Community’s much-loved buffalo

THIS is a story of a small farming village and their “love” for a water buffalo.

It all began in 1958.

The villagers in Zhang Xing Cun, in Huaian city of Jiangsu province, won a provincial-level competition in conjunction with a nationwide campaign to wipe out illiteracy. The prize was a buffalo.

The whole village was thrilled upon receiving the news, Wen Zaijian recounted.

He may not have been born yet, but the 52-year-old village head could describe every single detail of the moment, thanks to family members who often talked about it.

“I heard my parents and the elders talk about it when I was little. They were so proud of themselves.

“Although most of them were poor and illiterate, they believed that education could change their lives and that they must learn hard. They were right,” he added.

Two local leaders were selected to represent the village at the award ceremony in Nanjing, the provincial capital.

It took them a day of travel by public bus to reach the city, but their return journey to bring back their winning prize was not that easy.

“There was no transport for the buffalo. So they walked with the animal for seven days to Zhang Xing Cun,” Wen said.

(With the advanced road system today, the roughly 200km journey would take less than three hours.)

About 1,000-odd folk put aside their chores and waited enthusiastically for their new friend’s arrival.

They were eager to have the buffalo help them till the fields.

Before that, they spent long hours on their farms, ploughing the land by hand and using traditional tools.

“The buffalo made farm work faster and easier which enabled them to work on bigger plots and increase their yield.

“The residents’ livelihood slowly improved since then,” said Wen, adding that the buffalo died 10 years later.

To commemorate their best friend’s contributions, a buffalo statue was built at the entrance of the village.

Zhang Xing Cun – which came under Shitang township’s administration – has grown over the decades.

Following the relocation of families living below the poverty line from nearby villages, its name was changed to Zhang Xing Community last year.

It is now home to 2,000-odd people.

Today, the community has been transformed into an eco-tourism destination, expecting to rake a handsome 2 million yuan (RM1.32mil) in revenue this year.

Wen was rather emotional as he witnessed the improvement in his hometown and the people’s livelihood.

“We used to live in shoddy farm houses and could hardly serve meat at the dining table,” he recalled.

Standing in front of the community hall, he looked around the area now surrounded by rows of double-storey link houses and said: “This place is beautiful.”

For nostalgia, each family keeps a small plot of land in front of their home to plant vegetables.

Ge Hui, a member of Shitang Publicity Committee, said the community now housed a clinic, healthcare centre for the elderly, primary school, basketball court, supermarket, children’s playgrounds and workout areas, among others.

Like most rural areas, Zhang Xing Community sees the youngsters seeking their fortune in the cities, leaving behind the elderly and children.

Ge said they have arranged for the locals to work at nearby factories in the hope of getting the youngsters to return.

Apart from working the fields planting padi, wheat, fruits and vegetables, they could also work at various eco-tourism facilities, he added.

There is an educational farm and mini zoo for the children, horse riding, fish pond, boat rides, 12 hostels and a food street where local delicacies such as the famous crispy chasan (a type of snack made of flour and sesame oil), steamed fish, claypot eels, braised lion heads (meatballs), crayfish and dumplings are served.

Ge said the average yearly income per capita has increased from 16,000 yuan (RM10,580) to 25,800 yuan (RM17,000).

(The country’s average yearly income per capita in rural areas was recorded at 17,131 yuan last year.)

The decade-long Combat Illiteracy Campaign was carried out in the 1950s following the formation of New China in 1949.

At that time, over 80% of the 550 million population were illiterate.

The campaign, initially launched within the military forces, was eventually extended to civilians, especially in rural areas.

Huaian is the hometown of the late Zhou Enlai, the first premier of China, and Wu Chengen, the author of the Monkey King: Journey to the West.

Located in the northern region of the Yangtze River Delta, the 2,200-year-old urban centre is known as The Floating City as one-quarter of its land is covered by rivers and lakes.

Due to this strategic landscape, it was an important hub for water transport in ancient times.

The China Water Transport Museum was set up here to tell the story.

It was built on the site of the old Water Transport Governing Office, discovered in a city upgrading project in 2002.