During an interview on January 16, 2021, dozens of villagers were busy with the industrial and standardized processing of cured meat in a plant belonging to Shibadong.
In the past, it was difficult for the village to conduct large-scale production of smoked meat because residents had different types of methods in the making of smoked meat and their products were mainly run-of-the-mill.
Therefore, Shibadong started the construction of a cured meat factory with an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons in October 2020.
The development of industrial and standardized processing of smoked meat has offset the negative impact brought by seasonal processing of yellow peaches and kiwi fruit on the incomes of local residents.
In addition, Shibadong has built a kiwi fruit planting base in an agricultural industrial park about 30 kilometers away from the village. Villagers can not only work there, but also get huge dividends.
Right now, there are many special agricultural products like kiwi fruit-peach liquor, cured pork and organic tea available for people to buy during their visit to Shibadong.
Meanwhile, many young people have come back from cities and launched their own business ventures related to bee keeping, embroidery, homestays and livestreaming.
Statistics show that 303 people of 486 villagers have either become self-employed or found work at Shibadong.
The collective economy of Shibadong grew from nearly nothing in 2013 to over 2 million yuan ($ 278,000) in 2020.
Strive to create a better life with hard work
With the help of the county-level poverty alleviation team, Long Xianlan, a former impoverished villager, has acquired professional knowledge and vocational skills in the development of his bee-keeping business.
During the past few years, Long has registered a brand, launched his own firm and led other villagers to get rid of poverty with independent efforts.
There are many more people like Long with inspirational stories at Shibadong.
Under the leadership of the Party committee, local residents have also become proactive in the participation and governance of public affairs such as the construction of roads and parking lots, as well as emergence response.
Become a demonstration area for poverty reduction
In addition to becoming a popular tourist destination, Shibadong has explored many applicable practices and experiences in the appraisal and identification of the actual conditions of poverty-stricken people and in the formation of industry-driven poverty relief approaches over the past years.
For instance, Shuanglong Village and Paibi Village in Huayuan have followed the example of Shibadong in the transfer of their land to grow lucrative kiwi fruit.
Dongsheng Village in Yongzhou has also drawn inspiration from the success of Shibadong to develop itself into a selenium-enriched vegetable production base toward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the overseas market.
There are many more villages in Hunan that have learned much from Shibadong and embarked on their own journey toward a prosperous life with independent endeavors.