Gutian: Red History,Green Future

( 2011-February-22 10:08:02)

    Just take a stroll around Gutian you see one floriculture greenhouse after another. Inside Zhongxing Orchid Industry Technology Demonstration Base, over a dozen skilled workers are transplanting seedlings into pots. "At the beginning, we were attracted to Gutian by its favorable climate and ecological conditions," says Wang Yongsen, a Taiwan businessman who started investing in Gutian back in 2000. "It was only after we came that we became aware of Gutian's splendid history and its status as a revolutionary shrine. The local government looks after us well and helps tackle any problematic issues."

    Gutian's average altitude, annual temperature, annual rainfall and annual sunshine hours add up to an ideal formula for cultivation of orchids, azaleas, chrysanthemums and other flowers. On top of these advantages, the local government has bent over backwards to help Wang. In the beginning, they assisted him with finding land and leasing it, and provided access to the road network, power supply and irrigation. In addition, Wang receives a government subsidy of RMB 150,000 per hectare of greenhouse area. "If there is a dispute with an individual land-holder, the government will coordinate a solution," says Wang, a big fan of the one-stop service, "The base is well managed, and public order is good here – you don't have to lock your doors at night!"

    Wang dipped a toe in the water with an initial two hectares, and after his flowers went down well with the market he decided to increase investment. Wang asked his son Wang Guanli, a recent university graduate, to help in the business, and his wife has also joined them. Now the family lives happily in Gutian, and after a decade of development, Wang is the owner of a floriculture base covering 10 hectares. By 2012, Gutian will have built a large production and marketing base for growing Cymbidium hybrid orchids. Covering 100 hectares, it will be the largest in southern China.

    Wang Yongsen's success has tempted many other companies to invest here. For example, in 2009 Meihuashan Agricultural and Pastoral Development Co., Ltd. built a smallish (0.13 hectare) experimental base to grow chrysanthemums for the fresh-cut market. "Since the temperature here is not very low in winter, we can grow three pickings of chrysanthemum per year, about 900,000 blooms per hectare. At trade price, the sales value is more than RMB 750,000 per hectare," says Cao Yuxin, who is in charge of the base. "We introduced excellent varieties from Japan, high in visual appeal. Our main markets are in cities like Longyan and Xiamen and, to be honest, it's hard to keep up with the demand. In 2010 we increased the area under cultivation by a further 0.67 hectare, and our aim is to keep on expanding in scale, working up to 33 hectares or more."

    Gutian is prioritizing diversified eco-agriculture. Currently, the town grows 2,000 hectares of vegetables, 67 hectares of flowers, 167 hectares of Oolong tea, and 10, 667 hectares of mao bamboo. Seven varieties of vegetable are qualified to carry pollution-free labels. The marketing channels for all the products mentioned have been perfected.

Income-lifting Initiative

    As well as attracting investment, the local government is encouraging local people to profit from the advantageous eco-environment. So as to tackle such problems as isolated rural populations having limited access to information, Gutian has set up a service center to provide technical guidance and practical training in crop cultivation. In 2010 the government introduced advanced technology and guided the building of a 100-hectare demonstration base for cultivating super-high-yield paddy rice. Yields can increase by 3,000 kilograms per hectare, which translates into an additional income of RMB 6,000 per hectare. Gutian's excellent climate makes it just right for growing out-of-season vegetables. "Even in winter we can grow rape," says happy local farmer Liao Chunhua, who supplements her slack-season income with casual work at some of the cultivation bases.

    Now, in verdant Gutian, luxuriant greenery abounds; along new paved roads shiny private cars and produce trucks shuttle back and forth and eye-catching new houses testify to the new prosperity. "Now we have fresh, good-quality air to breathe, good roads and a green environment. It feels like we're living in a garden," says Liao Chunhua, with undisguised love of her home.

    For Liao Deqiu, general manager of Wulong Happy Farmhouse Travel Co., Ltd., the important thing about the fine eco-environment is its attendant opportunity for making money. "With people paying more attention to food safety, we have opened a vegetable garden for urbanites to get a taste of farm work. It offers good physical exercise and recreational fun in the heart of nature," says Liao, who sees a bright future for his business. In 2009 Liao contracted four hectares of land and divided it into three sections – pick-your-own produce, eco-agriculture sightseeing, and grow-your-own plots. Plugging Gutian's revolutionary credentials, he incorporated a reference into the name of his development – "Sacred Place Vegetable Garden."

    The grow-your-own plots have gone much better than he envisaged. The area dedicated to this accounts for a third of the overall space and every bit of it has been claimed. "It costs 3,000 yuan to rent a plot for one year and they can grow whatever they like – eggplants, carrots, cabbages. We help them cultivate and manage the plots, and when it comes to harvest time we call them up, and if they want to do the work themselves we can provide support," says the manager.

    In the pick-your-own area visitors can pick vegetables under professional guidance. The price for handpicked fresh produce is the same as market price. The sightseeing area is a feast for the eyes too, with tomato, bean and oil-seed rape flowers producing spectacular visual effects. Visitors can ride the electric-powered buggies that ply their way along three kilometers of roads in this area, perhaps stopping off to take souvenir photos of the beautiful expanses of yellow rape flowers.

    Liao Deqiu approves of how traffic in Gutian has improved with the government's support for the economic zone. It has helped expand the market. "In 2008, the opening of the highway between Longyan and Gutian shortened the journey time to 40 minutes; from Gutian to Xiamen it takes only three hours now, and the Ganzhou-Longyan Railway also stops at Gutian." On weekends and holidays, people from Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and neighboring urban areas come to the vegetable garden to tend their plots, bringing their children and friends with them. "In the future we shall continue to expand, add more varieties of vegetable, and strive to make our brand a big name," says Liao Deqiu confidently.