Struggling hamlet pulls itself up by the grapevine

Maozhushan, a small settlement within Nanyi village in Quanzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was once synonymous with extreme poverty. A traditional local rhyme summed up the harsh conditions: "Mud-brick houses, a life so bare. Pumpkin soup, the only fare. No one would give a daughter's hand to a man from Maozhushan land."

Today, the village has undergone a dramatic turnaround. Well-paved roads now wind past sprawling vineyards that line both sides of the settlement.

Wang Junrong, 45, Party secretary of Nanyi village, attributes this success to the area's distinct geography.

"Surrounded by mountains, the village has a large temperature difference between day and night, creating a microclimate especially favorable for growing grapes," Wang said. "We tried other crops in the past but failed. Citrus, for instance, was vulnerable to citrus greening disease. Then we tried grapes, and they thrived."

Building a thriving fruit industry required immense perseverance. For Wang, the effort reflects the historical spirit of the 1934 Xiangjiang River Battle — a key moment in the Red Army's Long March fought right in Quanzhou county.

"Why do we learn from the Red Army and the spirit of the Xiangjiang River Battle? It is the spirit of daring to overcome all difficulties and never being overwhelmed. We apply exactly that spirit to rural vitalization," Wang said.

Wang grew up hearing the local saying about Maozhushan's poverty. As a young man, he left home to study performing arts at Guangxi Arts University. After graduating, he worked as a wedding host and traveling entertainer. In 2015, however, he decided to return home.

"I could see that national policies were increasingly favoring agriculture, rural areas and farmers. I realized that conditions back home were becoming better than those where I was working," he said.

By the time Wang became Party secretary in 2021, villagers had already established grape cultivation as a viable industry. However, he was told that getting the business off the ground had been difficult. Although villagers knew grapes tasted good, many were reluctant to plant them because of the high initial investment.

Party members and a few other villagers took the lead, persuading others to join them in planting grapes. After the first growers succeeded, they encouraged more villagers to follow suit.

After taking office, Wang turned to livestreaming to market the village's grapes. Today, the village sells boxes of purple grapes to urban consumers while also attracting tourists who come to pick the fruit straight from the vines.

"Tourists arrive in big busloads, empty-handed, and all leave with their arms full," Wang said.

To keep the industry competitive, the village has also focused on improving grape varieties and extending the harvest season.

"Older varieties no longer meet changing consumer tastes, so we have focused on improving varieties, mainly to extend the picking season. That way, whenever visitors come to Maozhushan, they can enjoy fresh grapes," Wang said.

"In the past, the picking season lasted only about a month, and we had just two varieties. Now we have more than a dozen, with grapes available from June through the end of December."

The efforts have helped raise local incomes. Last year, Maozhushan's per capita disposable income reached 38,000 yuan ($5,655), an increase of 8,000 yuan compared with 2021.

For Wang, however, the village's development has come at a personal cost. "Before I became a village cadre, my hair was black. Over these five years, I have often lain awake at night thinking about problems and how to solve them. There have been many days and nights when I could not sleep. Now most of my hair has turned white," he said. "But I have done something to make people's lives happier, and I have no regrets.

"Now the villagers have a strong sense of happiness and fulfillment. Their hearts are full of joy, and their faces beam with happiness. I will continue to apply the spirit of the Xiangjiang River Battle to my work, stand together with the people, and build the village into an even better place," Wang said.

Contact the writers at lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn