Chinese friends return home to rebuild Qingjiao

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‍‍Located between the mountains and the sea, Qingjiao Village is a beautiful place with a pleasant climate. The 39 special ancient houses here give it unique elegance and primitive simplicity.

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In September 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture proposed to nominate 150 villages as "2017 Best Villages for Recreation." Two villages in Xiamen City were nominated, and Qingjiao was one of them.

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However, it's hard to imagine that such a beautiful village was once a totally dirty mess.

Young people dropped out of school, either idling about or fighting in the streets. Old people were alone and helpless. Abandoned coops, pigsties and pit latrines were seen almost everywhere. Eventually, Qingjiao was put on the demolition list.

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"Had our village been demolished, our memory and nostalgia would be lost. We'll be regretful," said Chen Junxiong, a villager from Yuanqian commune of Qingjiao. He was one of the first youngsters who left the village for business. When he returned, he always thought how wonderful it would be to develop their place again together with his childhood friends.

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"So I urged them to change our village together," said Chen.

Unexpectedly, the idea got everyone's support. Being idle for several years, the young people decided that it's not right. They wanted a change, but didn’t know how to make it happen. Chen's proposal actually pointed a way for them.

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Before long, they got rid of bad habits. In 2014, the rebuilding of the village began. They started working before seven o'clock, replacing coops and pigsties with flowers and lawns, digging canals and repairing ancient houses. "Those 39 houses were built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. We didn't want to ruin such beautiful legacies in our hands."

Chen Junxiong. /By CGTN

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With joint efforts of these young people, Qingjiao Village changed dramatically within merely a year. "Now, the ecological environment is very good, and you can find fireflies here at night," Chen said proudly.

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Much to Chen's delight, his friends eventually develop the initiative to do something for the village. They started proposing plans on how to revive their once beautiful hometown.

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Now, Qingjiao has become an ecological and cultural village in Fujian Province. Seeing that their hometown can now provide them with chances to develop, more and more young people are coming back. Chen Junxiong and his friends are planning to build a space for rural tourism, sharing their experiences with more people like them.

The story is one in "The 1.3 Billion" series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.