STORY: Industry integration creates wealth for farmers in China's Ningxia
SHOOTING TIME: July 2024 & File
DATELINE: Sept. 18, 2024
LENGTH: 0:05:28
LOCATION: YINCHUAN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a rural ecotourism park in Sishilidian Village of China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
2. photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Ningxia in June 2020
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG LI, Party chief of Sishilidian Village
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHAO KAI, Sales manager of the rural ecotourism park
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LYU YONGJIE, Technician of the rural ecotourism park
7. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): ZHAO KAI, Sales manager of the rural ecotourism park
8. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
9. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): ZHANG JIE, Tourist
10. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
11. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): CHEN HONGBING, Villager of Sishilidian
12. SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): ZHANG LI, Party chief of Sishilidian Village

STORYLINE:

This vast expanse of paddy fields in a rural ecotourism park in Sishilidian Village of China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region not only grows rice.

Fish and crabs are raised here, with ducks wandering around.

Together, they form a good ecosystem.

In June 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited here.

He learned about the development of modern agriculture in Ningxia and the operation of agricultural cooperatives to help farmers raise income.

Xi stressed the need to adopt water-saving technologies, actively develop water-saving, high-value-added farming and aquaculture industries, and better protect the water resources of the Yellow River.

A land of plenty like this was unimaginable before.

The village was once plagued by salinization.

Farmers cultivated rice on the saline-alkaline land, using water drawn from the Yellow River.

Grain yields were poor.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG LI, Party chief of Sishilidian Village
"At that time, villagers' incomes were very low because of the saline-alkaline soils."

Local people had long been striving for a change.

In 2012, a rice-fish co-culture system was introduced, combining rice cultivation, fish and crab farming, and duck raising as saline-alkaline land could be suitable for raising aquatic products.

Irrigation water from rice fields can also be used for aquaculture.

Fish waste can serve as organic fertilizer for rice cultivation.

Crabs and ducks can remove insect pests and weeds.

As a result, fertilizer usage was reduced by more than 40 percent.

Less pesticide is needed.

Consequently, rice quality has increased.

Farmers find a new source of income.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHAO KAI, Sales manager of the rural ecotourism park
"The water used to raise fish can fertilize farmlands. The water can then flow back to the fish pond. In this way, we save 30 to 35 percent of water compared to conventional rice farming."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
"During President Xi's visit here, I introduced the rice-fish co-culture system to him. Thanks to this system, the added value of our products has increased."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LYU YONGJIE, Technician of the rural ecotourism park
"This approach has improved the ecological environment and enhanced the growth of rice. In the past, we could only harvest 350 kg to 400 kg of rice per mu (0.067 hectares) of land. Now, the yield increased to 550 kg to 600 kg."

During President Xi's 2020 visit to the park, he stressed upholding a people-centered philosophy of development and putting the interests of farmers first in developing modern agriculture and cultural tourism.

To generate more benefits for farmers is the business philosophy of the ecotourism park.

Over the years, the park has developed modern agriculture, including cultivating high-quality rice.

It now has more than 130 hectares of high-quality rice fields, with a factory processing the harvested rice.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): ZHAO KAI, Sales manager of the rural ecotourism park
"In our park, we grow various kinds of high-quality rice, such as crab field rice and organic rice. The output and the value have gradually increased."

The park is also famous today for its ecotourism.

From paddy field paintings to summer camps for children, kite-flying festivals, and crab-catching adventures, the park continually unlocks its tourism potential, creating new opportunities and benefits for local farmers.

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
"The number of visitors to the park has increased from tens of thousands to around 200,000 per year."

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): ZHANG JIE, Tourist
"I bring two children here. They were amazed by the paddy field paintings and their colors. They kept taking pictures."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): ZHAO JIANWEN, General manager of the rural ecotourism park
"To boost farmers' wealth, we need to integrate the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. By turning farm produce into marketable products, we can add value to our crops and raise farmers' incomes."

Data show that in 2023, more than 70 percent of employees of the ecotourism park are from villages nearby.

The per capita disposable income of farmers in Sishilidian Village reached 24,500 yuan (3,422 U.S. dollars).

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): CHEN HONGBING, Villager of Sishilidian
"I spray pesticides, remove weeds, thin out fruits, and prune branches in the orchard. (With this part of income), I can earn about 60,000 yuan (8,381 U.S. dollars) a year. It's definitely better than before. Here I'm working close to home, and I surely feel happy. The environment in the village is also getting better year by year."

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): ZHANG LI, Party chief of Sishilidian Village
"Our Sishilidian Village has been designated as one of the 'Most Beautiful Leisure Villages in China,' and is also known as a land of fish and rice. We are confident about our future prospects.
We will continue following President Xi's instructions to make solid progress in advancing rural revitalization. More work will be done to further promote the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries to ensure that villagers can reap more benefits from rural revitalization."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yinchuan, China.
(XHTV)