In the vast vegetable base, there are seasonal vegetables growing vibrantly without greenhouses. A village maid serves a table of native dishes with a smile, and the taste makes diners full of praise. The rural plant park still under construction attracts many tourists.
In Lianhuashan Village, Shuangjiangkou Town, Ningxiang City, you will find new charm in a traditional agritainment.

“Five Lotus Flowers” attract visitors

“Our village is only half an hour’s drive to Changsha and Ningxiang’s urban areas, and the Changsha-Yiyang Double Line runs through the village from east to west, making the beautiful Lianhuashan Village a back garden for citizens and tourists,” said Li Yangjun, Party secretary and director of Lianhuashan Village, looking forward to its beautiful prospect.  

Lianhuashan Village has beautiful scenery, and especially rich water resources, with unpolluted clear water. There is good farmland of 3,060 mu (204 hectares), and the water area of more than 2,000 mu (133.33 hectares). With the branch canals of Dongting Lake and Zishui River through the village, the high-quality rice, rice fish and lotus fish have long been well-known.

In recent years, Lianhuashan Village has firmly practiced the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, and built a livable village by creating beautiful natural villages.

In 2022, the village built “Five Lotus Flowers” beautiful natural villages named “Prosperity”, “Beauty”, “Harmony”, “Rich” and “Hope”, which are contiguous with the two previously built. It also attracted investment to improve infrastructure, with 4 landmark squares built, 12 mountain ponds and 6 kilometers of river dams dredged, the village-level main roads renovated, which facilitated the daily travel of the villagers. The new village appearance made tourists linger.

Since the beginning of this year, Lianhuashan Village has promoted the construction of the rural plant park, improved the quality of 7 mountain ponds, completed the construction of the gates of Luxi Dam and Daijia Dam, and repaired the Xinwuwan Pumping Station, which not only fully guaranteed the villagers’ need of water for production, life and irrigation, but also created a nearby park with local characteristics.

Vegetable gardens drive villagers to increase income

With the more livable environment of Lianhuashan Village and the rapid industrial development, many villagers who used to go out to work have returned to their hometown to become new farmers.

In recent years, the village has transferred more than 1,000 mu (66.666 hectares) of land in cooperation with Hunan Lotus Vegetable Basket Vegetable Co., LTD., Hunan Daohua Rice Industry Company, etc., to vigorously develop vegetables, high-quality rice and other large-scale cultivation, effectively driving villagers to increase income and get rich.

In the vast vegetable base of Hunan Lotus Vegetable Basket Vegetable Co., Ltd., the reporter did not see the common agricultural greenhouses. There are green cabbage sprouts, lentils, spring onion, green pepper and other seasonal vegetables. The villagers talked about the good harvest as they picked them.

“We just want to follow the laws of nature, not to grow vegetables in greenhouses, but to let vegetables fully enjoy the sun and rain, and provide high-end ecological seasonal vegetables for citizens and consumers,” said Gao Zhigang, general manager of Hunan Lotus Vegetable Basket Vegetable Co., Ltd., who is a native of the village. He told reporters that he returned to his hometown in 2010 to start a business engaged in machinery leasing business, but now he focuses on the cause rooted in the soil of his hometown.

In May this year, Lianhuashan Village and Changsha Boda Asset Management Co., Ltd. formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Boda Asset Management, as a state-owned enterprise in Changsha City, has four “Jinshang” brand markets on both sides of the river, with more than 400 stationed merchants, and more than 20,000 daily customers.

At present, Lianhuashan Village’s live fish, organic vegetables, Zishenxiang rice and other special agricultural products drive villagers to increase income. 

Integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism is full of momentum

“I remember that in May 2021, when we first came to Lianhuashan Village, there were all mud roads,” said 55-year-old Zhao Shunlian, head of Star Art Troupe in Furong District of Changsha, who, together with dozens of his troupe members, visited the village during this year’s Double Ninth Festival. She was surprised to see the big changes in the small mountain village. 

In recent years, Lianhuashan Village has held a variety of activities such as Cole Flower Festival, Youth Growth Summer Camp, Rice Seedling Throwing Trip, and Youth Summer Social Practice Activity, which helped promote the pleasant natural scenery of the village, and also enrich the lives of the villagers. 

The rapid development of new industries and new formats such as rural tourism, leisure agriculture, cultural experience, health care for the elderly, and e-commerce have made Lianhuashan Village move towards the goal of building a model village with integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism and characteristic leisure and vacation.

Walking on the newly built footpath of the Rural Plant Park, the fresh air makes people relax, and the clear mountain pond and original ecological homestays arouse the idyllic dreams of many urban people.

“After field research, Changsha Planning and Design Institute plans to use the existing resources of our village to develop agricultural tourism and leisure resources, build a rural plant park, and expand research, homestay, camping, leisure, catering and other projects.” Li Yangjun said that the village will also plan to set up a tourism culture company, so that the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism can boost high-quality development of the village. The collective economic income of Lianhuashan Village increased from 180,000 yuan in 2014 to more than 500,000 yuan in 2022, and it is expected to break through 1 million yuan this year.