In recent years, the Mangzhuan Village Group in Xiangming Yi Ethnic Township has taken the lead in learning and applying the experience of the “Ten Million Project,” seizing the opportunity of building a demonstration site for the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries on ancient Tea mountains. By fully leveraging the constraining role of village rules and regulations in grassroots governance, rural revitalization, and environmental improvement, the village group has relied on its rich tea resources and profound Tea culture to develop eco-tourism. It has also made significant progress in improving the living environment, contributing to the upgrading of the village's appearance and painting a new picture of the integration of tea and tourism.
“Three Responsibilities at the Front Door” Yield Real Results, Giving the Village a Fresh Look
Upon entering Mangzhuan, one finds clean and tidy roads lined with vibrant flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The lively and beautiful wall paintings harmonize perfectly with the local customs and traditions.
“Since the ‘Three Responsibilities at the Front Door' for the living environment was incorporated into our village rules and regulations in Mangzhuan, there has been a noticeable improvement in the village's sanitation and cleanliness. Villagers take responsibility for the cleanliness around their homes and within their households. Every week, the women's group leader leads a general cleanup of public areas, with at least one person from each household required to participate. If any household does not participate, they must pay a default fine of 30 yuan,” said Village Head Feng Jianqiang.
The Xiangming Yi Ethnic Township has relied on the New Era Civilized Practice Center and stations to actively mobilize township and village-level cadres to visit households in Mangzhuan Village, promoting the importance of improving the rural living environment. They have encouraged party members and villagers to volunteer for work to separate livestock from human habitation, remove unauthorized structures, and beautify the village, making efforts to improve the rural living environment. Since the start of the creation work, the Mangzhuan Village Group has carried out 18 rounds of living environment improvements, mobilizing over 800 party members and villagers to volunteer. A total of 340 square meters of color steel sheeting have been removed, 35 small gardens have been built, 10 walls have been beautified, and more than 3,000 green plants such as tea trees, roses, and golden peanuts have been planted within the village.
“A few months ago, these disorderly vacant lands within the village have now transformed into lively vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and orchards.” Seeing the great changes in the village, the villagers' faces are filled with happiness.
Diversified Industrial Development Boosts Agricultural Income and Promotes Revitalization
“We should attach importance to the development of the tea industry in our village. We must strictly control the quality of tea while also doing a good job promoting it.” Tea is the dominant industry in the Mangzhuan Village Group. Not only has the protection of ancient tea trees and tea gardens been included in the village rules and regulations, but the village group has also actively encouraged villagers to develop characteristic homestays, shared tea rooms, farmhouses, and other tourism service economies using idle houses and empty land. Led by special industries, this promotes diversified rural economic development.
This year, under the guidance of village rules and regulations, taking advantage of the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries on ancient tea mountains, the Mangzhuan Village Group has seized opportunities presented by field meetings, the Niu Gantang fair, county theme weeks, and other events to organize villagers to conduct agricultural specialty product exhibitions and sales. So far, products such as fermented Tofu, dried bamboo shoots, knot bamboo shoots, and Mangzhuan rice have been sold for a cumulative amount of 15,000 yuan. The village group has actively explored new models for developing “courtyard economy,” focusing mainly on shared tea rooms and supplemented by fruit and vegetable sales. Prices have been clearly marked for mangoes, lychees, and other fruits in front of people's homes, continuously broadening villagers' income channels. Training has been provided to villagers for managing homestays, guiding them to improve the hygiene of homestays. By incorporating Yi ethnic culture and tea culture, the distinct characteristics of Mangzhuan are highlighted. Currently, there are 14 shared tea rooms and 2 homestays in the Mangzhuan Village Group.
Breaking Old Customs and Practices, Cultivating a Civilized New Breeze That Touches the Heart
The Mangzhuan Village Group has included breaking old customs and practices in its village rules and regulations, advocating for new ways of handling weddings and simple funerals, opposing extravagance and blind competition. It has improved the regulations and charters of organizations such as the Red and White Affairs Council, the Moral Evaluation Council, the Villagers' Consultative Council, and the Anti-drug and Anti-gambling Council, guiding villagers to self-manage, self-educate, self-serve, and self-supervise, gradually transforming village rules and regulations into behavioral guidelines for civilized practices.
This year, the Mangzhuan Village Group has relied on the “One Regulation and Four Councils” to carry out dispute resolution, policy promotion, and other work. Led by party and government officials, villagers have been guided to jointly participate in the construction of rural governance. Villagers live in harmony with their neighbors, helping each other, with their sense of happiness and fulfillment steadily increasing. At the same time, with typical cases as a starting point, the village group has actively conducted selections for “Ten-Star Civilized Households,” “Civilized Families,” “Green and Beautiful Families,” and other awards. Ordinary people lead ordinary people, and ordinary matters influence ordinary matters, effectively creating an atmosphere of good family values and pure folk customs. Currently, the Mangzhuan Village Group has conducted four sessions of education on breaking old customs and practices through meetings and courtyard gatherings, educating over 270 villagers. A total of eight “Ten-Star Civilized Households” and twelve “Civilized Families” have been selected.