Walking along the river embankment in Changqiang Village, located in Yangqiaochang Town of Gong’an County, Hubei Province, one encounters a breathtaking landscape: a wide river reflecting the sky like a seamless mirror on one side, and on the other, fertile fields adorned with blossoming plum flowers. The rhythmic sound of folk music floats through the air—the village’s own drum-and-gong troupe in rehearsal. In the distance, a steady flow of vehicles arrives to collect freshly harvested oranges.
“This is our village’s renowned drum-and-gong ensemble,” said Wang Chong, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Changqiang Village. “With the Spring Festival around the corner, they’re preparing for a cultural performance.” The vibrant cultural life and thriving local commerce offer a vivid snapshot of the village’s remarkable transformation in recent years.
The mighty Yangtze River surges across the Jianghan Plain, where it twists into the Qingjiang River. Changqiang Village lies in the heart of Nanwuzhou’s water-rich region—once notorious as a “flood-prone” and “impoverished” area due to frequent inundations.
According to Wang Chong, a decade of intensified Yangtze River ecological protection efforts has dramatically improved the riverside environment. “The water is clearer, the banks greener, and our village’s ecological conditions have improved significantly,” he noted.
After graduating from university, Wang returned to his hometown to grow oranges and later began helping fellow villagers enter the citrus industry. His commitment eventually earned him election as the village’s CPC branch secretary.
Villager Tian Wenyi described the rapid changes:
“In the past, most of our roads were dirt tracks that turned to mud with even a little rain. Now we have proper paved roads, and trucks can drive right up to our fields. Good transportation is essential for good sales.”
Once road construction accelerated, industrial development soon followed. Changqiang Village expanded its specialty industries, now home to around 367 hectares of orange orchards and 300 hectares of rice–crayfish integrated farms, forming a dual agricultural system of “rice-crayfish farming in paddies and citrus cultivation on dry land.” The village’s collective economic income has risen from just over 300,000 yuan to more than 1.2 million yuan.
Xu Puxi, Deputy Mayor of Yangqiaochang, remarked that the once-poor village is now fully leveraging its land resources, revitalizing its collective economy, and stimulating strong internal momentum for rural development. Last year, the village began planning for a modern orange-sorting center to further boost the value of its produce.
At the same time, Changqiang is promoting a “slow rural lifestyle” tourism model—featuring scenic riverbanks, fruit-picking experiences, and homestays—to attract urban visitors seeking natural beauty and relaxation.
Infrastructure improvements also include expanding cultural and recreational facilities, offering regular training in planting and breeding technologies, hosting livestreaming workshops for online sales, and building a “15-minute community service circle” to enhance daily convenience for residents.
Looking ahead, villager Tian Wenyi hopes to see the establishment of a dedicated agricultural products market and an expansion of cold-storage facilities. Meanwhile, Secretary Wang Chong is working toward building a unique village brand through e-commerce.
Source: Cai, Alim, and Wang Haiman -China Media Group.