Global Youths in Pengshui: Decoding Sustainable Development on Ecology, Culture and Economy

Chongqing - The "Read the World through Pages and Miles" Youth Exchange Program has brought a delegation of youths from Belt and Road Initiative countries to Chongqing's Pengshui. Through an immersive journey, the group explored the region's development model, which intertwines ecological preservation, cultural heritage, and economic innovation.

Green transformation of the Wujiang River

The Wujiang River, once a vital passage for salt transport from Sichuan to Guizhou, showcases the unique karst landscapes and Bayu culture. The youths began their journey by capturing the most captivating color of the Wujiang River in their eyes.

Professor Meng Fanjun from Southwest University, acting as a cultural guide, explained that this waterway was once called "Milk River", due to heavy pollution with excessive total phosphorus that hindered fish growth. Through methods like shutting down polluting enterprises and constructing water treatment plants, the Wujiang River has been transformed, with 1200 square kilometers of its ecosystem now restored.

Hands-on cultural heritage experience

The cultural chapter began as the youths were greeted by the Miao people's traditional ceremony, during which Miao women offered "welcome liquor", and deepened with a lively Miao wedding reenactment. "In Africa, we also have all kinds of dance, but during the wedding, we dance in a different way", said Ekene Francis Okagbue from Nigeria, reflecting on the unique cultural expressions as he participated in the traditional bamboo dance.

The exploration of living heritage continued at the Pengshui Vocational Education Center, an intangible cultural heritage inheritance and education base of Chongqing. Under the guidance, the global youths tried their hands at crafts, engaging in paper cutting of the character fu (meaning good fortune) and experimenting with wax batik to create patterns depicting symbols of the Miao ancestor Chiyou.

Economic code of the sweet potato industry

Stepping into the factory of Chongqing MiaoShu Agricultural Company, the automatic production machines lined before the youths. Ma Hongyan, a staff member of this company, noted that the quality line of sweet potato noodles has already reached export grade and are now expanding into new international markets like Southeast Asia. Witnessing this blend of agricultural science and rural revitalization, the visit also inspired some to consider its potential back home. "If I were to promote it to my country and specifically my hometown, because in my hometown we eat spicy food a lot, this will be the best option", said Abbas Jihad from Algeria.

By centering on three pillars, the Wujiang River, intangible cultural heritage of the Miao ethnic group, and the industry development, the program presented a significant case study of sustainable rural revitalization in Western China.