Sichuan is one of the main production areas of China's bamboo industry. This issue of "Golden Signboard" takes you to Muchuan County, Sichuan, to witness how a common bamboo has become a billion-dollar industry for the people of Muchuan.
Muchuan is located in Leshan City, on the southwestern edge of the Sichuan Basin. It is surrounded by rivers and mountains, with a mild and humid climate, abundant rainfall, and a forest coverage rate of 77.34%. There are bamboos everywhere, and everyone uses bamboo. The entire region has 1.61 million acres of bamboo forests. The rich bamboo forest resources make this place prosperous by bamboo, and people live with bamboo, and many bamboo-related crafts and arts have been born and developed.
Exquisite bamboo baskets, bamboo hats, bamboo baskets, these practical and artistic bamboo products have occupied an important position in the daily life of Muchuan people. This craftsmanship passed down from heart to hand has also been passed on through the fingertips of old craftsmen.
Today, the wisdom of the older generation who make a living from bamboo has been continued while also undergoing a butterfly transformation and upgrading. In the past, bamboo weaving and papermaking were a craft passed down from generation to generation in Muchuan, and thousands of ancient papermaking workshops were once spread throughout the county. To date, papermaking is still an important part of the bamboo industry, but it has long been separated from the extensive production model. Relying on its locational advantages, Muchuan County has made great efforts in "bamboo" and "bamboo articles". It has introduced and cultivated the largest integrated bamboo, pulp and paper enterprise in the country-Yongfeng Paper. In this modern processing plant, high-quality bamboo materials taken from various towns in the county will be crushed and processed on a fully automated assembly line to become people's necessary daily and office paper.
Su Dongpo once wrote a doggerel "No bamboo makes people vulgar, no meat makes people thin, neither vulgar nor thin, bamboo shoots stewed with pork." to praise the natural deliciousness of bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots have always been a traditional delicacy in Sichuan, a major bamboo-producing province. In recent years, Muchuan bamboo shoots have also become a product widely recognized by consumers in the leisure food market.
The introduction and establishment of modern enterprises has enabled the deep processing of Muchuan's bamboo industry to develop rapidly, the industrial chain has been gradually extended, employment opportunities have been continuously increased, and farmers' income has also been significantly improved. At present, the bamboo industry covers more than 90% of the agricultural population in Muchuan County, and the per capita income of bamboo farmers has increased by nearly 4,000 yuan, accounting for about 1/4 of the income of the agricultural population. Today, Muchuan County has built a bamboo pulp raw material forest base of 580,000 mu, mainly composed of bamboo and Mian bamboo, a bamboo shoot forest base of 210,000 mu, and a bamboo shoot material dual-purpose base of 20,000 mu. The people are prosperous and the resources are abundant, and everything is used to its full potential. The smart and hardworking people of Muchuan have done far more than this in the development of bamboo forests.
Xinglu Village in Jianban Town is a relatively remote village in Muchuan County. The inconvenient transportation has brought certain limitations to its development here, but the good mountains and waters have given it a unique resource advantage. In recent years, villagers have discovered new treasures to increase their income and get rich in the bamboo forests where they have lived for generations.
Golden cicadas are commonly known as "cicadas" and often live in bamboo forests. It is favored by consumers because of its unique taste, rich nutrition and medicinal and health-care functions. Every year from the summer solstice to the beginning of autumn, it is the best season to harvest cicadas in the field. Cicada farmers will catch cicadas in the forest before dawn in the early morning. After harvesting, cicada farmers will do some simple processing for better preservation and sale.
The huge bamboo forest resources are the most precious gift given to the people of Muchuan by this land. The hardworking and wise people of Muchuan cherish them with deep affection. The cicada breeding in Xinglu Village is a microcosm of the three-dimensional development of bamboo forests in Muchuan County. It increases three-dimensional forests, reduces single forests, and uses the space under the forest to develop forest tea, forest poultry, forest medicine, forest fungi, forest taro and other special breeding industries. In recent years, the county's annual net increase in forest economic income has exceeded 300 million yuan.
The bamboo forest has nurtured countless treasures, but the biggest treasure is still this green water and green mountains. "Using bamboo to promote tourism and using tourism to support bamboo" has achieved the integrated development of "bamboo industry" + "tourism". Now there are four A-level and above scenic spots in the county, represented by Muchuan Bamboo Sea. Muchuan Bamboo Sea, located in Yongfu Town, Muchuan County, is one of them.
The simple rural customs and fresh natural environment make Muchuan a good place for people to get away from the hustle and bustle and breathe in oxygen. At present, Muchuan County has been identified as a forest health care base in Sichuan Province. More than 150 forest families have been developed in the county. In order to better attract tourists, the villagers who run forest families can be said to have done their best in "bamboo kung fu".
The quiet natural environment of the bamboo forest and the fresh and delicious forest ingredients are all advantageous resources for the development of rural tourism in the local area. This original green is also the source of wealth for local villagers. "Enliven the bamboo economy and refine bamboo tourism". In addition to developing traditional tourism projects such as farmhouses, Muchuan has deeply explored the bamboo industry culture and combined it with cultural and creative products. It has successfully created a large-scale landscape live-action drama "Wumeng Muge" written, directed and performed by Muchuan. Relying on natural landscapes, it shows the ecological charm, historical heritage and folk customs of Muchuan Bamboo Village. By the end of 2021, the number of eco-tourism visitors in Muchuan County has reached more than 2 million, and the comprehensive tourism income has exceeded 1.7 billion yuan. With agriculture promoting tourism and integrating agriculture and tourism, the booming bamboo industry is becoming a strong engine for the development of Muchuan's characteristic industries, helping to fully revitalize Muchuan's rural areas.
Muchuan's persistence is for the long-term green development and the co-prosperity of man and natural ecology. The emergence of a bamboo has taken on the responsibility of enriching the people through rural revitalization. I believe that in the future, Muchuan's golden signboard of "China's Bamboo Hometown" will shine even more brightly.
Post time: Aug-29-2024
