Prosperous road in Hongyan village begins with grapes

An array of grapes stretches to remote places in Hongyan village in Xifeng county, Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, with the emerald-like grapes shimmering under the August sun. 

It is hard to believe that this vibrant village was filled with poverty back in 2003. The grape growing industry was promoted in the village to help villagers out of poverty. The industry then began to scale up, and grapes grown there began to be branded as "Hongyan grapes". 

In 2013, the village's grape plantation was made a national agricultural demonstration zone, and one year later, Hongyan grapes had become a geographical indication product. 

There are currently more than 250 households from eight villager groups growing grapes in Hongyan village. The total growing area is 200 hectares, inspiring five other villages to join the grape business and improving the living standards of villagers. 

In addition, the image of Hongyan village has been largely improved by the government's campaign on infrastructure, including housing renovations, road construction, the construction of recreational lounges, the installation of lighting devices, and comprehensive village building construction. 

Since 2014, the government has renovated more than 400 houses, rebuilt 67 decrepit houses, and improved 179 toilets. The village has also added six roads that are 11.5 kilometers long, one centralized water plant, 627 street lamps, and a square.  

More than 30 agritainment venues and rural hotels were built in 2019, and as many as 10 tourist sites in the village have been established. 

Hongyan village was named a national civilized village in November 2020.