Natural Beauty Propels Jiangxi Forward

Located in southeastern China， Jiangxi Province is famous for its green mountains， clear rivers and fresh air. The beautiful natural environment here has benefited from the province’s development concept of “green hills and clear water are as precious as gold and silver”. With environmental protection as a priority， development as a major task and people’s livelihoods as the core area of focus， the province has achieved positive results in building the Jiangxi Model in the construction of ecological civilization pilot areas. At the same time， guided by the development notion of “ecology plus”， Jiangxi has made great efforts to build a wealthy， beautiful and happy home for local people to enjoy green hills and clear rivers and always bear the image of their homeland in mind.

Green Development a Priority

Endowed with rich ecological tourism resources， Jiangxi strives to enhance green productivity and find new impetus for green development. In pursuit of coordinated development of the economy and environmental protection， the province sticks to its goal of improving livelihoods and maintaining ecological beauty.

“At present， Jiangxi is exerting all its strength to advance the construction of ecological civilization pilot areas in accordance with the general plan of the central government，” said Liu Jianjun， deputy director of the Ecological Civilization Department of the Jiangxi Development and Reform Commission.

According to Cao Kaiwei， deputy director of the Agricultural Technology Station of the Jiangxi Provincial Agricultural Department， Jiangxi is determined to turn its ecological advantages into advantages for agricultural development. The province is committed to building successful agricultural bases for organic produce. In implementing the 100 Gardens in 100 Counties project， Jiangxi has built 11 national modern agriculture demonstration areas and 43 national standardized production bases for green food materials. A total of 2，902 Jiangxi products have met the certification standard of “pollution-free agricultural products， green food， organic food and geographical indication of agricultural products” set by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.

With taking a new road to industrialization at its core and promoting modern service as its focus， Jiangxi has also made vigorous efforts to develop a green industrial system featuring high-tech sectors with reduced environmental pollution， such as advanced electronics， bio-medicine and advanced manufacturing. As brands like “produce from Poyang Lake” and “unique Jiangxi landscape” are gaining popularity across the country， the development of the province’s green industry is making constant progress.

Targeted Poverty Reduction

Located in the remote area of the Jinggang Mountains， Shenshan Village is the poorest of the 106 villages in the region. Twenty-one out of the village’s 54 households are registered with the local government as impoverished. Now， however， great changes are taking place. In the eyes of the Party Secretary of Shenshan Village Huang Chengzhong， there are several main changes that have occurred in the village. Villagers’ money has been changed into shares， their old houses have been replaced by new buildings and a remote mountainous region has been turned into a scenic spot.

“With support from higher authorities， our village has accelerated its steps of overcoming poverty，” Huang said. With the 21 impoverished households as shareholders， Shenshan Village set up two agricultural cooperatives producing yellow peaches and tea. Now， these families receive rental income of 200 yuan (US$30) a year for every mu (about 666 square meters) of land， dividends of 3，300 yuan (US$495) a year and labor income of 100 yuan (US$15) a day. Therefore， their average annual income has increased from 2，400 yuan (US$360) to 7，700 yuan (US$1，157). So far， the poverty-stricken population of the Jinggang Mountain area has dropped from 16，934 in early 2014 to 1，417. The incidence of poverty has fallen from 13.8 to 1.6 percent， and average annual income has risen from 2，600 yuan (US$390) to over 4，500 yuan (US$676)， an annual growth rate of more than 10 percent.

Jiangxi Provincial Party Secretary Lu Xinshe pointed out that poverty alleviation is a top priority of the province’s livelihood projects. With a target group at its core， implementation as the key and sustainable development as the goal， Jiangxi will work hard for poverty reduction through 10 major projects， including agricultural industrialization， health improvement and relocation efforts. According to the Jiangxi Poverty Alleviation and Resettlement Office， the impoverished population of the entire province had been reduced from 4.38 million in 2011 to 1.13 million in 2016. This marks a decrease in the incidence of poverty from 12.6 to 3.3 percent.

Jiangxi Model in Building a Beautiful China

Traveling across Jiangxi， one will often see vast expanses of lush green hills and clear rivers.

“Jiangxi has played a special role in the construction of China’s ecological civilization，” explained Yan Geng， dean of the School of Humanities at Beijing Forestry University. “We have conducted six years of research on 31 provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities. According to a green paper on China’s ecological civilization issued last year based on our research， Jiangxi ranks fourth in the Eco-Civilization Index and second in the Green Eco-Civilization Index. The province also has the second largest forest coverage and urban green coverage in the country. Moreover， it has large nature reserves within its territory. In terms of environmental quality and coordinated development levels， the province is above average nationally. In short， we found that Jiangxi has maintained a relatively rapid pace in the construction of its ecological civilization compared with the rest of China.”

At present， the Jiangxi Model in building a beautiful China is taking shaping as the green-oriented， innovation-driven construction of ecological civilization pilot areas speeds up.

“Jiangxi has great development potential，” Yan added. “First， with top air and water quality， its excellent natural environment provides a solid base for its development. The province should make best use of its advantages in this aspect. Second， the natural environment should be combined with human resources. If people become more open-minded and the whole societal structure is operated in a more synchronized and effective fashion， more and more talented people will be attracted to the area. All in all， Jiangxi has promising prospects for further development.”

In the 21st century， Jiangxi has made great achievements in its reform and opening up and modernization， which have brought profound changes to the province. However， Jiangxi is still faced with the challenge of underdevelopment. Over the course of the next five years， the province will continue to deepen its reform and opening up， promote innovation and entrepreneurship， and improve the overall planning of political， economic and cultural development. Jiangxi is determined to realize green development with it own characteristics. It is also set to strengthen the Jiangxi Model in building a beautiful China while also creating a wealthy， beautiful and happy home for the people who live there.