Sichuan Ying Shan: Revitalize Collective Economy to Empower Rural Revitalization

The village collective economy is the fundamental guarantee for consolidating rural grass-roots organizations. It is also an important starting point for effectively linking the consolidation and expansion of poverty alleviation achievements with rural revitalization and promoting the development of modern agriculture and rural areas.

In recent years, Ying Shan County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province has actively explored and promoted the development of the village collective economy from "non-existent to existent, from point to area, and from weak to strong". The total income of the village collective economic organizations in the whole county increased from 4.8137 million yuan in 2021 to 16.2085 million yuan in 2024, nearly 3.37 times as much as before. A gratifying situation of "win-win for all three parties" has been achieved, with the village collective increasing its income, cooperatives developing, and the common people getting rich.

Launch Social Services to Open the Door to Wealth

It is now the wheat harvest season. On May 19, in the boundless wheat fields of Limu Village, Xinghuo Town, Ying Shan County, the breeze blew up layers of wheat waves, and the harvesters shuttled back and forth, harvesting the wheat grains.

Limu Village is located in the southeast of Ying Shan County. It was formed by the merger of the former Bajiao Village and Limu Village. The village governs 7 villager groups, with 502 households and 1,785 people. It has 1,850 mu of land. At the end of 2024, the total assets of the village collective amounted to 4 million yuan.

"This piece of wheat is planted by our village collective, and the harvester was also purchased by the village." Jiang Hongbin, the Party branch secretary of Limu Village, pointed to a wheat field that was being harvested. Before the adjustment of the village-level administrative division, the collective economy of Limu Village was zero. In 2020, the village established a joint-stock economic cooperation union. In 2021, it applied for a pilot project to support the development of the village collective economy and obtained project funds of 1 million yuan for the development of the village collective economy.

"How to start with the start-up funds became a problem." Jiang Hongbin said that after repeated research by the members' representative assembly and the council of the village collective economic organization, the Party branch of the village unified its understanding and changed its thinking. With the concept of "strengthening organizations, increasing income, consolidating the foundation, and promoting development" and taking "five transformations" linkage as the starting point, it explored the development of a new type of service-oriented economy. A agricultural machinery professional cooperative was established, and 1 large harvester, 3 small rotary cultivators, and 1 transplanter were purchased. While providing services for the village collective, socialized services were expanded, and in that year, the collective economic income reached more than 100,000 yuan.

Not far away, several rotary cultivators shuttled back and forth in the paddy fields. Xiao Jianping, a villager, was all smiles. "In the past, it was very difficult to plow and harrow the fields. Now it's okay. The village's professional cooperative provides plowing services, which are both convenient and affordable and solve our worries."

It is precisely because of the agricultural machinery that the socialized services in Limu Village have been booming. Up to now, the village collective economic organization has cumulatively served 482 farmer households, renovated more than 1,000 mu of abandoned land, and provided "one-stop" agricultural machinery services for plowing, planting, pest control, and harvesting for nearly 10,000 mu of land in the village and surrounding villages.

"In the later stage, we will break through the boundaries of villages, towns, and counties and expand agricultural machinery services such as mechanized plowing, transplanting, unified pest control, and harvesting of grain and oil crops." Jiang Hongbin said.

"In the past, garbage was randomly piled up in the village, which not only affected the village appearance but also the lives of the villagers." Chen Jianguo, the Party branch secretary of Fushan Village in Lvshui Town, said that at the beginning of 2022, the village used the income from the collective economy to purchase a garbage collection truck and established a garbage collection team, which not only solved the collection and transportation problem but also increased the collective economic income of the village.

It is understood that garbage collection is charged by vehicle. A full vehicle costs 500 yuan. In one year, it can save more than 10,000 yuan in expenses for the village. Moreover, Fushan Village has reached garbage collection and transportation cooperation agreements with surrounding villages such as Heshui Village, Chuandong Village, Toulung Village, and Suokou Village. The service scope is nearly 25 square kilometers, serving nearly 3,000 households and more than 10,000 people in the nearby villages, with an annual income of more than 70,000 yuan. This not only brings income to the village collective but also effectively solves the "stubborn problem" of the environment.

"The socialized services in Limu Village and Fushan Village have opened the door to wealth for the collective economic organizations. They have not only increased the collective income and facilitated the production and life of the masses but also driven the villagers to get rich." Guo Youfu, the director of the Ying Shan County Agricultural Service Center, said.

Explore Shareholding Cooperation to Expand Income Channels

Industrial prosperity is the foundation of rural revitalization and also the focus of strengthening the village collective economy. On May 24, when entering Suokou Village in Lvshui Town, Ying Shan County, one could see that the cement roads meandered forward, and groups of northern Sichuan-style residential houses were nestled among the green trees, and each agricultural industry base was full of vitality. In the Grain and Bamboo Shoot Industrial Park, the bamboo grew leisurely and was lush. The crops interplanted between the rows were growing well.

Suokou Village is located in the northeast of Lvshui Town, at the junction of Peng'an, Yilong, and Ying Shan counties, 25 kilometers away from Ying Shan County. It governs 9 villager groups, with a total of 612 households and 2,158 people.

Wu Mingxiang, the Party branch secretary of Suokou Village, said that in October 2021, the village established Sichuan Wangchuan Ecological Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. The village collective invested 800,000 yuan in shares to build a 300-mu Grain and Bamboo Shoot Industrial Park, planting more than 12,000 bamboo shoot seedlings and interplanting crops between the rows. The village collective can obtain a fixed dividend of 40,000 yuan per year.

"At that time, when our village applied for the project to strengthen the development of the collective economy, everyone unanimously pressed the 'agree' button for the development of green bamboo shoots." Wu Mingxi introduced that the village cadres and the masses firmly grasped the "bull nose" of industrial development, worked hard, and the agricultural industry showed a good situation of advancing side by side and developing vigorously.

In recent years, Suokou Village has adhered to the industrial revitalization development idea of "scientific planning, extensive mobilization, participation of cadres and the masses, social support, combination of breeding and planting, integration of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, and all-round development". Focusing on the key points of interplanting grains, vegetables, and oils with bamboo shoots, fruits, and medicinal materials, it has adopted the shareholding cooperation method to vigorously develop traditional breeding industries such as pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry and create new highlights of rural tourism suitable for living and traveling. In 2024, the output value of various industries in the village reached 8 million yuan, and the collective economic income exceeded 200,000 yuan. The village has been successively rated as "Rural Revitalization Demonstration Village of Ying Shan County", "Advanced Village of Collective Economic Integration Development in Merged Villages in Sichuan Province", and "Advanced Collective in Supporting and Strengthening the Village Collective Economy in Ying Shan County".

"By adopting the shareholding cooperation method, making good use of the project development funds, developing village-based industries according to local conditions, not only has agricultural efficiency and farmers' income been increased, but also new vitality has been injected into the development of the village collective economy." Liu Zhong, the director of the Ying Shan County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, said.

Cultivate Characteristic Industries to Promote Long-Term Income Increase

A pole stirs up the spring tide, and thousands of rafts compete to display a magnificent scene. On May 24, in Shengshui Village, Luoshi Town, Ying Shan County, boats carrying tourists successively left the dock and moved forward along the river. The water in the river was rippling, and the banks were lush. The tourists were intoxicated in the beautiful scenery of "the boat sailing on the green waves and people traveling in the painting", and took photos one after another.

Shengshui Village is located in the northeast of Luoshi Town, 12 kilometers away from the town and 20 kilometers away from the county seat. It was formed by the merger of the former Guishan Village and Shengshui Village. The Shengshui River flowing through the village is a section of the Yingshan River, about 8 kilometers long, with clear water all year round and beautiful scenery on both banks. Based on its own resource advantages, the village started the water bamboo raft project after going out for study and inspection and listening to opinions from all walks of life.

Since 2023, the village has built sightseeing docks, beaches, shallow water play areas, farmhouses, and small shops and other supporting facilities, planted 50 mu of late-maturing citrus and more than 300 mu of rapeseed within 4 kilometers, and received more than 30,000 tourists. Shengshui Village has become a well-known Internet celebrity village and rural revitalization demonstration village in the area, realizing a gross income of more than 680,000 yuan, driving the villagers to increase their income and get rich, and strengthening the village collective economy.

Living off the mountains and the water. Shengshui Village's use of its own resource advantages to promote long-term income increase of the collective economy is just an epitome of Ying Shan County's cultivation of characteristic industries and development of the village collective economy. The collective economy of Qingshanzi Village in Lingjiu Town, Ying Shan County is also developing vigorously.

In 2022, Qingshanzi Village in Lingjiu Town used the income from the village collective economy to build a photovoltaic power station, supplying 85,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity to the State Grid every year and increasing the collective economic income by more than 30,000 yuan. "Only when the village collective's purse is full can it benefit more people and gain everyone's recognition, support, and trust." Gong Jitao, the Party branch secretary of the village, said that in 2024, for the physical dividend of the collective economy, each villager in the village received more than 40 jin of wheat and rapeseed for free. In March 2025, the village used the income from the collective economy to build and improve the agricultural production water supply pipe network in the whole village, covering 80% of the land in the village, and the villagers in the village also enjoyed tangible benefits.

"Bold exploration according to local conditions has not only consolidated the 'family property' of the village collective but also turned into a 'tangible' dividend for the common people." Yang Jia, the deputy secretary of the Ying Shan County Party Committee, said that the county will continue to take strengthening villages and enriching the people as the fundamental goal and make the industrial dividends become the "engine" for the masses to increase their income and get rich. (Zou Gang, Yang Hanguo)

"Bold exploration according to local conditions has not only consolidated the 'family property' of the village collective but also turned into a 'tangible' dividend for the common people." Yang Jia, the deputy secretary of the Ying Shan County Party Committee, said that the county will continue to take strengthening villages and enriching the people as the fundamental goal and make the industrial dividends become the "engine" for the masses to increase their income and get rich. (Zou Gang, Yang Hanguo)