Fragrance of Blooming Roses in the Summer Breeze: New Village Image in Yishui

Entering Yaoyatou Village in Huangshanpu Town of Yishui County, the rural roads, beautiful courtyards and colorful murals are particularly eye-catching. Under the blue sky, the unique local wall design is smartly integrated with the neat houses around, forming a pleasant landscape for Linyi City in Shandong Province.

“In the past, this road was uneven and dusty. Now I see the flower beds being built, and the roads are clean,” Mr. Wu Xingyu, a villager in Yaoyatou Village said in joy.

The village has been embarking on the remediation activities such as “My Hometown and My Building” to comprehensively improve the roads around. The slogan goes like “green and flowery village” for all. The result is good, with the environment being bettered and the appearance of the villages being improved.

In the early summertime, the green view is all over the fields. Along the streets of Xujiahu Town in Yishui County, however, colorful roses are blooming, delivering fragrance with the summer breeze. As a matter of fact, in front of every household, there is “an ocean of flowers.” For the villagers, the roses are not only an optical decoration, but also a “money bringer”.

Xujiahu Town is also a successful demonstration of revitalization in Yishui County. The town is adjacent to the Yihe River and Yishui Economic Development Zone.  A leisure resort area is accordingly built. Besides, the exquisite rural display area, the agricultural tourism and more are categorized into altogether six areas, highlighting different functions. Rose planting is one of the characteristics of these areas. The town actively breed flowers. There is the seedlings cooperative which adopts the model of “independent planting, unified acquisition, and centralized sales” to promote the business. Since last year, 120,000 rosewoods have been cut, allowing the villagers to increase their income at their doorsteps.

Through this continuous effort in development, the core villages with special strength are playing the key role of demonstration, and are helping other villages in the area, with the goal of building a commonly rich “village community” in mind.