18 | Monday, September 7, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE
XIAOKANG@GRASSROOTS
usheng village resident He Licheng still remem bers when he was young, Erhai Lake in Dali Bai Gautonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, was so clean that he usu ally drank water directly from the lake. A CLEAR VISION “There were not many people liv ing by the lake, and nobody threw rubbish or discharged sewage into it, so the water remained grade I, After years of hard work, changes and personal the top in the country’s fivetier water quality system.” sacrifice by the local residents, Erhai Lake is seeing a In the 1980s, however, the water cleaner, healthier future, Wang Ru and Li Yingqing quality of the lake deteriorated and “we no longer drank the water”, he report in Dali, Yunnan province. says. In 1996, he even witnessed a massive outbreak of bluegreen algae which “made the water smell terrible, and I felt heartbroken”. Recalling the past, the now 52yearold who grew up by the lake says, “I experienced several startovers in my career, and they are all related to the protection of Erhai Lake.” As the seventhlargest freshwa ter lake in China, Erhai Lake has a watershed area of 2,562 square kilometers, and more than 860,000 people are living in the area now, according to Yang Chu, a deputy mayor of Dali city. Born into a fisherman’s family, He started to go fishing with his parents in 1983 when he was 15, liv ing on the money he made from selling fish. In 1989, He rented a 1.13hectare tidal flat near the lake, and built it into a fishpond to raise fish with his savings. He was earning around 3,000 yuan ($438.3) a year at that time. He worked very hard, and, by 1993, was able to upgrade from a small wooden boat to a big powerboat in 1993 with the 20,000 yuan he saved. However, just three years later, when the bluegreen algae Erhai Lake viewed from Gusheng village, hometown of rural resident He Licheng in Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province. WANG RU / CHINA DAILY appeared in 1996, the local govern ment issued a ban on using such vessels in a bid to control fishing pollution in the drainage area. and prevent pollution in the lake. Now they focus on how people’s He was unable to sell his power lifestyles influence the lake. boat for more than the price of “An important question we need scrap metal, and upon receiving to consider is how to find a way to compensation of 2,000 yuan from make people live in harmony with the government, he turned his the lake, so that it can be protected back on making a living through without impacting the develop fishing. ment of economy in the watershed Four years later, in a bid to pro area,” he adds. tect the lake’s surrounding wet “In recent years, water quality of land, He was required to remove Erhai Lake has fluctuated between the pond he had run for 11 years, grade II and grade III. Our goal is and was compensated 28,000 to have it remain at grade II all the yuan. year round. Currently we get that “My 11 years of effort seemed to for seven months, and the remain be in vain. The loss was hard to cal Left: Gusheng village resident He Licheng in his homestay. His career has started over several times as a result of the area’s ongoing effort to ing five are grade III. Although we culate. It was really hard for me to protect Erhai Lake. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Right: Travelers pick pears at He’s homestay in Dali. LI YINGQING / CHINA DAILY have done a lot of work, we still accept at first, but gradually I did need more time to achieve our and persuaded myself to start over goal,” says Wang. in my career,” says He. have difficulty even living by it, let permission to reopen. ditches and wetland, which would Recalling the past, He says, “I He converted his family home by alone developing its surrounding “Those eight months were peak allow the pollutants from the rain have experienced most of the the lake into a homestay in 2012. As Although we have area.” travel season, a rough estimate of wash or the runoff from the fields measures put in place to protect the only homestay in Gusheng vil Yang says the effort to control how much income I lost is around to be retained at the lake shore. I Erhai over the past 38 years. It was lage at that time, He was drawing suffered a few times pollution and improve water quali 50,000 yuan,” says He. know it will help to greatly really hard for me to give up my an annual income of more than over the years, with ty started in 1996, and intensified In 2018, the 1,806 residents that improve water quality. boat, remove the pond and demol 40,000 yuan. Following the visit of following Xi’s visit in 2015. lived in the core area of Erhai Lake “Although we have suffered a few ish houses, but considering that President Xi Jinping to the village the improving water As a result, just as his homestay nature reserve were required to times over the years, with the they can help protect Erhai Lake, in 2015, visitor numbers grew even quality, more business started to develop good move out, and some buildings were improving water quality, more which will be beneficial to our off higher, and his yearly income grew momentum, in 2017, all the res demolished. He found part of his travelers come to Erhai Lake, and spring, I believe my sacrifices are to about 200,000 yuan. travelers come to taurants and homestays by the homestay was inside the boundary my business is getting better,” says worthwhile. I can see Erhai is Xi’s visit also made him realize Erhai Lake, and my lake were required to close to of the reserve, so he had to demol He. cleaner than before, so our life will the importance of protecting Erhai improve their sewage treatment ish part of his courtyard and house According to Wang Xinze, a pro get better.” Lake. “President Xi told us we must business is getting facilities. He invested nearly totaling 156 square meters. fessor at Shanghai Jiaotong Uni protect Erhai Lake, and I began to better.” 100,000 yuan, closing his home But this time, He found it easier versity’s Dali Research Institute, to Contact the writers at realize that we can only develop in stay for eight months, which to accept the loss. “I got to know improve Erhai Lake’s water quality, [email protected] a sustainable way to ensure the He Licheng, local resident, Dali underwent repeated inspection, the government’s plan to build an they first considered the lake itself, Bai autonomous prefecture, ecology of the lake. If the lake Yunnan province to bring the sewage purification ecological corridor, a natural cancelling powerboats and fish Chen Yuehua contributed to this became too polluted, we would system up to regulations and gain waterfront, lined with trees, grass, ponds. Then they sought to control story. Rural Yunnan enjoys a better life amid rapidly blooming local economy
By WANG RU and LI YINGQING the subdistrict produced 200 million 90,000 loose, and 50,000 potted, in Kunming yuan worth of product in 2019. hydrangeas, making nearly 300,000 According to Qi Yaobin, a local The flower business yuan. Although the price was much When Lyu Yunxiong retired from official, “The climate in Kunming is cheaper than before, it at least the army in 2014, he worked as an suitable for growing flowers. We can has become the main recouped some of the losses suffered auxiliary policeman. However, after say 70 percent of the flowers in the pillar of the economy by the farmers.” just five months, the then 23year Chinese market come from Yunnan, People in the area also do well in old decided to return home to grow then 70 percent of Yunnan’s flower here, and plays a big planting succulents, and they have flowers. come from Jinning district, and our role in leading local formed a relatively mature online “I noticed local flower businesses subdistrict is the main flowerplant sales channel. developing rapidly. Most of the peo ing area in the district. people to a better life.” “Succulent plants are always wel ple in our village were growing flow “The flower business has become Qi Yaobin, local official, Bao comed in the market, and more than ers, and I discovered that they had the main pillar of the economy here, feng subdistrict, Jinning district, 300 groups have come to our subdis all converted their dilapidated hous and plays a big role in leading local Kunming, Yunnan province trict to buy them from us to sell es into beautiful big ones over the people to a better life,” says Qi. through livestreaming. Now the course of just a few years. That’s why In the past, people in the area planting area for them has reached I thought growing flowers would be mainly grew vegetables, but they returns are not immediate. But, over more than 200 hectares,” says Han, a profitable venture,” says Lyu. found they could plant flowers as the course of several years, it is much who estimates he will earn about His choice, it seems, was a wise well. The flowers soon displayed the more profitable than ordinary crops, 200,000 yuan from succulent plant one, as, just six years on, he is quite area’s greater advantages — quicker Flower farmer Han Gang of Baofeng subdistrict in Kunming, like roses.” sales this year. satisfied with his current life. “I grow growing time, better transportation Yunnan province, takes care of his produce. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY He was the first to grow the “Local government plans to sup 1 hectare of roses now, and earned and more sales channels — so, in hydrangeas, but after seeing the port more cooperatives and build a more than 300,000 yuan ($43,830) 2009, they turned to growing flow money he earned, others soon fol complete system which combines in 2019. I don’t want a ninetofive ers extensively. our subdistrict, 1,900 are growing of flowers to grow, as well as new lowed his lead. flower research, cultivation, sales, job and growing flowers at home Average annual income in the area flowers, and more than 4,000 are sales channels. For example, This year, due to the influence of transportation and display to pro enables me to enjoy more freedom.” has increased from just 2,000 yuan doing work related to the flower 35yearold flower farmer Han Gang COVID19, flower sales have suf mote further development and help His career would not have been as before 2009 to around 18,000 yuan in business. Their flowers have been introduced Hydrangea macrophyl fered, and Han tried his hand at pro local people live a better life through satisfying without the development 2019. Despite obvious difficulties this sold to all around China, as well as la for local people to plant in 2014. moting sales through livestreaming. the business,” says Qi. of the flower business in Baofeng sub year, that figure is still estimated to overseas,” says Qi. “People didn’t plant this type of flow “I invited some online sales enter district, Jinning district, Kunming, rise to around 20,000 yuan for 2020. People are also continuously er because its sprout is expensive prises to help us sell flowers during a Contact the writers at Yunnan province. The businesses in “Among the 6,700 households in exploring new, more profitable types compared with other flowers, and its twoday livestream in June, and sold [email protected]