A small riverside village in a tranquil corner of east China's Zhejiang Province has become a national model for eco-friendly development and stands as a shining example of China's rural revitalization in action after receiving a special visitor nearly 20 years ago.
Up until two decades ago, Jinxing Village in Zhejiang's Quzhou had only one single-paved road leading in and out. However, the village has since undergone a huge transformation that has now seen it winning wide acclaim and become a popular spot for tourists to come and unwind.
Today, it has become known for its lush landscapes and clear waters, and in 2020, it was awarded as one of "China's most beautiful leisure villages" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The catalyst for change came when now Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Jinxing Village in August 2006, when he was then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.
According to villagers, Xi said that by valuing the local natural resources and protecting the environment, they could one day "profit from the air."
Locals fully embraced Xi's idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and since the early 2010s, they started to develop the rural tourism business and open up homestays, attracting visitors from surrounding cities like Shanghai, who travel to this village during the weekends just to embrace the fresh air and picturesque scenery in the countryside.
Xi's landmark 2006 visit and his words of encouragement also helped nurture another positive outcome for one local family. Nineteen years ago, he stopped by the home of local villager Liu Yulan, who gifted him with some homegrown fig fruits.
Liu's son Zhou Hua recalled Xi's visit and explained the life-changing impact it would later have.
"My mother offered him fresh figs, and he said, 'These are wonderful -- you should grow more!' We had just two fig trees then, but his words inspired us. We later leased [land of around 1.3 hectares], started a fig orchard, and launched eco-tourism with fig picking, dried figs, and fig wine. Our annual income has since grown five to six times, now over 200,000 yuan (around 27,800 U.S. dollars)," he said.
From a single road to a destination where clean air, green hills, and sweet figs have become valuable assets, Jinxing Village shows how ecological preservation and rural revitalization can go hand in hand, turning natural beauty into lasting prosperity.
Rural Zhejiang village turns green dreams into golden realities after receiving special visitor
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
