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Pictures of the Past, Postcards to the Future

Source:China Daily Published:2019-10-18 15:29

Zhang Yinquan left his village for a better life, but discovered his transformed home is where he is happiest

East or west, home is best. Zhang Yinquan, a 35-year-old who runs a post office in his hometown of Xihe in the south of Henan province, has a profound understanding of this proverb. For him, home has not only comforted his restless soul, but also helped unlock his good fortune.

Xihe is a typical ancient Chinese town. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources and culture, including many old trees, bamboo forests and more than 150 ancient dwellings from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). On the other, the village suffers from a weak economy, lack of vitality, and a growing number of parents whose children have left home.

"For most of my generation, striving to leave this impoverished village was our common goal when we were young," Zhang said.

"We could not see any chance to change our lives, and I did not want to stick here either."

In China, a good score in the gaokao, or college entrance exam, is widely considered to be the best way to secure a young person's future. As a farmer's son, Zhang was no exception, and with a good score he gained entry to a university in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, to study to become an auditor.

After four years of study, Zhang realized his dream of moving to the bright lights of a big city. In 2005, he found a job in Shanghai as a clerk in the financial department of a small company.

He worked hard, but Zhang could not keep up with the fast pace of the metropolis, and the high cost of living forced him to leave Shanghai.

"I felt a bit breathless in Shanghai. My salary was not enough to allow me to settle down, and I decided to leave before I became lost. But I still wanted to experience the world, so I moved to another extraordinary city, Guangzhou, to try my luck," Zhang said.

As the capital of Guangdong province, one of the biggest manufacturing centers in China, Guangzhou offered Zhang plenty of opportunities.

"Sales, marketing, auditing, you name it, I did everything I could to make money," he said. "God helps those who help themselves, so I had a pretty cozy life down there. What made me even happier was that I met a girl who later became my wife."

Zhang spent 10 years in Guangzhou, but in the last few years his life took an unexpected turn when his son was born. "The cost of living had soared, and property prices were also too high for me to afford," Zhang said. "As the big cities threw me into confusion, I heard some news from Xihe saying that the situation was changing."

In 2013, teams of official and experts had begun traveling to Xihe to help individuals and the community plan how to exploit the village's advantages. As Xihe is more than 700 years old, it is considered most suitable for tourism development, and with significant investment in infrastructure the village greatly changed.

Zhang said he returned home every Spring Festival, but found it difficult to comprehend how the living conditions of so many people had improved so rapidly.

"My relatives who still lived in Xihe told me that the local government was encouraging young people to go back and start home-based businesses, and said there are subsidies if you have any difficulties at the beginning," he said. "As I saw more and more tourists visiting Xihe, from 2016 I began to think about returning."

Zhang finally decided to go back to Xihe with his family in 2017.

He took over an old post office, made some renovations and offered services with a difference.

His post office not only provides tourists with commemorative stamps, cultural and creative products, local specialties and tourist souvenirs, but they can also write letters and postcards to the future, which can be sent in a year, a decade, or any time the sender wants.

"I feel grateful about my post office and life in Xihe. Now I can earn more than 200,000 yuan ($29,000) a year, and with the lower living costs in Xihe, my life is getting better," Zhang said.

In recent years, Xihe has established facilities to support tourism and also encouraged villagers to open restaurants and accommodations with local cultural characteristics. From 2014 to last year, the village welcomed over 700,000 visitors, with tourism revenue reaching 17 million yuan last year.

"In the past, most of the people living here were left-behind elders, children and handicapped villagers. Thanks to efforts to stimulate rural tourism, the indigenous young generation is coming back to Xihe, and I am just one of them," Zhang said.


Editor:Zhao Hanqing