Villagers in NW China's Qinghai march toward prosperity through fish breeding, embroidery

Xiakou village in Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong city, is located 160 kilometers east of Xining, the capital city of northwest China's Qinghai Province. The village boasts neatly arranged houses with white walls and blue tiles, and well-maintained cement roads. A canyon winds through the village, glistening under the sunlight and its surrounding mountains, water, and farmland create a picturesque rural landscape.

Photo shows the glistening water of a winding canyon that flows through Xiakou village in Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)

Xiakou village has eight communities and 254 households, with a population of 938. The villagers primarily rely on income from migrant work, farming, and fish breeding.

"In the past, we didn't know which industries the village could develop," said Zhang Xiaoqiang, Party chief of Zhongchuan township, Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County.

After learning from the successful practices of other villages in the province that had cultivated prosperous industries of their own, Xiakou village finally decided to develop distinctive agricultural and fish breeding industries, with a focus on the industrialization of cold water fish farming.

Small rainbow trout fry swim in the water in Xiakou village, Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)

The Zhongchuan township cold water fish farming base is a collaborative industry shared by Meiyi, Xiakou, and Pange villages. Spanning an area of 10 hectares, the base was established with an investment of 14.17 million yuan (approximately $1.97 million).

According to Zhang, the base's first phase of standardized breeding workshops began operations in May this year. Initially, the base produced 14,600 fry, followed by an additional 49,700 ranging in weight from 20 grams to 100 grams.

A staff member feeds fish inside a cold water fish farming base in Zhongchuan township, Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)

"Due to a lack of technology and experience, we faced many challenges at first, including high fry mortality rates," explained Zhang. To address these issues, they organized breeding personnel to conduct feasibility studies, aiming to minimize risks during the breeding process.

"Through continuous learning, exploration, and accumulation of experience, we have achieved the current results. We are confident that the investment will be recouped within four years through full production," Zhang said.

In the comprehensive service center of Xiakou village, there is an embroidery workshop. Inside its exhibition hall, one can find a wide variety of exquisite embroidered products, while skilled embroiderers can be seen diligently working on their needlework.

An embroiderer is busy with needlework. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)

"I'm almost 60 years old. By doing some needlework in the embroidery workshop, I can earn over 30,000 yuan a year," said Qiao Xiuying, an embroiderer of the Tu ethnic group.

Qiao is employed by a clothing company established by Wen Qinghua, a female entrepreneur. In recent years, an increasing number of embroiderers, including Qiao, have been able to manage their household chores while doing needlework in Wen's workshop.

Wen Qinghua (right), instructs an embroiderer in her workshop. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)

Wen, a woman of the Tu ethnic group from Zhongchuan township, has cultivated a deep love for embroidery and making ethnic clothing since she was young. With the guidance of her grandmother and mother, she has reached an exceptional level of craftsmanship.

Twenty years ago, Wen established a workshop that specialized in Tu ethnic embroidery and clothing. In 2015, she was recognized as a municipal-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Tu ethnic clothing in Haidong city.

In 2020, Wen took another significant step in preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage by founding a clothing company. Through her company, she has provided employment opportunities to over 60 skilled embroiderers, enabling these talented women to boost their incomes through working in her embroidery and clothing workshop.

Women employed in the workshop on a long-term basis can earn over 3,000 yuan per month, according to Wen. Temporary workers are paid based on the amount of work completed.

Wen's embroidery and clothing workshop serves as a representation of the preservation and advancement of intangible cultural heritage in Zhongchuan township.

According to data from the Zhongchuan township government, there are currently six large-scale embroidery workshops and nine small-scale embroidery workshops in the township, employing over 400 embroiderers in total.

Photo shows Xiakou village in Zhongchuan township, Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liping)