The improvement of the rural living environment is a tough battle in implementing the rural revitalization strategy. It requires the government’s moves to create an eco-friendly and livable environment, villagers’ consciousness to improve their houses’ surroundings, as well as cooperation and support from all sectors of society.

Experience from Youting Town

The living environment of Fuxing Village was terrible in the past, with black water pits in different sizes near hundreds of villagers’ houses. However, they care less about this. Last year, a publicity campaign on the improvement of the rural living environment was launched in Youting Town, where villagers didn’t think much of it.

Xiao Jun, head of Youting Town, said that an appraisal activity about cleaning the house, courtyard, and surroundings was carried out across the town, gradually making villagers come round.

Notably, a unique plan about developing the garden-based courtyard economy involving fruits, vegetables, flowers, and bamboos was made to tackle problems of black water pits, foul land, and garbage dumps, thus laying a foundation for developing rural leisure sightseeing tourism.

As a rapid response, Yu Wenguang turned his 100m² black water pit into a small garden with fruits and flowers. “In this about 2,000m² garden, there are mandarin and waxberry trees and dozens of free-range chickens. The fruits can generate 3,000 yuan of annual income after their harvest,” said Yu.

The “return” from a good-hearted person

Several years ago, Xue Fangquan, a successful private entrepreneur from Weisi Village, donated six million yuan for improving the living environment across the village and provided financial support for villagers living in scattered areas to help them build new villages. He also hopes to introduce the relevant regulations of urban property companies, thus assisting villagers in developing good health habits.

“Our new farmer village has become the most beautiful scenery here!” said Lin Guangxian, director of the village committee. This year, thanks to Xue Fangquan’s donation, street lamps, and leisure chairs have been installed, and landscape trees have been planted in the village. “Our homes become increasingly beautiful. I can see that villagers take the initiative to raise chickens and ducks and carry out garbage classification. That means they have developed a habit of keeping the living environment clean and beautiful.”

Collective economic organizations have played a significant role in improving the living environment.

The Fangniu Village in Nanshan Street, Nan’an District, where Chongqing Nanshan National Forest Park is located, has ushered in a major transformation since the end of last year. An investment of 1.5 million yuan was used for more than 1,100-meter sewage pipes and one million yuan for over ten kinds of plants, including jacaranda, oriental cherry, and peach blossom.

The head of the village proudly introduced that most of the 521 households make money mainly from planting and selling flowers and trees, bonsai, as well as a homestay. There are more than 20 boutique homestays. The village generated a total tourism turnover of 50 million yuan last year.

Of the 700,000 yuan of the village’s collective economic income last year, a total of 300,000 yuan was spent on improving the living environment. The head of the village introduced that the environment here is becoming increasingly beautiful, thus drawing more tourists. The rent of villagers’ houses has doubled or tripled compared with three years ago, and the sales of the agricultural industry have also doubled.