Deep Remodeling of Rural Human Settlements —— One of the Series of Investigation on Learning and Popularizing ＂Ten Million Projects＂
The roads in Yuxi New Village are clean and tidy. (photo by Zhang Dongcha)
Have a bird’s eye view of the beautiful Xihewan in Xinxian County. (photo by Hu Jingxi)
Small sewage treatment station in Liuzhuang Village, Wangdian Street, Huaiyang District. (photo by Lu Tao)
editorial comment/note
The project of "Demonstration of Thousands of Villages and Renovation of Thousands of Villages" is an important decision made by the Supreme Leader General Secretary when he was working in Zhejiang. After being fully implemented for 20 years, it has profoundly changed the face of the local countryside, created thousands of beautiful countryside in Zhejiang and benefited thousands of farmers. During the implementation of the "Ten Million Projects", a number of good experiences and practices have been formed in the local area. All localities and departments in our province have earnestly studied and mastered the ideas and methods contained in them, adapted measures to local conditions and classified policies, and effectively transformed them into vivid practices of implementing new development concepts, accelerating the integration of urban and rural development, promoting the construction of beautiful China and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. From now on, this newspaper sent multiple reporters to go deep into the grassroots level in rural areas of our province, and conducted research and interviews on reshaping the rural living environment, promoting the integration of urban and rural development, developing rural industries, improving the efficiency of rural governance, and continuously improving farmers’ spiritual outlook in the rich connotation of "Ten Million Projects". Stay tuned.
How does Zhejiang do it?
In 2002, only about 4,000 villages in Zhejiang had a good environment, and the environment of the remaining 30,000 villages was generally poor. Zhejiang takes a pragmatic and gradual path, planning first, promoting the construction of rural human settlements from point to area, and has set up a coordination group composed of more than 10 departments including finance, transportation, water conservancy and environmental protection to plan and promote it systematically and comprehensively. Zhejiang has closely integrated village renovation with the construction of green ecological homes, promoted environmental renovation and ecological construction simultaneously, cleared garbage, sewage, toilets, hardened roads and village greening, continuously improved rural infrastructure, and qualitatively improved the living environment. The "sewage revolution" was first completed in an all-round way, the "garbage revolution" achieved global classification, the "toilet revolution" achieved comprehensive coverage, beautiful countryside formed a global pattern, and the rural living environment was profoundly reshaped. (Reporter Liu Xiaobo finishing)
fangcheng county
Renovation of human settlement environment refreshes rural "face value"
On May 24th, I walked into Yuxi New Village, Guang ‘an Street, Fangcheng County. The trees were lush, the roads were clean and tidy, and farm courtyards were hidden among flowers and trees, and picturesque rural scenery could be seen everywhere.
Beautiful village, harmonious neighborhood and happy life. Hou Xiaole, secretary of the Party branch of Yuxi New Village, told the reporter that the beautiful butterfly change of the village benefited from the intensive rectification of human settlements since 2022. The village has invested more than 1 million yuan to upgrade the Party-mass service center and build a new era cultural square. Purchase 10 garbage sweepers, equipped with 200 classified garbage bins, and complete 140 toilet improvements; More than 2,000 trees such as Fatong, Rose and Holly have been planted, and more than 10,000 square meters of asphalt pavement has been paved … The improvement of the living environment has greatly stimulated the people’s sense of ownership. Everyone consciously maintains a clean and tidy living environment, and plants flowers and plants in front of the door to add color to the small village.
The butterfly change in Yuxi New Village is only a microcosm of the improvement of rural human settlements in Fangcheng. The county regards the improvement of rural human settlements as a "first move" to accelerate rural revitalization and a "top priority" to enhance people’s livelihood and well-being, and constantly refreshes the "face value" of the countryside, making the countryside truly clean, green, bright and beautiful. In 2022, the improvement of rural human settlements in Fangcheng County was commended by the provincial party committee and government.
How to make the countryside clean and tidy and look new? Fangcheng county has a strong foundation and excellent environment. In rural areas, 54 garbage transfer stations were established, 6,000 cleaning vehicles and 250,000 garbage bins were purchased, and more than 3,600 village-level cleaners were equipped. The integrated operation mechanism of "village cleaning, village collection and county transfer (treatment)" was effectively established, and the garbage was "daily cleaned". The rural domestic garbage control rate reached 98%, making it the first batch of counties in the province to meet the standard for garbage control.
At the same time, Fangcheng county has further strengthened sewage treatment and built village-level sewage treatment facilities in 118 administrative villages; Vigorously promote the "toilet revolution", carry out the rectification of problems in a normal way, adopt the three-grid model of laying pipe network and brick, and complete the renovation of more than 9,600 toilets in 2022.
How to make the countryside improve its "face value" and make it more livable? Fangcheng County will combine the construction of "Changmei" roads, "Jingmei" blocks and "Beautiful" villages. Widening and greening five-grade roads, with a cumulative investment of 300 million yuan, and greening and renovating roads for 260 kilometers, so as to realize "one road with characteristics and one road with scenery"; Comprehensively rectify the environmental order, sanitary order and market operation order of township blocks and surrounding roads to ensure a clean building facade and a clean road surface, greatly improving the environment of township blocks and building five "beautiful towns"; Explore and promote the "trinity" rural joint governance model of rural revitalization, global tourism and environmental protection, build rural revitalization boutique areas in 15 towns and villages, and build 65 "four beautiful villages", effectively promoting the overall improvement of rural living environment in the county.
"To improve the rural living environment, it is the environment that is rectified, the people’s hearts are condensed, and the image is established." Duan Wenhan, secretary of Fangcheng County Party Committee, said that it is necessary to continue to come up with real money and hard tricks, so that farmers can get more tangible benefits. (Reporter Meng Xiangdong Henan Daily Full Media Reporter Wang Juan Correspondent Zhang Dongcha)
Xinxian county
The investment in old houses has made the "face" beautiful and the "lining" rich.
In the new county in summer, the green hills are like washing, and the village is beautiful and happy. Xihewan, Xihe Village, Zhouhe Township, which is known as "hometown in a country dream in a picture", has new branches in ancient wood and new faces in old houses.
On the evening of May 23rd, in front of the "Xihe Love Song" farmhouse, Zhang Xiaobin, a post-90s generation, gladly sent off the last guests and quickly prepared the ingredients for the next day.
"Lunch and dinner are almost full during this time, plus accommodation, at least seven or eight thousand yuan a day." Zhang Xiaobin opened his mouth while he was busy. "To tell you the truth, if Uncle Sien hadn’t advised me to come back, I would still be working outside."
Walking out of the mountains was Zhang Xiaobin’s dream since he was a child. "More than half of the villagers went out when they took exams, worked, and moved to the city. Many houses are deserted, and villages are slowly dying … "Recalling the past, Zhang Xiaobin shook his head.
In 2013, on the basis of in-depth study of Zhejiang’s "Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" project, Xinxian County firmly adhered to the concept of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and promoted the implementation of the "Hero Dream Xinxian Dream" planning and design charity line, which was first launched in Xihewan, and this "treasure village" with a history of more than 700 years was rejuvenated.
"’Xihe Love Song’ is a fusion of my house and Uncle Si ‘en’s house." Zhang Xiaobin said.
Zhang Xiaobin’s "Uncle Si En", named Zhang Si En, is the first villager in Xihewan to return home to start a business. In 2014, he went back to his hometown to register and set up a professional cooperative for farmers in Xihe Farming Garden, led the villagers to plant oil tea and chestnut, guided the villagers to invest in the old houses and yards, and the cooperative carried out protective transformation, opened farmhouses and homestays, so that the villagers had dividend income.
Hu Jinghong, who runs a clothing store and furniture store in Xinxian County, is a member of Henan Photographers Association. She often accompanied her film friends here to collect views, and with the "popularity out of the circle" of Xihewan, she also fell in love with this quaint, quiet and beautiful small village.
Just as the villagers’ old house that the cooperative had renovated was to be rented out, she rented an old courtyard transformed from four houses and opened a boutique hotel. Because there is an ancient Pterocarya stenoptera in front of the door, her shop name is "under the Pterocarya stenoptera". The "beauty photo" of Xihewan taken by her and her film friends for many years has become the best "signboard" in the store.
"This year, from the May Day to the present, my six rooms are full every day." Hu Jinghong smiled and said, "The annual rent is 15,000 yuan, which is really not expensive."
Today, 32 villagers in Xihewan have invested in their old houses and old courtyards, and the number of farmhouses and boutique homestays in the village has grown to more than 60. A small mountain village receives 500,000 tourists a year, and its comprehensive tourism income exceeds 50 million yuan, which drives 111 households and 380 people in the village to get rid of poverty and become well-off.
"You see, the village completed the lighting project of’ Night Tour of Xihe River’ last year, which added warmth and romance to the night in the small village, and more and more people stayed in the village at night." Zhang Xiaobin said proudly. (Reporter Hu Jucheng Henan Daily, all-media reporter Liu Hongbing, correspondent Nie Jianwu, Wang Lijun)
Huaiyang district
"Small and micro water bodies" polish the ecological background
In Zijingtai Village, Liuzhentun Town, Huaiyang District, Zhoukou City, the small gardens surrounded by wooden fences are very eye-catching. "Under this garden is sewage collection and treatment equipment. The domestic sewage in the toilet and kitchen at home is collected here through the drainage pipe network, and after treatment, it becomes clear water and then discharged." On May 22nd, Sun Qing, a villager, stood at the door of his house and introduced the special features of the small garden to reporters.
Sun Qingjia is the first household in Zijingtai village to use unpowered ecological filter sewage treatment facilities. The facility covers an area of 2 square meters, and the construction cost is about 4,000 yuan. There is no operation and maintenance fee in the later period, and the design processing capacity is 0.5 tons/day. It can be used by single or multiple households, and the tail water can be used for irrigation of small vegetable gardens and orchards or watering in the courtyard. "The government pays for the construction, and the people use it free of charge. The village is beautiful and sanitary." Sun Qing said excitedly.
If the countryside is to be beautiful, the sewage will change first. The sewage treatment in Zijingtai Village is a microcosm of beautiful countryside’s construction. In recent years, Huaiyang District has taken the treatment of rural domestic sewage as an important starting point to improve the rural living environment. According to the principle of "adapting measures to local conditions and implementing policies according to villages", the goal is to "manage a pit and pond, build a facility and beautify a village", and the "small and micro water bodies" is the starting point to continuously polish the ecological background of beautiful countryside.
35 characteristic tourist villages, such as Zijingtai Village in Liuzhentun Town and Congzhuang Village in Chengguan Hui Town, build small centralized sewage treatment stations with pit and pond renovation as the carrier; Twenty-seven smaller villages, such as Chenlou Village in Anling Town and Guduizhuang Village in Dalian Township, have built "three-format sewage treatment facilities+ecological wetlands" … Now, Huaiyang District has explored seven models suitable for rural domestic sewage treatment in Central Plains agricultural areas, which are "blooming everywhere" among villages, and the new path of "low cost, easy maintenance and good effect" has become clearer.
"Our village has a large scale and a concentrated population. The construction of centralized sewage treatment facilities costs about 200,000 yuan and can provide 24-hour domestic sewage treatment services for 500 villagers." Hu Hai, secretary of the Party branch of Guanlubian Village, said that the facility uses biological filler and ecological wetland technology, and after centralized sewage collection and treatment through the pipe network, it is used for ecological replenishment of Ruyi Lake.
How to realize the effective utilization of domestic sewage in township government residence? Taking the sewage treatment facilities of Wangdian Sub-district Office as an example, the centralized sewage treatment plant can provide domestic sewage treatment services for about 6,000 people. "Up to now, the coverage rate of centralized domestic sewage treatment facilities in township governments in the whole region has reached 100%, and domestic sewage treatment in 263 villages has been completed, benefiting more than 100,000 farmers." Yan Baoyong, Party Secretary and Director of Huaiyang Branch of Zhoukou City Ecological Environment Bureau, said.
Today, 86 villages in the urban-rural junction and industrial park in Huaiyang District have all been included in the municipal sewage treatment system; For farmers who have completed the renovation of household toilets, they regularly pump sewage to domestic sewage treatment facilities, and after anaerobic fermentation, they will be used as organic fertilizers for the production of green and pollution-free agricultural products … Huaiyang District is playing the "Concerto" of national water control and running out of the "acceleration" to promote the utilization of sewage resources. (Reporter Fang Huaxuan, Henan Daily, all-media reporter Lu Tao)
Expert comments
Comprehensively promote the improvement of rural human settlements.
□ Liu Weidong, Deputy Director of the Human Settlements Department of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Improving rural living environment is the key task of implementing rural revitalization strategy, which is related to the fundamental well-being of farmers. Since 2018, a total of 8.82 million rural areas in the province have completed the renovation of harmless sanitary toilets, and the penetration rate of harmless sanitary toilets has reached 69%. Domestic sewage treatment has been accelerated, and the rural domestic sewage treatment rate in the province has reached 36%, ranking first in the central and western provinces. The effect of garbage control is obvious, and the collection, transportation and disposal system of rural domestic garbage covers all administrative villages.
In recent years, Henan has earnestly studied the experience of Zhejiang’s "Ten Million Projects" and created a number of beautiful countryside construction models with Henan characteristics, so that cadres and the masses can learn from them and follow them. Up to now, the province has created 11,200 "four beautiful villages", 500 "beautiful towns" and 1.83 million "five beautiful courtyards".
Although the improvement of rural human settlements in the province has achieved remarkable results, there is still a big gap compared with advanced areas. First, the overall style of some villages is poor, the ruins and abandoned houses in the villages are not in place, and the phenomenon of littering in front of and behind the houses exists to varying degrees; Second, the garbage removal is not timely, and some mountainous and hilly areas dump domestic garbage and construction garbage along the ravines near the village; Third, the sewage in the village is collected through the pipe network and discharged directly into the ditch or river by the village without treatment, forming a black and odorous water body, and the sewage in the courtyard of individual farmers is discharged directly, and the sewage on the road is cross-flowing; Fourth, in some villages where township governments are located, the phenomenon of occupying roads, littering stalls, littering of goods, parking of vehicles and random placement of light box advertisements still exists.
The renovation of rural human settlements is a long-term historical task, which runs through the whole process of rural revitalization and rural construction. In the next step, we should thoroughly study the experience of "Ten Million Projects" in Zhejiang Province and comprehensively promote the improvement of rural human settlements in our province. In-depth implementation of rural human settlements improvement action, continue to deepen the "six chaos control, carry out six clean-ups", and gradually establish and improve a long-term mechanism. Promote the rural toilet revolution with high quality, pay close attention to the collection and consumption of toilet manure, and establish and improve a professional and socialized service system. In-depth implementation of village clean-up actions, and overall promotion of rural domestic garbage and sewage treatment. Vigorously carry out the "one house into four gardens" to improve the overall appearance of the village. Continue to carry out the demonstration of "four beautiful villages", "five beautiful courtyards" and "beautiful towns" to lead the overall improvement of rural human settlements in the province. (Reporter Liu Xiaobo finishing)