Village Inspiration
Yu and workers in Yanbo distillery On entering the mountainous village of Yanbo in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, the first thing noticeable is the flat roads and rows of new houses with cars parked in front of them. Against the hillside behind the houses are several bustling village-run enterprises, including a distillery and poultry farms.
The scene would have been unimaginable 17 years ago, when the village, home to more than 300 households of the Yi ethnic minority, had no roads, electricity and even tap water. Villagers lived in shabby houses built with earth or basic huts. The village was in debt and the annual per-capita income of villagers was less than 800 yuan ($123).
However, by the end of 2017, the village’s collective assets reached 76 million yuan ($11.69 million), with a collective disposable income of 6.1 million yuan ($938,000), and annual per-capita income reaching 18,600 yuan ($2,861). In this time, Yanbo has gained fame nationwide as a wealthy, advanced and harmonious model village. All these changes wouldn’t have been possible without Yu Liufen, 49, Secretary of the Yanbo Village Branch of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Adversity leads to change
“Yanbo was so poor at that time,” Yu said, recalling the first time she arrived at the village in 1989. In 2001, Yu, who was in her 30s when she became the first female secretary of the CPC Yanbo Village Branch, vowed to lead her fellow villagers to prosperity. The first thing she decided to do after taking office was to build a road leading to the outside world. As the village coffer was empty, Yu used 40,000 yuan ($6,154) of her own money for all the materials needed to build the road.
Following Yu’s selfless example, the villagers all worked together to make the road a reality, and after three months, it stretched a total distance of 28.5 km. This enabled the village to bring in goods from outside and, in the process, gave the residents much hope for a better future. One year after Yu took office, the village road, electricity and water problems were all solved.
Collective success
To help villagers shake off poverty, Yu turned her eyes to the village’s 99-hectare forest farm. It’s management was previously contracted by an individual farmer. However, due to poor management, the farm was run at a loss and the contractor was considering to transferring its management right in 2002. Yu made a quick decision to buy it back as it would mean an increase in the village’s collective assets, while adding to its sources of income.
Meanwhile, however, it also meant the village had to pay 230,000 yuan ($36,335) for it, a figure unaffordable to the village at that time. But Yu didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so she went door to door to persuade villagers to contribute their part. She herself again took out 40,000 yuan of her own savings. Together with 110,000 yuan ($16,923) raised from villagers and 80,000 yuan ($12,307) of bank loan she borrowed in her name, the village got back the management right of the forest farm. The ensuing one year of more scientific and professional management of the farm led to initial progress. The village not only paid off the bank loan, but also earned extra 160,000 yuan ($24,615). With the earnings, Yu and the villagers started up village businesses, such as vegetable greenhouses, cattle ranches and poultry farms.
Leading industry
Yu was not satisfied with just lifting villagers out of poverty, but wanted to see them become wealthy. In 2004, she set her sights on a village distillery, producing Yi ethnic specialty spirits. With its unique flavor, the liquor gained rapid popularity, enabling large-scale production of a local liquor brand, known as Yanbo.
In 2012, the company expanded into a joint-stock business with an annual output of 5,000 tons. Over 100 families in the village hold over 55 percent of its shares. Yanbo Distillery has created more than 400 jobs for the village, and its profits are shared by villagers.
As for the future development of Yanbo Village, Yu hopes to move steadily forward. “The road ahead is long and difficult, but I am full of hope,” she added.
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