China News Service, Jinhua, October 1 (Linbo) "If counties are governed, the world will be safe." The county economy has never been just a competition for GDP, but also the continuation and reshaping of the roots of civilization on the land and water. Yongkang, Zhejiang, is known to the world as the "Hardware Capital". "Hardware craftsmen travel everywhere, and every county is close to Kang." For thousands of years, Yongkang's hardware skills have continued to evolve with the changes of the times.
Hardware makes utensils, but besides the utensils, there is another card being played in Yongkang - civilization.
Driving south from Yongkang City, within a few minutes, the clear water from Baiyun Reservoir flows into Yuanzhou Village along the winding canals. The village roads are neat and tidy, the courtyards are scattered, and the "Little Great Wall" in the distance lights up in the dusk.
It is hard to imagine that this garden-style village with more than 200 ecological houses and collective village assets of 1 billion yuan was still a backward village with a debt of 170,000 yuan more than 20 years ago. Here, the "beauty of utensils" of the hardware capital meets the "light of civilization" of the rural land, allowing villagers to share the dividends of development.
The transformation of Yuanzhou Village is the epitome of Yongkang's transformation from a "hardware capital" to a "civilized city". This is not a "bonsai-making" embellishment, but a systematic "ecological education" from grassroots good governance, industrial revitalization to cultural inheritance. In the words of Yongkang people, "Hardware creates utensils, and civilization shapes character."
Good governance at the grassroots level: “planting” governance rules into the countryside
The foundation of a civilized city lies in the soil of grassroots governance.
Hardware craftsmen travel far and wide to make a living, relying on rules and trust; running a village and building a business also requires a long-term management mechanism.
On the wall of Yuanzhou Village Committee, the words "Ten Minutes Service Commitment" are particularly eye-catching. Zhou Shuangzheng, secretary of the party branch of the village, said that the village implements a shift system, with designated people and posts, and full-time personnel to ensure that when villagers have complaints, "village cadres will arrive at the scene within ten minutes."
This mechanism has been in operation for many years, and the results are written in the numbers: Yuanzhou Village has won many honors such as the National Civilized Village and the National Advanced Grassroots Mass Autonomous Organization. The village’s collective income has risen from debt to an annual income of over 11 million yuan.
Behind this mechanism is a deeper governance change. In 2006, Yuanzhou Village received 51 million yuan in funds by revitalizing existing land in the old village. At that time, more than 90% of the villagers wanted to quantify this money to everyone. Zhou Shuangzheng withstood the pressure and insisted on using this money as the "first pot of gold" to leverage the development of the village.
With funds in hand, Yuanzhou Village began to renovate its farmhouses. Party members and cadres took the lead in demolishing their old houses, showing off their accounts, and chewing on the hard bones to win the hearts and minds of the people with openness, fairness, and impartiality.
Zhou Shuangzheng said: “This battle to change concepts, environment, and mechanisms has become a key turning point in the magnificent transformation of Yuanzhou Village.”
The governance logic of Dachen Village is equally clear. In 2012, Chen Jianwei, secretary of the village party branch, faced a village where the annual collective economic income was less than 100,000 yuan and a large number of old houses were idle. "To change Dachen, we must start with the environment, and then use the environment to drive industry."
Once the seeds of governance take root, growth will follow naturally. Good governance not only changes the appearance of the village, but also reshapes the trust between people - this is the simplest foundation of civilization.
Industrial Revitalization: Let "Shared Wealth" Grow the Confidence of Civilization
With the foundation of good governance, the development of the industry will have a direction.
The B&B cluster in Dachen Village started with 7 hotels and has grown to 45 hotels with 1,600 beds today. It has become an "Internet celebrity village" with B&B revenue of more than 13 million yuan.
Chen Jianwei said that Dachen Village does not copy urban business formats, but takes the path of "micro-renovation and fine-tuning", transforming old pig pens into cafes and old houses into high-end B&Bs.
What deserves more attention is the "civilization transformation" of the industry. For example, "Dachen Shunyu" has achieved a leap from "selling scenery" to "selling culture" and "selling brand" through fine processing.
"I was originally worried that I wouldn't be able to sell it, but now I can sell it at my doorstep. 80% of the people can make money as long as they work hard." Chen Jianwei said.
"When tourists come to travel, they ask for taro." Wu Dingfan, a villager in Dachen Village, goes to the fields to dig taro at dawn. In the past, taro rotted in the fields and no one cared about it. Now tourists come here to see it, and the fields have become the "first workshop". Between digging and selling, the ledger of increased income becomes thicker and thicker.
Yalu Village has taken the path of “intangible cultural heritage + market”. Since the opening of the "Yalv·Saturday" intangible cultural heritage market, it has attracted more than 2 million tourists, driving an increase of more than 12 million yuan in revenue from B&B, catering and other industries. As night falls, the "Nine Lions Picture" leaps into the air amidst the sound of gongs and drums. The naive lion is pulled by a rope, rolling forward and dodging back.
Lu Gexin, secretary of the party branch of the village, said: "There are intangible cultural heritage performances every month, and you can see "Nine Lions" and "Eighteen Butterflies" at your doorstep. Life has become richer, and the spirit of the villagers has changed."
Industrial revitalization brings more than just pockets. When villagers go from "sweeping the snow in front of each other" to jointly operating a village brand, and from going out to work to returning home to start a business, civilization has the most solid economic foundation.
Cultural inheritance: gathering the roots of civilization through identity
If good governance is the foundation of civilization and industry is the foundation of civilization, then cultural identity is the root of civilization's endless growth.
Yongkang has been known as the "Hometown of Hundreds of Craftsmen" in ancient times. The city has more than 100 representative projects of intangible cultural heritage. These cultural "tinders" scattered in the countryside are being rekindled.
In Hukuxia Village, 14 ancient ancestral halls stand quietly in the village. In the Huze Historical Museum, the plaque "Serving as an official will benefit the whole country" is particularly eye-catching. Hu Jiyang, secretary of the party branch of the village, said: "With Hu Gong as a sage, we will repair and protect the ancient village to better inherit and carry forward Hu Gong's spirit."
Hukuxia Village insists on "repairing the old as before" and revitalizes ancient buildings such as the Ancestral School and Ruotang Gong Temple to build a clean government education base.
Hu Jiyang knew in his heart that old houses alone could not retain young people, and Hu Gong culture had to "live" in the present. As a result, the Kuchuan Market came into being - actors in doll costumes and stilt performers took turns, allowing tourists to immerse themselves in traditional culture in Hu Gong's hometown. A market was held in the ancient ancestral hall, the old house became a new scene, and young people began to be willing to come back.
Jin Shenhao, a paper-cutting entrepreneur born in the 1990s, was attracted by this background. He said frankly that he decided to open his studio here because of the simple rural style and deep cultural roots of Hukuxia Village. "I hope to tell the story of Hu Gong to young people through paper-cutting."
With a pair of scissors and a piece of red paper, Jin Shenhao brought Hu Gong's spirit into the eyes of young people, giving the ancient village another reason to retain people.
Houwucun has explored the revitalization path of ancient buildings with “one house, one feature”. This famous Chinese historical and cultural village was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty. There are more than a hundred ancient houses of the Ming and Qing Dynasties preserved in the village.
According to Wu Yichun, secretary of the village’s Party branch, the Guihua House in the village was transformed into a calligraphy and painting club because the descendants of the owner admired literary talent; another old house was introduced into a cafe, and was run by a "post-90s generation" in the village.
Nowadays, in Houwu Village, new business formats such as cafes, teahouses, bakeries, and stone shops are gradually developing in this ancient building complex.
From Yuanzhou Village’s “Ten Minute Service Commitment” to Dachen Village’s “Taro+”, from Houwu Village’s “Old House Coffee” to Yalu Village’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage Market”, Yongkang’s practice points to a simple truth: Civilization construction is not about “creating bonsai” but “nurturing ecology.”
Yongkang's craftsman spirit that has traveled far and wide for thousands of years is being transformed into governance wisdom, industrial momentum and cultural confidence that are "rooted in the homeland". When grassroots governance has rules, industrial development has confidence, and cultural identity has roots, civilization will no longer be a slogan hanging on the wall, but become a part of daily life in the countryside. The "beauty of utensils" of the hardware city and the "light of character" of the civilized city complement each other in the fields of Yongkang.
