Villages forge ahead with rural revitalization program

Anning, the only county-level city in Kunming, Yunnan province, this year plans to implement its rural revitalization program in an allaround way, local officials said.

Farmers pick roses at a plantation in the city. CHINA DAILY

It will meet its goals by consolidating and expanding on the achievements made in poverty alleviation, speeding up the training of farmers, promoting e-commerce and the real economy in agriculture and improving rural living environment, according to the government.

The city also aims to become a model for innovative rural governance nationwide.

"Anning has made great efforts to revitalize industries, culture, ecology and human resources in rural areas in recent years, in a bid to realize its strategic goals of establishing a regional economic corridor and becoming a pacesetter of high-quality development among China's western counties and cities," said Liu Guangyao, head of the Anning bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

Last year, the bureau paid special attention to building a modern agricultural management, production and marketing system to develop top-flight products and industrial brands with local characteristics. It also established several demonstration areas for rural tourism that highlight natural landscapes, rural scenery and special farm products, integrating the development of agriculture and tourism, Liu added.

Remarkable achievements have been made during the process. In 2020, 12 products gained green food certification and 32 products gained pollution-free certification in Anning.

Plantations for edible rose in the city exceeds 9,000 hectares, and have an industrial output value surpassing 50 million yuan ($7.76 million). As a result, Anning has been recognized as an advantageous zone for planting edible rose products, such as rose tea and rose cakes, in Yunnan.

The city also has 102 hectares of area for picking blueberries.

The annual online sales volume of Anning's key agricultural products such as red pears, edible rose products, blueberries and kiwi fruit has reached nearly 12 million yuan.

The city government last year invested 120 million yuan in 39 projects directly related to rural revitalization. One of them is the continual improvement of the living environment in towns and villages, including building sewage treatment facilities and public toilets.

Environmental issues in 281 villages have been solved and the living environment of 311 villages has been significantly improved, Liu said.

The Anning government also aims to improve the city's business environment this year. Streamlined administrative procedures will improve the comprehensive service level of government affairs, Liu said, adding that one-stop services at government service halls will also be promoted.

New growth engines will be fostered and more detailed support policies designed for small and medium-sized companies will be issued. A group of projects centering on new infrastructure, new equipment manufacturing, copper smelting and deep processing, biomedicine and ecological protection will be carried out, according to the city government.

Moreover, Anning will strengthen protection and utilization of its cultural heritage to promote cultural tourism.

The city, serving as a link between Kunming and eight prefectures and cities in western Yunnan, boasts rich natural and cultural resources, such as hot springs and historical buildings. One of the historical sites is Yaocen Pavilion, where Yang Shen, a zhuangyuan scholar during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), gave lectures for years. The title of zhuangyuan is given to the scholar who achieved the highest score in the Chinese imperial examinations.