Zhu Cun's days were booming

Source: People's Daily - People's Daily

The hinterland of The Yimeng Mountains, the banks of the Yi River, and the Zhu Village of Caozhuang Town, Linshu County, Shandong Province, are becoming more and more lively. Wave after wave of tourists come here to listen to red stories, understand revolutionary traditions, and taste characteristic culture. Since the opening of the tourist area on September 29 this year, more than 1,000 tourists have visited Zhucun every day for tourism and study.

Why is a small village on fire?

"Zhu is red, and Zhu Village is a veritable 'red' village." At the Zhucun Gang Eight Company Memorial Hall, Wang Jingchen, 71-year-old honorary curator and volunteer docent, told tourists the red story of Zhucun Village.

In 1939, the earliest party branch in Linshu County was established in Zhucun. On January 24, 1944 Chinese New Year's Eve, more than 500 Japanese puppet troops launched a surprise attack on Zhucun. "The sound of gunfire is the order." After hearing the gunshots, the 8th Company of the Old Fourth Regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, which was stationed nearby, immediately rushed to rescue the people of ZhuCun, where 24 officers and men were killed. After the war, the Shandong Military Region officially named the Eighth Company as the "Eighth Steel Company".

For more than 70 years, the people of Zhucun have never forgotten the heroic martyrs who sacrificed for them. In 2012, Zhucun villagers spontaneously donated money to build the Gangbalian Memorial Hall, Zhucun Archives and other places.

Focusing on the main line of inheriting red culture, Linshu County is committed to building Zhucun into a demonstration village that "lets the people in the old area live a good life", a demonstration village with the red gene of yimeng spirit passed down from generation to generation, a demonstration village of qilu model for rural revitalization, and a demonstration village for the protection of traditional villages in Shandong.

Over the years, Zhu Village has changed dramatically. The Zhucun Bridge was built, the Riverfront Avenue was opened, and the cement avenue was opened to every household... From a remote corner to an easy way.

Last year, the Zhucun Renovation and Upgrading Project with a total investment of 520 million yuan started construction, and at the end of September this year, the first phase of the project was officially opened. Nowadays, venues such as the Yimeng Branch Front Hall, the Daoshu Rectification Pavilion, the Zhucun Village History Archive, and the Yimeng Folk Culture Exhibition Hall have become tourist punching places.

The hardware has improved, the popularity has become booming, and the people of Zhucun have begun to flow back. Wu Shaoqing, who originally worked outside the village, was optimistic about the development prospects of the village, returned to the village to contract more than 50 acres of land, developed vegetable greenhouses, planted celery, peppers, etc., not only embarked on the road of prosperity, but also provided jobs for the surrounding villagers.

The Pearl Garden Planting Professional Cooperative, led by the Zhucun Party Branch, completed the green certification of grape and shiitake mushroom special agricultural products, registered the trademarks of "Zhucun" and "Qiquanshan", created the "Zhucun Taste" e-commerce brand, added more than 500 jobs for villagers, with an annual output value of 24 million yuan and an increase in the village's collective income by 300,000 yuan.

"In 2020, the per capita disposable income of Zhucun was 19,700 yuan, which was 1.7 times that of 2013. More and more young people have a stage to return to their hometowns to start a business, and the life of the people in Zhucun is getting better and better. Wang Jiqin, secretary of the Zhucun party branch, said with a smile.

People's Daily ( 06/11/2021)