After lunch, Zhu Haizhong, who is 68 years old, goes to his orchard to pick 25 kilograms of rose plums for his customers, which will earn him an extra income of over 100 yuan.

Zhu Haizhong, who has shaken off poverty, used to work in Shazhou Scenic Area as a security guard with an income of 80 yuan each day, but due to his old age, he was not able to go on this work this year. At the beginning of this year, Zhu got another job in the village’s newly built restaurant with a fixed income of 1,500 yuan each month.

“We are glad at the dramatic changes in our village.” Zhu remembers clearly that Shazhou Village has entered the fast lane of development since 2016.

“The members of the village Party branch Committee have made great contribution to the development, who wholeheartedly serve the people and work for the people,” Zhu said. He added that they often work late into the night and the members of the village Party branch Committee as well as other Party members who do not hold a position in the Party organizations solve problems for the people in time.

At the beginning, most villagers held little confidence in Shazhou Scenic Area, and thus the housing demolition and land expropriation work proceeded slowly.

Under this condition, Zhu Xiaoyong, who has been a Party member for 36 years, took the lead in demolishing his hoggery, which was the only source of income for Zhu’s family.

With the demolition of the hoggery, other villagers responded one after another and worked together to build a red Shazhou Scenic Area. Now, the scenic area is widely known and Zhu becomes an auxiliary police officer in the village.

Moreover, he persuaded his daughter, who worked outside before, to work for the scenic area as a narrator. “As an aged Party member, I should set an example for others and contribute to the development of the scenic area.”

There are various fruits such as loquats, Nai plums and crystal pears getting ripe from spring to autumn each year, which is the busiest time for Zhu Xiangyong, who has been a Party member for 26 years.

Zhu opened a store selling agricultural materials, providing agricultural materials and farming technologies for fruit growers. With his careful guidance, the quality of the fruits has been immensely improved with an increasing output.

Despite the happiness, he also worried about the sales of these fruits.

Thanks to his store, he gained many customers. Zhu gradually realized that the long-term development of Shazhou’s fruit industry requires large-scale and well-organized operation. Soon, led by Zhu, Shazhou Specialized Farmer Cooperative was founded.

Based on the mode of “Party branch and cooperative and farmer”, the cooperative attracted over 30 households in a way of entrusted operation, providing jobs and benefit-sharing compensation, which increased the villagers’ income by 3,000 yuan. Meanwhile, it has guided 110 poverty-stricken villagers to work in Shazhou Scenic Area and the industrial parks. Each year, 5% of the cooperative’s fund is drawn as the share of the village collective economy and supporting fund for poverty alleviation.

The Party cadres and Party members in Shazhou Village always take the lead. For example, Zhu Jianhui, a Party member born in the 1960s, does a good job in making sure the stalls are set up orderly in the scenic area and it is the same for Zhu Lizhi and Cao Duanxiu, who were born in the 1980s and work to safeguard the security of Shazhou and the agricultural production.

As the activity of “I can do practical things for the people” was carried out this year, each Party member needs to solve problems for 7 to 10 households. Since March, they have solved more than 50 difficult problems for the people and resolved over 30 conflicts.

The joining of the rural revitalization workgroup from Chenzhou City in May 27 marks a new journey for the development of Shazhou Village and the number of the Party cadres in the village increases to 23.

As the captain of the rural revitalization workgroup, Tan Shihua makes new planning for the development of the rural tourism and requires the Party members to take the lead in advancing the rural tourism so as to draw in more tourists.

“Next, we are working to guide more youth to join the Party and with the contribution of the young Party members, the core forces in rural revitalization, Shazhou village will see a surefire boom,” Tan Shihua said firmly.