6 | DISCOVER SHANXI Friday, August 14, 2020 CHINA DAILY Great Wall’s ‘moon gate’ rises from the rubble following storm collapse

By YUAN SHENGGAO

When reconstruction of a col­ lapsed gate at the Great Wall in Shanyin county, Shanxi province, was completed on Aug 6, a group of researchers was overwhelmed with excitement. “We are happy to be witness to the resurrection of the famed ‘moon gate’,” said Liu Hengshan, chairman of the Society of the Great Wall Studies based in Shuozhou city. “The renovated gate is almost the same as the original. You can’t tell any difference more than 10 meters away,” said Wang Jinfei, a photographer of Taiyuan­based Shanxi Daily newspaper. The rebuilt “moon gate” in the Shanyin section of the Great Wall An enthusiast of the Great Wall, looks almost the same as it did before becoming damaged four Wang had taken many pictures of years ago. WANG JINFEI / FOR CHINA DAILY the gate before it collapsed in 2016. The gate, a part of the Shanyin ing to Zhang Bingfa, one of the more than 3,000 pictures of the section of the Great Wall 1.4 kilo­ founders of the Society of the “moon gate” to ensure that the meters away from the renowned Great Wall Studies. new structure keeps its original Guangwu Fortress, was built in He noted that some locals were appearance. A worker at Qinzhou Yellow Millet Group processes a load of the cereal before it is delivered to Canada. the 16th century during the Ming found taking bricks away from the Qiao Yunfei, a member of the ZHONG QING / FOR CHINA DAILY Dynasty (1368­1644). wall for building their own team, said new technologies and The arched gate was a favorite homes. materials had been used to of photographers because pic­ “Many sections of the Great improve the structure’s resistance tures with the moon shining Wall are in a similar condition. to natural disasters like storms through the gate had been a sen­ There is an urgent need to protect and earthquakes. Shanxi’s yellow millet sation in the media. It was named and repair the walls,” Zhang said. “To keep its original appear­ the “most beautiful landmark of Local officials in Shanyin quick­ ance, the new materials were only the Great Wall” by enthusiasts. ly responded to the collapse. Engi­ used in the interior of the struc­ However, it was destroyed by a neering measures were taken to ture,” Qiao said. heavy storm in October 2016. prevent other parts of the wall Dozens of tourists also wit­ taking root in Chinese “The pass, consisting of the gate near the gate from falling down. nessed the completion of the gate. and a watchtower, became ram­ The government then invited Tang Bin, a tourist from South shackle five centuries after its con­ experts on Great Wall protection China’s Guangdong province, said struction. Following a rainstorm to draft plans for the reconstruc­ he came to the site because he that lasted for three days, we tion. heard that it would reopen on Aug and overseas markets found it collapsed,” said Yin A research team composed of 6. Chengwu, a local official responsi­ experts from the National Culture Bringing his family with him, he ble for the protection of the Great and Heritage Administration and said that “we are the most fortu­ Province’s traditional crop, which was once favored by royal dynasties, Wall. the Chinese Academy of Cultural nate to be here on the day of its has found a new customer base and enjoys growing sales in Canada Human activities were another Heritage was involved in the plan­ reopening”. reason for the collapse of the gate, ning and reconstruction of the in addition to a lack of mainte­ gate. Guo Yanjie contributed to this By YUAN SHENGGAO taining its quality. nance over the centuries, accord­ The team members collected story. Qingzhou Yellow Millet Group Peng Lisha, a sales manager of was established in the 1990s as a Qinzhou Yellow Millet Group based local flagship company in the proc­ in Qinzhou city, Shanxi province, is essing and sales of the products. Village’s movie academy could play estimating the arrival date of a ship­ Millet was among the earliest ment of millet bound for Canada. grains in China. It has been planted “More than half a month passed on the Loess Plateau that today since it departed Tianjin Port and them in the United States,” Wen includes Shanxi and Shaanxi prov­ host to major actors of the future it’s about to arrive at Vancouver Port said. inces for around 7,000 years. in a few days,” Peng said. The executive said the millet The area of millet in Shanxi is By YUAN SHENGGAO Peng is concerned with the products are processed according currently between 200,000 and shipment because this is the to the strict requirements of the cli­ 240,000 hectares, accounting for On their way to xiaokang — or biggest deal she has made for her ent. about 10 percent of the country’s moderately prosperous — society, company this year, in the context “Millet is stored in warehouses at total. Its output is about one­eighth the people of Jiajiazhuang, a that foreign trade has been affected temperatures between 1­2 C and of the national total, according to small village in Fenyang city, are by the COVID­19 pandemic. undergoes multiple procedures of Shanxi Food and Strategic planning an undertaking that The executive said she received sorting and dehulling before deliv­ Reserves Administration. they could never have predicted. an enquiry from Canada’s Afod in ery,” Wen said. To improve market recognition, The village’s officials recently April. “After Afod representatives “When the product arrived at the Shanxi provincial government announced an ambitious plan to visited our company three times in Tianjin Port, it passed strict checks released a plan for the brand build­ build a movie academy. The plan May, we signed an agreement on by Afod representatives. We received ing of local millet in August 2017. came about because it is the June 4, which authorized Afod as payment three days after the checks,” The plan required the establish­ home village of Jia Zhangke, one the exclusive dealer of our yellow said Peng, the sales manager. ment of industrial alliances and a of the top movie directors in Chi­ millet in Canada,” Peng said. “We will get further feedback regional brand for the products. na. She said a total of 200 metric when the products arrive in Cana­ “Since 2017, a millet industrial As one of the leading “sixth­gen­ tons of millet will be shipped to da and are sold in local markets. alliance, a millet industry opera­ eration directors” in Chinese cine­ Canada in 2020. “This is the largest Further improvements will be tional center and a collective brand ma, the 50­year­old Jia has export volume of yellow millet made according to the feedback,” of ‘Shanxi Millet’ have been estab­ garnered international praise and from Qinzhou in its history,” Peng she said. lished, helping to promote the awards for a number of his social said. Qinzhou Yellow is a renowned products throughout the entire realism films over the past years, Qinzhou is a major producer of millet brand name with a local geo­ country and the rest of the world,” with representative works includ­ yellow millet in Shanxi and is graphic indication trademark. It said Wang Yunlong, head of the ing Mountains May Depart, Still Decades of development has turned Jiajiazhuang village into an known throughout the country for was a favorite food of the royal fam­ Shanxi Food and Strategic Life, and A Touch of Sin. attractive community for residents. SI BUSHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY the high quality of its product. ilies during the Ming (1368­1644) Reserves Administration. Jia is a supporter of the village According to Wen Xiuwei, execu­ and Qing (1644­1911) dynasties, “To meet customer demands for movie academy. tive deputy president of Qinzhou according to local historical healthier food, Shanxi has devel­ He sees the village as a source of accommodations, a booming com­ according to the local villagers’ Yellow Millet Group, the company records. oped more than 20,000 hectares of inspiration for his artistic crea­ mercial street and a number of cre­ committee. began to export millet to Canada However, the yellow millet farmland for organic millet and its tions and has regularly portrayed ative cultural facilities. “A good life is not defined by how five years ago but the sales volume unique to Qingzhou had been seen output is expected to surpass rural life and landscapes in his In the village history museum, much money you have. We are now was small. by local farmers as a variety with a 50,000 tons this year,” Wang add­ movies. visitors see from pictures that this hoping to live a life with both spiri­ In addition, there are sales of low output and crops were limited ed. During a recent conference for booming community was an tual and economic accomplish­ millet in Poland and Australia but to certain higher­altitude areas. The official noted that growing the preparation of the academy, he impoverished village decades ago. ments,” said Zhang Lijun, a local the total amount is about 3 tons a In the 1970s, the Shanxi Acade­ millet is an important means to promised to use the village as a People lived in shabby thatched villager. year. my of Agricultural Sciences and help rural residents lift themselves base for his new movies. houses, the roads were muddy The village is currently shifting “The founder of Afod is a Canadi­ Shanxi University of Agriculture out of poverty. According to local officials, the when it rained and people’s its focus to developing industries an­Chinese, whose hometown is in jointly established a research pro­ Qinzhou Yellow Millet Group, for academy will be located in the incomes were limited because of that improve local education and Shanxi,” Wen said. He added that gram on Qinzhou’s yellow millet. instance, has helped more than Jiajiazhuang Industrial Park, next the infertile land. spiritual well­being, like the movie the boss is familiar with all varie­ They studied whether the grain 20,000 rural households by encour­ to the Jia Zhangke International But changes took place in the academy. ties of millet in Shanxi and knows could be grown in other regions or aging them to grow the crop, pur­ Arts Center and Jia Zhangke Seeds late 1980s when the village leaders Zhang is cooperating with his the products from Qinzhou are whether the per­unit output could chasing their products, promoting Theater. led residents to start up their own fellow villagers to establish an among the best. be raised. advanced farming techniques and After decades of development, businesses. international school in the village. “We learned from Afod that mil­ The eight­year program led to a providing financial assistance, the village has grown into a com­ Now the village has complete “With the faculty and facilities in let products sold very well in some substantial improvement in the according to Shi Yaowu, board munity distinguished from its industrial chains for agriculture to place, the school is ready to open in supermarkets in Canada, especial­ output of yellow millet and helped chairman of the company. neighbors. manufacturing and tourism. Per early September,” Zhang said. ly among Chinese communities. it adapt to a wider range of geo­ It now boasts a four­star hotel capita annual income reached And they also have plans to sell graphic conditions, while main­ Li Yali contributed to this story. and several other star­rated 30,000 yuan ($4,320) in 2019, Li Yali contributed to this story.

their kind­ but I have found there are a lot of ness, are great people here, with the same Amateur photographer puts local culture into focus a l w a y s kind of hospitality as you can ready to experience elsewhere in China. By DOMINA YEVHENIA still many historical places here. people from Taiyuan about and imagine how many amazing pla­ help and Even though my Chinese is not so There are lots of parks with then tell people from other prov­ ces are outside the city? Moun­ are proud good, local people are always ready This is how I see Shanxi province. stunning views and nature. Every­ inces and countries as well. tains, rivers and temples — all to be part to help me, to explain what I don’t I have been living in Taiyuan for two thing is green and the scenery is Outdoor recreation surrounded these can be found in Shanxi prov­ of that cul­ understand and show me their years. Photography is my hobby and breathtaking. In such places, I by nature makes us peaceful, can ince. ture. city, their culture in best lights. I would like to develop it further. want to spend a lot of time and refresh our minds and makes time So much history is here and local I am I am happy to be a part of this and Here you feel you’re at a junction of whenever I go back I take new with our friends and family happi­ people are always happy to share happy to hope that I can show other people technology and old China because photos. er. stories with you. Domina Yevhenia have lived Shanxi province from another there is both ancient and modern I like to watch people go out on I know many colorful places in In many parks you can find here for angle. architecture. a picnic and enjoy their free time. China. But I think Shanxi really English translations for signs, such a long time. It gives me an Taiyuan is developing every day. I am sure that in this province deserves the attention of tourists. which help make trips more opportunity to compare life here The writer is a Ukrainian working But no matter how much technol­ there are many more interesting All of my photos were taken in meaningful. with that in other provinces. for the Aobao Hills Kindergarten in ogy comes to our lives, there are places that you should go to, tell the city of Taiyuan but can you People here are distinguished by There are really big differences Taiyuan.

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