Qionglai and Jiuzhaigou Join Hands to Write a New Chapter in Rural Revitalization

"In the past during holidays, the teacher would just set up a backdrop for us—no animations at all. But now it’s so much better. The uncles and aunts from Qionglai have built this large LED screen for us. Next time we have an event, the teacher will be able to play videos and music for us, and we can even create backgrounds unique to our own class," said a student from Jiuzhaigou Primary School happily.

The large LED screen is just a small microcosm of Qionglai’s assistance. Over the past year of carrying out aid efforts, the sixth batch of Qionglai’s paired assistance team has consistently adhered to the principles of scientific, targeted, and heartfelt assistance, contributing new strength to the comprehensive advancement of rural revitalization in Jiuzhaigou County.

Industry as the Core, Demonstration-Driven Development

Entering Group 3 of Shangsi Village, Zhangzha Town, rows of exquisite and rustic homestays come into view, radiating a rich Tibetan charm and adding a beautiful touch to the local landscape…

The project leader explained: Since 2019, the paired assistance team from Qionglai City has targeted the gap in the boutique homestay industry in Jiuzhaigou County. They actively facilitated connections and introduced experienced cultural tourism enterprises from Qionglai to collaborate with Jiuzhai's state-owned platform company on this project. The goal was to establish it as a benchmark and incubation platform for the local high-end homestay industry. Before the arrival of the sixth batch of the assistance team, the construction of the sample houses had already been completed. In 2021, after the sixth batch of the team arrived, they invested 4.4 million yuan in assistance funds to further advance the project. The interior decoration and furnishing have now been completed.

It is reported that "Jiuzhai Yunshang" fully preserves the architectural texture of Tibetan cultural spaces, integrating various elements such as sacred mountains and holy waters, Tibetan daily life, Zen-inspired connotations, and local materials. It establishes a new aesthetic standard for Tibetan-style renovations and features the décor and facilities of international five-star hotels, creating a unique cultural tourism product with a "locally internationalized" style and a high-quality, emotionally resonant living experience. This provides a reference and model for local residents in developing their own homestays.

Moreover, through the cooperative development model of "company + village collective + farmers," the project enables local farmers to directly participate in rural tourism. The initial 15-year lease agreement provides each household with over 40,000 yuan in annual asset-based income. Additionally, local farmers can earn extra wages by working at the hotel. The company also allocates 5% of its annual revenue to the village collective economy, prioritizing the development of model homes. This not only increases income and prosperity but also drives the upgrade of rural revitalization, significantly boosting local confidence in building their hometown and developing tourism.

Yao Li, the leader of the work team, stated, "In addition to 'Jiuzhai Yunshang,' this year we have also invested 12.6 million yuan to actively promote the rural tourism development project in Xiewujia Village and the eco-tourism project in Baohua Township. We aim to create several more distinctive projects that will allow tourists to enjoy themselves and extend their stays."

To actively boost the sales of agricultural and specialty products in Jiuzhaigou County, the work team invested assistance funds to establish the largest, most comprehensive, and most diverse agricultural and specialty products exhibition center in the county. Located at the first rest area after the Jiuzhaigou exit of the Jiuzhai-Huanglong Expressway, this exhibition center serves as the first stop for tourists to explore Jiuzhaigou’s unique agricultural by-products and cultural tourism offerings, providing a new platform to promote local products in domestic and international markets.

With a platform for showcasing their products, the work team also prioritizes brand building to enhance industrial quality and efficiency. Over the past year, with the dedicated assistance of the work team, Jiuzhaigou County has successfully obtained organic certification for five agricultural and specialty products, including Heihe apples and Dalu yaks. Additionally, 18 trademarks such as "Jiu Mao Tang Ke" and "Jiu Zai Nong Hao" have been registered, and one agricultural and specialty product brand has been elevated. These efforts have further strengthened the brand recognition, distinctiveness, and reputation of Jiuzhaigou's products, thereby enhancing their market competitiveness and influence.

Education as a Priority: Strengthening Foundations and Consolidating Resources

"As the youth thrive, so does the nation." For a region to sustain long-term development, students represent hope and the future. Therefore, the work team has provided strong support in terms of educational investment.

Since 2021, over 3 million yuan in assistance funds has been invested to implement infrastructure and informatization enhancement projects for primary and secondary schools in Jiuzhaigou County. Examples include procuring and installing outdoor stage LED screens and supporting educational informatization equipment for Jiuzhaigou Primary School, improving 20 sets of teacher turnover housing, purchasing 110 desktop computers for online lesson preparation for Jiuzhaigou County Middle School, and renovating and upgrading the meeting room of Jiuzhaigou County Experimental Primary School. In addition, the work team actively promoted the improvement of campus culture by conducting environmental planning and creative design for the Experimental Primary School. This included designing and installing approximately 200 square meters of campus relief walls themed around "moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education" and about 350 square meters of wall-mounted cultural displays in the teaching building. These efforts have consistently enhanced the school's educational substance and moral atmosphere.

"In our assistance work, we place particular emphasis on educational support and consistently adhere to the principle of prioritizing educational development. Beyond hardware improvements, we have actively organized 110 educational experts and leading members of master teacher studios from various disciplines in Qionglai to visit Jiuzhaigou County for demonstration classes, teaching research, and other activities. This has helped local teachers continuously update their educational philosophies and improve their professional competencies and teaching standards. During Jiuzhaigou County's initiative to establish a 'Provincial Smart Campus Demonstration Zone,' we also invited the 'Tang Shulin' Master Teacher Studio from Qionglai to assist and guide the creation process…," explained Li Min, a member of the work team.

To ensure students can successfully complete their education, the work team has also established a long-term educational assistance mechanism and implemented an annual support plan for financially disadvantaged students. So far, 80 students from registered impoverished households have received assistance, effectively ensuring that the basic learning and living needs of students from economically struggling families are met. The team has also organized a series of charitable donation activities, providing schools with essential learning supplies and striving to create favorable learning conditions for students, thereby supporting the high-quality and balanced development of education. Additionally, the team actively connects with social resources to secure financial aid for several disadvantaged students, offering solid support for their smooth academic progression.

Beyond this, the work team actively promotes interaction and exchange between primary and secondary school students in Qionglai and Jiuzhaigou. Initiatives such as the "Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart" and "I Have a Friend in Inland China" series have been launched. During the first phase, 100 student pairs were formed between Qionglai and Jiuzhaigou, further enhancing academic exchanges and cultural sharing between students from the two regions.

Platform Sharing and Paired Exchanges

"This year, the cherries sold exceptionally fast. With shipments going out today, our family simply couldn’t handle it all—we had to hire several people to help…" Mr. Wang couldn’t contain his joy.

Over the past year, driven by the work team, over 20 enterprises from Qionglai have been organized to hold recruitment events in Jiuzhaigou County, offering more than 2,000 job vacancies and facilitating 113 employment agreements. Additionally, the team actively leveraged social channels to help local farmers sell over 20,000 jin of agricultural products, addressing challenges such as employment difficulties and product sales issues amid the pandemic. Taking advantage of initiatives like promotional events within government institutions featuring Qionglai’s renowned specialties, the team vigorously promoted more than 30 types of Jiuzhaigou’s distinctive agricultural and cultural tourism products. These efforts have continuously enhanced the brand recognition, reputation, and market competitiveness of Jiuzhaigou’s high-quality local products.

At the same time, to strengthen the talent pool for rural revitalization and promote interaction and exchanges across multiple fields between Qionglai and Jiuzhaigou, Qionglai City has dispatched over 180 medical and educational professionals to Jiuzhaigou County to provide medical training, technical guidance, and educational support. Additionally, it has received more than 50 Party and government officials, medical and educational personnel, and agricultural workers from Jiuzhaigou County for on-the-job training and study programs in Qionglai. A total of 16 thematic training sessions have been conducted, benefiting over 1,400 participants. By identifying lists of "resources" and "needs" for paired assistance, the initiative has widely mobilized administrative departments, enterprises, institutions, and social organizations to engage in paired support, resource sharing, and collaborative development in Jiuzhaigou County, with cumulative donations amounting to 650,000 yuan.

"Upon arriving in Jiuzhaigou County, the work team immediately immersed themselves in their tasks. They conducted two rounds of field research and visits and held six seminars in collaboration with the County Development and Reform Bureau, the Bureau of Science and Agriculture, and other relevant departments. Based on the actual conditions of Jiuzhaigou County, they formulated a five-year paired assistance plan, which includes 16 projects covering industrial upgrading, rural revitalization, education and healthcare support, talent development, and employment assistance. Initial results have already been observed. Moving forward, we will continue to implement the series of decisions and arrangements for intra-provincial paired assistance, focusing on deepening and solidifying all aspects of the assistance efforts, and contributing Qionglai’s strength to help Jiuzhaigou County consolidate its achievements in poverty alleviation and comprehensively advance rural revitalization," Li Yao outlined the direction and goals of the paired assistance efforts.