Zhexi

　　    Zhexi is a small mountain village in Xiuwen County, Guizhou Province. The village spans a total area of 8.9 square kilometers, has 434 households, and a population of 1,592 people, with 1,509 mu of arable land — including 814 mu of paddy fields — and 7,342 mu of forested land, of which 3,235 mu are planted with Golden Autumn Pears and 1,386 mu with kiwifruit. The village is renowned as Guiyang’s “No.1 Fruit Village” due to the premium quality and delicious taste of its Golden Autumn Pears and kiwifruit. It has also become a well-known eco-economic specialty village thanks to the development of its fruit industry and rural tourism.

　　    Zhexi Village is a nationally recognized “National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site.” Located 8 kilometers from the county seat of Xiuwen County, Guizhou Province, it belongs to Gubao Township. In 2008, it comprised 11 villager groups, with a population of 525 households totaling 1,737 people, including 1,067 laborers. The total area of the village is 12,957 mu, of which 1,509 mu are arable land. Key infrastructure such as roads leading into the village, pathways between houses, biogas pits, and pear orchard sightseeing paths are largely well-developed.

　　    Zhexi Village has vigorously developed its specialty agriculture, forming an income-boosting agricultural structure focused primarily on Golden Autumn Pear and kiwifruit cultivation, supplemented by pig and dairy cow farming. In 2008, the village cultivated 3,000 mu of Golden Autumn Pears, 400 mu of Yellow Round Pears, 1,800 mu of kiwifruit, and 100 mu of Small-leaf Kuding Tea. There were 376 pig farming households, producing 1,841 pigs for market that year, and 37 dairy cow households raising 600 cows, generating an income of 2.4 million yuan.

　　    Leveraging the scale effect of these industries, the tertiary sector — especially rural tourism centered on sightseeing agriculture and “farmhouse stays” — has seen rapid growth. In 2008, the average annual per capita income of farmers in the village reached 6,257 yuan, marking a 34% increase from 2007. Due to its remarkable development achievements, Zhexi Village was awarded the title of “National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site” in 2005, and named one of the “Top Ten Ecological Civilization Villages in the City” and a “Guizhou Province New Rural Construction Demonstration Site” by the municipal government in 2006.

　　    In 1998, Zhexi Village was a typical agricultural village with backward infrastructure. Roads leading into the village were littered with cow dung and garbage, becoming muddy and impassable when it rained. The village mainly relied on traditional agriculture, with villagers working from sunrise to sunset in the fields, yet remaining trapped in poverty. In 1999, after research by the village party branch and committee, a scientific development strategy was established with structural adjustment as the main thread, farmer income growth as the goal, Golden Autumn Pear planting as the breakthrough, and animal husbandry as a supplement. Ideas determine outcomes. Liu Yongxiang, the former village Party branch secretary, and Meng Binghua, a Party member, led villagers in piloting the planting of 1,000 mu of Golden Autumn Pears. Within a few years, these trial plantings yielded a bountiful harvest, generating over 500,000 yuan in income. Encouraged by this success, villagers enthusiastically followed suit and established the Golden Autumn Pear Planting Association. By 2003, Zhexi Village’s specialty planting industry had begun to take shape, with 3,000 mu of Golden Autumn Pears, 400 mu of Round Yellow Pears, 1,800 mu of kiwifruit, and 1,000 mu of Small-leaf Kuding Tea planted across the village. After achieving success in specialty planting, the village also developed animal husbandry. Through investment attraction, two farming enterprises — Dawang Breeding Farm (for pigs) and Wangcheng Dairy Farm — were introduced. Leveraging their technical expertise, the village expanded pig and dairy cow farming. By 2008, there were 376 pig farming households producing 1,841 pigs annually, with an average household income increase of 30,000 yuan. A dairy farming base was also established, raising 368 cows, involving 37 households, and yielding an average annual income increase of 40,000 yuan per household.

　　    With guidance from the township Party committee and government, the village’s party branch and committee formulated a development strategy centered on achieving “three transformations” in industrial growth. First, the focus of planting shifted from hilltops to farmland. By leveraging the role of the Golden Autumn Pear Association, villagers organized orchard management efforts and installed mosquito-killing lamps and other facilities to improve fruit quality and boost economic returns. In 2008, the village produced over 2 million kilograms of Golden Autumn Pears, generating a direct income increase of over 4 million yuan. Meanwhile, while upgrading fruit quality, the village also enhanced grain and vegetable production, cultivating 500 mu of high-quality rice, and successfully trialing 100 mu of “Ox-leg Pumpkin” with support from city and county agricultural departments. Second, the approach to animal husbandry transitioned from individual farming to scaled operations. On the foundation of consolidating traditional livestock practices, and using the technical strengths of breeding farms, Zhexi Village developed a high-quality pig farming zone and established the Wangcheng Dairy Cow Farmers’ Professional Cooperative, encouraging surrounding communities to engage in scaled animal husbandry and improving villagers’ resilience to market risks. Third, the shift moved from traditional agriculture to sightseeing agriculture, emphasizing rural tourism development. In 2003, Zhexi Village hosted its first “Pear Blossom Festival” by the picturesque Pear Blossom Lake, attracting over 60,000 visitors. Leveraging their location advantages, and led by Party members such as Meng Binghua and Li Feng, villagers opened farmhouse leisure parks integrating “local cuisine, kiwi wine, pear orchard scenery, and homestay accommodation,” and formed a Farmhouse Association. Now home to 17 hosting households with an average annual income exceeding 30,000 yuan, the village was awarded the title of “National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site” in 2005.

　　    In 2006, with the goal of building a distinctive new socialist countryside, Zhexi Village followed the 20-character guideline for new rural construction — “develop production, ensure prosperous living, foster civilized rural culture, maintain tidy villages, and promote democratic management” — as well as the municipal government’s 10-character focus: “water, electricity, roads, gas, housing, forests, TV, telephone.” On one hand, the village vigorously developed infrastructure. This included completing 1,360 mu of high-standard farmland, paving 6.25 kilometers of village (or community) access roads, constructing 4 kilometers of pear orchard sightseeing paths, 9.6 kilometers of pathways between houses, 10 kilometers of tractor paths, 9.5 kilometers of irrigation ditches, 274 biogas pits, 150 small water pools, renovating 29 dilapidated houses, renovating the facades of 81 houses, beautifying 81 courtyards, transforming 12,150 square meters of courtyard areas, constructing 95 flower stands, building 500 meters of drainage ditches, three drainage ponds, five garbage pits, ten garbage bins, one pear orchard viewing platform, one village entrance landmark stone, two public toilets, and a 1,500-square-meter public cultural and leisure plaza. A fruit wholesale market was also built, with full provision of water, electricity, and water drainage infrastructure. The environmental improvement work in the new rural construction demonstration village began showing initial results, greatly enhancing the village’s overall appearance. On the other hand, spiritual civilization construction was strengthened. Through initiatives such as offering agricultural technology training for farmers, establishing a village-level library, creating distance education platforms, advancing rural cooperative medical care, implementing the rural family planning reward and assistance program and the “Fewer Births, Faster Prosperity” initiative, improving rural social security, and organizing various recreational and cultural activities, the overall quality of villagers improved. Their spiritual lives became richer, and satisfaction with the village Party branch and committee increased significantly.

　　    Adhering to a path of scientific development not only increased the wealth of Zhexi villagers but also enhanced their scientific and cultural literacy, further enriching their spiritual and cultural lives, improving their knowledge and skill levels, and enabling them to play a leading role in building a new socialist countryside and ecological civilization villages. Each year during the Spring Festival, the village Party branch and committee organize festive “New Year Joy” events and various cultural activities for Party members and villagers, continuously enriching their cultural lives. Today, stepping into Zhexi Village, one sees lush hillsides covered with Golden Autumn Pear trees, clean and tidy roads, beautiful buildings, and the fragrant blossoms and fruits by Pear Blossom Lake. Elders smile and children play throughout the village. What was once a poor village has transformed into a “National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site,” a Guizhou Province “New Rural Construction Demonstration Site,” and a Guiyang City “Top Ten Ecological Civilization Village.”