The Miraculous Turnaround of Daxi Village

Daxi Village,located in the city of Yidu in southwest Hubei Province,is enclosed by mountains and marked by a long and narrow terrain of 31.2 square kilometers.It is the largest village in Yidu’s Honghuatao Town.On June 17,2020,we drove along a winding road,in and out of the rolling hills and flourishing green landscape,to visit Daxi.We were taken aback by the gorgeous view in the remote mountainous area when we arrived and beheld such a tranquil and peaceful village in front of us.Many recentlyconstructed southern-styled structures characterized by black roof tiles and white walls sprung up into our eyes.

“Three years ago,Daxi was listed as a provincial povertystricken village,” smiled Chen Changhong,secretary of the village administration.“But now it has emerged as a model village in Hubei Province in the implementation of the Beautiful Countryside Project.”

112 villagers lifted out of poverty

Daxi Village has a weak foundation for industrial development for its small population and backward location in the rugged mountains of Hubei.“It wasn’t that long ago that the whole village had 291 families with a population of 866,and 112 villagers from 43 families were living in abject poverty,” he recalled.

Lin Yusen,58,a villager of Group 5,used to live in the deep recesses of the mountain,15 kilometers away from the village administration.With muddy paths and rocky roads,the treacherous road conditions hindered the local bamboo and tangerine industries.Generations of villagers toiled in the barren fields,scratching out a meager existence trying to farm the sterile,rocky land.A whole year of intensive labor only brought in a minimal income.In 2015,the Lin family was rated as an impoverished family.

In October 2016,Lin and his family were relocated to the poverty alleviation settlement of the village.Lin was assigned a job at the village fish farm,with a monthly wage of 2,300 yuan.His wife,who works as a cleaner,brings in an additional 250 yuan per month.Plus land transfer fees of 2,600 yuan per year for his 4-mu (0.66-acre) lot,an annual dividend of 600 yuan,and a yearly subsidy of 3,800 yuan from the photovoltaic project.“My salary now equals to my family’s previous yearly income,” Lin beamed.

Lin’s family has been better offsince they moved out of the remote mountain.Their bright,spacious new house,with one living room and two bedrooms,is on par with the more well-to-do residents in the city.It is well furnished and equipped with household appliances such as a flat panel television and a refrigerator.And they even bought a motorcycle which can park right at the front gate.

In 2017,all of the 112 impoverished households,like Lin’s family in Daxi Village were lifted out of poverty.

Happiness and prosperity packed into lingzhi mushrooms

Industrialization and systematization are the keys to rural development.the village administration proposed that the mountains behind us should be the source of industrial development we rely on.In September 2017,the Yidu Yu Nong Ecological Agricultural Cooperative was founded in Daxi Village It completed 50 standardized greenhouses on approximately 35 mu (5.8 acres)of transferred land beyond Daxi Sturgeon Valley and Longdongwan to plant morels.

Fang Binghua,head of the cooperative,said that they produced dry morels with an annual output of 300 kilograms,generating revenues of about 150,000 yuan.Every year,business in the area added 15,000 yuan in per capita income and a yearly dividend of 20,000 yuan for poverty-stricken families.

Morels were planted one season per year and harvested at the end of March.Then,the greenhouses were left unoccupied for eight months.So the cooperative decided to introduce 100,000 lingzhi mushrooms(also called Ganoderma lingzhi and reishi,a kind of genus Ganoderma) for trial cultivation,which finally proved a success.

In one of the farms,we were attracted by the flourishing field where the meaty,golden-lined lingzhi mushrooms emerged from the fertile soil like open umbrellas.According to Zou Shengqiao,an agricultural technician,farmers can get a triple harvest of the mushrooms per annum—with three consecutive harvests on the same land in the same year.Besides planting lingzhi mushrooms as a medical herb,the cooperative has also developed them as bonsai plants to enhance their added value.

中国湖北省西部宜昌市的大溪村，四面环山，地形狭长，占地面积31.2 平方公里，是宜都市红花套镇面积最大的村。

2020年6月17日，我们驱车沿着一条蜿蜒前行的柏油公路行驶，两侧山峦起伏，满目葱茏；我们万万没想到，如此大山深处居然别有洞天。车到大溪村村委会，眼前豁然开朗——一个白墙黛瓦、颇具江南风情的恬静村庄跃入眼帘。

“3年前这里还是省级贫困村，如今已变成全省美丽乡村建设示范村。”村党总支书记陈长红乐呵呵地介绍。

112 人甩掉贫困帽

大溪村山大人稀，产业基础一度十分薄弱。“过去，全村291 户866 人，其中贫困户就有43 户112 人。”陈长红说。

58 岁的林毓森是五组村民，曾住在大山深处，距离村委会约15 公里。路难行，车难进，人难出，毛竹和柑橘是当地的主导产业，祖祖辈辈脸朝黄土背朝天，在泥土里抠钱，忙忙碌碌一整年，收入却微乎其微。2015年，林毓森家被列为贫困户。

2016年10月，林毓森一家三口搬进村里扶贫安置点。林毓森被安排在村里的渔业养殖基地上班，每月收入2300 元；妻子在村里做保洁，每月收入250 元；家里4 亩土地流转费每年2600 元，参与分红600 元，光伏补贴每年3800 元……“我一个人的工资都赶上了过去全家的收入。”他咧着嘴笑了。

走出大山，林家的日子一天天红火起来。林毓森的新家，家庭陈设与城里的家庭没什么区别——二室一厅的房子宽敞明亮，平板电视、电冰箱等一应俱全，摩托车直接开到家门口。

2017年，和林毓森一样，大溪村112 位贫困户全部摘掉贫困帽。

灵芝撑开幸福伞

农村要发展，产业是关键。“大山就是靠山，发展产业还得靠大山。”2017年9月，大溪村注册成立宜都裕农生态农业专业合作社，在大溪鲟谷上侧及龙洞湾流转35 亩土地，建设50 个标准大棚，种植羊肚菌。

合作社负责人方秉华介绍，该基地年产羊肚菌干货300 公斤，年收入约15 万元。每年为贫困户人均增加务工收入1.5 万元，贫困户每年可参与分红2 万元。So far,Daxi Village has planted as many as 12 mu (2 acres) of lingzhi mushrooms,with annual revenue of 800,000 yuan.In addition,e-commerce platforms and live streaming were employed to promote the local agricultural products in order to gain popularity among customers.

Lush mountains and lucid waters are invaluable assets

Characterized by tiny bridges,crystal streams,and serene farmhouses,Daxi Village was listed as a model of beautiful countryside construction in Hubei Province in September 2019.

As we climbed upstream along a gurgling brook,we found ourselves at the Daxi reservoir.On the top of the doublecurved arch dam,we enjoyed the beautiful sight of the green mountains mirrored in the water,with wild birds flitting around and tourists canoeing in the water.“Taking a rest in Daxi Village,the stresses of life just seem to melt away,” praised Wang Bin,a tourist.

“Shimmering waters and luxuriant mountains are invaluable assets to the village.We shouldn’t be asking for a handout with a veritable gold mine at hand,” said Secretary Chen.“We are looking to turn the lush mountains into mountains of wealth.” In the past,transportation difficulties scared off both tourists and investors.But now,with well-built roads and ecological parking lots for private cars and tourist buses,the once isolated village has opened to the world.

The government of Honghuatao Town has launched a program of building an ecological corridor featuring roads sideby-side with forests,houses in harmony with blossoming gardens year-round and festivals every month.By giving full play to the distinctive local geographic advantages,the beautiful natural landscape,and the unique environment of Daxi reservoir and wetlands in its neighboring regions,Daxi Village is committed to providing tourists with comprehensive services combining sightseeing experiences,leisure events,and outdoor activities.

(Translation:Wang Wen)

羊肚菌每年种一季，3月底采收完毕，此后大棚闲置长达8 个月，于是，合作社采购10 万株灵芝苗试种，获得成功。

我们来到大棚，一垄垄灵芝长势正旺，朵朵镶着金边，犹如撑开的小伞。技术员邹圣桥介绍，灵芝每年可采割3 次。除作中药材入药外，合作社还发展灵芝盆景种植，提高农特产品附加值。

目前，大溪村灵芝种植面积达12 亩，年收入可达80 万元。该镇还通过电商平台、直播带货等形式推广灵芝产品，拓宽销路，逐渐打出知名度。

做足山水文章

小桥、流水、农家……2019年9月，大溪村入选湖北省美丽乡村建设典型示范村名单。

沿着潺潺的小溪回溯，我们来到大溪水库。站在双曲拱坝坝顶，万顷碧波环绕绵绵青山，野鸟戏水，游人泛舟，美不胜收。“来到大溪村，整个人都安静下来了。”游客王斌赞不绝口。

“绿水青山是村里最大的资本，绝不能端着金饭碗讨饭吃，要让绿水青山变成金山银山。”陈长红说，过去，游客进不来，投资商不愿来。如今，大溪村道路四通八达，生态停车场已建成，可供游客自驾车和旅游大巴车停靠。

红花套镇提出，结合大溪村独特地理优势，以自然山水风光为主色调，利用大溪水库及流域湿地环境，集休闲游览、户外运动于一体，建设一条“路在林中，房在园中，四季有花，月月有彩”的生态走廊。