"As soon as the osmanthus blossoms bloomed, the tourist buses that came to the village never stopped." Two buses full of tourists slowly stopped next to the village road with the fragrance of Dangui, and Tao Xunhua, secretary of the party committee of Minjiang Village, took the initiative to act as a tour guide for the tourists.
In Minjiang Village, Tao Xunhua briefs tourists on the development of Minjiang Village (photo taken on September 29). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi
Located in the northwest of Chengdu's Wenjiang district, Minjiang Village, far from the main city, used osmanthus seedlings as its main income-increasing industry, but the village's economy was in trouble five or six years ago due to the saturation of the market. More than 3,000 acres of more than 30 varieties of osmanthus trees have become a "burden that cannot be shaken off" for the development of the village.
"At that time, more than half of the year passed, and the villagers pulled on my sleeves and said, 'Secretary, what if my house has not opened this year?' Tao Xunhua, who was deeply stressed, found the village cadres and chartered a car to pull the osmanthus tree to Zhejiang and other places to participate in the exhibition, but because the osmanthus tree was not suitable for use as the main street tree, she could not bring back an order to the village.
"I thought to myself: As long as I can earn money for the village, I am willing to try anything!" By chance, Tao Xunhua learned that the countryside of Guilin, Guangxi Province, had become rich by selling osmanthus flowers, "I knew when I asked that the eight laurel flowers were made into essential oil products for export, and they were sold more expensive than gold." ”
Tao Xunhua introduces the development of the osmanthus industry in Minjiang Village (photographed on September 29). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi
"The purchase price of 1 kilogram of Eight Laurel flowers is 8 yuan to 10 yuan, and as many as you want, don't worry about selling!" Ma Yong, a large household in the village that buys osmanthus flowers, told reporters that every time the osmanthus blossoms bloom, it is the busiest time for the villagers, "Other villages harvest grain, we harvest osmanthus flowers." One acre of osmanthus trees can produce five or six hundred catties of osmanthus flowers. ”
According to statistics, Minjiang Village produces about 500 tons of Bay laurel flowers every year, and the sale of osmanthus flowers alone can increase the villagers' income by tens of millions of yuan.
Around the osmanthus flower, the village collective also introduced tourism, food, cultural and creative enterprises through equity cooperation, and developed products such as osmanthus crisp, osmanthus cake, osmanthus wine, osmanthus sachet and so on. "We have also cooperated with a number of well-known food and beverage brands to launch 'joint models' and 'limited editions' to tourists, which has greatly enhanced the added value of our products." Tao Xunhua introduced.
In the homestay built in her own courtyard, villager Yu Xiaofeng skillfully sewed a sachet and handed it to the guests of the homestay, who is not only a master who teaches the women in the village to hand, but also a waiter and shareholder of the homestay. According to statistics, nearly 100,000 tourists have visited Minjiang Village this year.
In Minjiang Village, Yu Xiaofeng makes osmanthus sachets (pictured sept. 29). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi
Not long ago, Tao Xunhua received new good news: Dangui, which was sent to Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine for research, was proved to have a significantly better anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect than other varieties of osmanthus flower. "This means that the largest planted area in the village, but never sold, may be more valuable than the Eight Laurel." Tao Xunhua said that she is full of expectations for the future of the countryside. (Reporters Li Like and Wang Xi)