Lemei village which located in the southeast of Datian Town of Dongfang city in Hainan province is a surprising success in eradicating poverty.
Foreign journalists from 25 countries including Bangladesh visited Lemei on Saturday to gain some insights into the anti-poverty work this village did.
Relying on a small orchid, Lemei village not only achieved poverty alleviation comprehensively, but also led the villagers to live a rich and better life. Now it focuses on the shortcomings of industrial development and actively takes measures to solve some problems to further develop and expand the collective economy of the village.
First secretary of Lemei Village accredited by Hainan University Liu Debing briefed the visiting journalists and guided them on the visit.
Liu Debing said Lemei used to be a deeply impoverished village inhabited by the Li ethnic group. In recent years, the village has closely relied on the targeted resource advantages of Hainan Unversity, and adhered to the principle of rural revitalization as the starting point, with the orchid industry as the carrier to promote the development and growth of the village collective economy.
Mentioining that the income of the poverty-stricken people in 2023 wasmore than seven-fold what it was in 2015, Liu said:
"Lemei has succesefullly "transformed" from a poor village to a moderately prosperous village, and has been selected as a 'Typical case of a national village'. The village also ever won the title of the 'National Rural Guvernance Demonstration Village', 'Provincial Rural Revitalization Demonstration Village', and 'Hainan Health Village'."
The collective income of Lemei village is over 2 million yuan each year, he added, for a total population of just 558 people in 118 households.
The village took many measures to develop the orchid industry by introducing government poverty alleviation funds in 2018, and has gradually developed and grown substantially with the continuous technical help of Hainan University for many years.
"We register Lemei Village trademark, and make efforts to create "Leei" series of agricultural products. The preject has been operating for more than 6 years, and about 16,650 square meters of orchid greenhouses have been built, and about 600,000 trees of autumn Dendrobium have been planted," he said.
At the same time, the village made efforts to transform idle sheep sheds in classrooms, restaurants, and houses that can be used to inherit the traditional skills of Li brocade and Li pottery. Efforts have been made to help the surrounding villages to raise funds to build 17 home-stay buildings, create diversified industries such as research and training center, network live broadcasting for Li brocade and Li pottery, and rural home-stay catering industry so as to broaden the ways for the villagers to increase their income.
The professor informed that they have cultivated a strong cadre team, pooled the villager’s wisdom and attracted the local talents.
"In the midst of the change of the village cadres in 2021 in the Village, a group of qualified, energetic and enterprising people with the mind of running business and the ability of helping all to get richer were absorbed into the cadre team. The average age of the cadres is 32 years old and the cadres education level has been significantly improved. Village cadres have become more adept at leading rural development and serving rural people," he said.
Sharing the journey, he said efforts have been made to cultivate local talents through on-site practice, special training and other ways in order to provide strong support for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization to accurately improve the theoretical level and working ability of the cadre team.
He highlighted that they also shaped rural civilization carrying forward national characteristics, and boosting rural cultural confidence.
"To revitalize rural areas, we need not only to help villagers to get richer but also to help them enrich their minds," he said.
Relying on the advantages of Orchid Industrial Park, Lemei Village founded the "Village revitalization Lecture Hall", established the concept of "entering the door is the classroom, going out is the scene" and also organized various kinds of learning including special training, learning combined with practice with the purpose of helping villagers learn deeply, learn with their hearts and learn the practical skills.
Relying on the resources of skill-inheriting base of Li brocade and Li pottery in the Village, they invited the weaver and the pottery-making woman to the base to demonstrate their skills on the site, and organized the school youth and local people to participate in the production of Li brocade and Li pottery so as to promote the intangible cultural heritage and raise the awareness and identity of the ordinary people in terms of natiothey culture.
Establishing the concept of green development improved the appearancs of the village. Lemei has gradually completed the renovation of dilapidated houses, the promotion of the toilet revolution and the construction of beautiful villages, and the infrastructure has been continuously improved from muddy, dark roads to a beautiful countryside in order to respond to the problem of the low vegetation greening rate.
Villagers are encouraged to plant beautiful and practical plants such as sunflowers in front of and behind their houses to make the village environment green and beautiful. Thus the village appearance greening beautification, and lighting level were further improved, the professor continued saying.
He said the village has explored the implementation of the "points system plus differentiated dividenda" work in accordance with the principle of "more work and more gains, less work and less gains".
"In 2024, the Orchid Industrial Park will be upgraded and renovated, and the supporting service facilities such as a new tourist reception service center, a guest house and a tourist leisure plaza, a pet park, and a fishing center will be expanded," he expressed his hope.
It has the land ares of about 5 million square meters, mainly planted with orchids, pepper, okra, mango, betel palm, bananas and other crops.