Yaozhi River Village (8)

As the border area to Fang County, Shennongjia and Baokang County, Yaozhihe Village is 32 kilometers away from Maqiao Town and 147 kilometers away from Baokang County. There are 669 villagers living in 164 households of the village which can be divided into four administrative groups. Among its total territory of 33.4 square kilometers, 1,400 mu are fertile land for agricultural purpose. With an average elevation of 1,650 meters, the village is surrounded by towering mountains. Sayings like “prepare to climb whenever you walk in this mountainous area”, and “snow linger long till April and frost comes early in August” are accurate portrayal of natural conditions here. Villagers here still led an appalling poverty life here in 1988 – “rationed food, worn-out clothes, kerosene lamp and thatched cottage are what they have for survival”. Back then, villagers there made do with less 150 kilograms of grain and less than RMB300 on a yearly basis. They gained access to neither road nor electricity. However, Yaozhihe Village people did not surrender to or flinch from fate. People here, under the leadership of Party Committee of the village, fought against wretched living environment. With relentless willpower and determination, they built road through mountains, blast rocks to seek minerals, build dam to generate electricity, and set up factories along fields. After decades of concerted efforts and quick development, the village threw away the shackle of poverty, creating a miracle seemingly beyond the reach of an impoverished, remote and frigid village. In 1998, the village jumped to be the richest village in Baokang County, and it was listed among the top 500 villages in Hubei Province. As of 2007, the village secured a gross industrial and agricultural output up to RMB320 million, a collective fixed assets worth of RMB600 million, with per capita net income hitting RMB5,100. Backed with powerful economic strength, people have lived a happy life here. More than 70% of residents in the village have moved to storied houses or even villas. The village as a whole has bid a farewell to poverty as a “seven access and eight void” village, namely access to road, electricity, water, radio, TV signal, telecommunication, bus and void of mass burden, criminal case, unplanned birth, mass petition, dropout children, superstition activity, illegal preach, pornography, gamble and drug. Leaders of the Party Committee of the village are frequent award-winners like “Advanced Grass-roots Party Organization”, and “Party Committee of Village Excellent in Five Aspects”. Sun Kailin, Party Secretary of the village, has been successively awarded as Excellent Party Worker, National Model Worker, National Rural Excellent Talent, National Top Ten Excellent Village Official, Top Ten Excellent Youth in Hubei Province, Excellent Communist, Top Ten Village Party Secretary, and been selected as representative to the Ninth Hubei Province People’s Congress, the Eighth Congress of Party Representatives, and the Tenth National People’s Congress. His stories has been widely covered by many party newspapers, magazines and TV stations like Truth Seeking, Chinese People, People’s Daily, and CCTV. The village has grown from a poverty-stricken and backward village to a civilized, open-minded and rich village with diversified economic pattern. Now, people in the village are striding along the path towards socialist new countryside.