （a type of martial art）， making it an ideal place to appreciate folk culture. In addition， the abundance of ecological orchards and vegetable greenhouses make the county a great get-away location for city dwellers to relieve the pressures of urban life and enjoy the countryside. These attractions have shaped tourism into a new pillar of green industry for the county. During our stay， we observed numerous other tourism projects in progress， demonstrating the countys clear ambition to develop its tourism industry.

Creating a Desirable Lifestyle

In Fengxian County， the sense of innovation and zeal among the people and the authorities to change the status quo of rural life is palpable.

Soon after entering Xuzhou， a key city of Jiangsu， a well-arranged development zone can be seen on the right side of the road. New modern buildings and those under construction shadowed by trees， as well as ribbons of landscape create a striking picture.

In fact， signs of building habitable communities can be found in every village and town of Fengxian County. Take Liangzhai Town for example： The main street has been broadened to 50 meters， buildings along the street retain an antique beauty， even the trees on the sidewalks are precious species and grow in attractive shapes. In addition， a 1.5-square-kilometer lakeside park is under construction. According to Wang Lei， secretary of Liangzhai Town Party Committee， a number of construction projects， including a wetland park and an applepicking garden， will be built in the town. These new amenities will not only improve the local environment， but also attract agritourists to the area for a slice of pastoral life.

Nearby Xinghua Village is a new conglomerate of four villages housing about 1，000 families in total. As well as saving land in this way， the move to merge these villages has produced a financial reward. According to a regional policy， the local community will be awarded RMB 1.5 million for every one hectare of land saved. The creation of Xinghua Village saved 20 hectares of land thereby generating a return of RMB 30 million. Earmarked for the construction of affordable housing for the villagers， it enabled each family to acquire a new home for just RMB 20，000.

Modern buildings， top-notch facilities and beautiful scenery are all very well； but the pressing question is， under this shiny exterior， are the local people happy？

Since Chinas reform and opening- up in 1978， rural areas have been confronted by increasingly severe social problems. To seek more job opportunities and better wages， a multitude of young men from rural areas have moved to economically developed coastal areas for work， leaving women， children and the aged at home. As a result， problems like long-term family separation， failing childrens education， and large numbers of “empty-nest elderly” have caused numerous social issues such as family breakdown， increased accidents amongst children and mental health problems.

Fengxian County is making great efforts to solve these problems. To develop the local economy， the county is trying to win back locals who currently work elsewhere by offering decent pay packages and better public services， so that they have no need to stay in unfamiliar territory forever.

Sulida and Baishili， two local manufacturers of electric tricycles， both employ more than 500 local people； even skilled technical posts are filled by local workers. After receiving basic training， assemblers can earn about RMB 3，000 per month， which is close to the salary of a migrant worker in the coastal cities. The monthly pay of a welder is RMB 6，000， which equals that of a whitecollar employee in Beijings state-owned institutions. Some experienced workers can earn RMB 8，000 per month， rivaling the pay of department directors in governmental agencies of Beijing and Shanghai.

The countys electric automobile industry has employed more than 40，000 local people， while employees working in the regions wood-processing industry have exceeded 100，000 people， each on an average monthly salary of RMB 2，000-3，000. Enticed by more attractive job prospects at home， most locals who left to work elsewhere have returned to the county for employment.

In addition， controlled-environment agriculture （CEA）such as greenhouse vegetable cultivation has attracted a large labor force. After renting some land from local farmers， Liu Daofeng， a resident of the county town， built 30 greenhouses in Xinghua Village and hired 50 farmers to work there. A farmer can earn around RMB 30，000 per hectare annually through leasing land to greenhouse farming contractors （the financial yield through growing grain is only RMB 12，000 per hectare）. Moreover， one can earn roughly RMB 1，500 per month working in a greenhouse. Currently， about half the villages 135-hectare cultivated land has been transferred to contractors by this method.

Although the total area of Xinghua Village has decreased by 10 hectares， the average living space per person has reached 40 square meters thanks to the construction of four-story residential buildings. Besides fine gardens， the residential area is served with a kindergarten， supermarket， restaurant and fiber-optic network. Public security and cleaning services are free to use.

In addition to benefiting from modernization， residents there can still carry out traditional farm work. There are public warehouses for them to store agricultural equipment， auditoriums to hold public meetings， weddings or funerals， and whats more， to a certain extent， residents are free to choose their neighbors； relatives and friends can live near each other， making it more convenient to visit or help.

The village has also made headway in environmental protection schemes. It has its own sewage treatment works， and a government-funded methane-generating plant is under construction that will produce combustible gas from straw， rice husk and wood remnants to satisfy the living needs of the entire village. By the time the plant is operating， farmers will no longer need to burn their waste but can sell it to the methane-generating plant instead. This will both increase their income and reduce environmental pollution.

Such a village serves as inspiration for the entire nation to build new， sustainable countryside.