Bearing-Fruit-and-Flowers.docx

Bearing,Fruit,and,FlowersBearing,Fruit,and,Flowers By Yuan Yuan Musa Axim， a 60-year-old in Payzawat County， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， has formed a new habit of drinking a glass of tap water every morning since June 16， when the county for the first time got access to safe drinking water. “It tastes sweet. For a long time in the past， we used large buckets to fetch water from a river afar， which was not clean enough， especially in flooding season，” Axim told China News Service. The 15，300 residents in Payzawat， part of Kashgar， are the last batch of people in the region that got access to clean water. For the southern part of Xinjiang， in particular， which includes Kashgar， Kizilsu， Aksu and Hotan， where the weather is dry， people had difficulty to access safe drinking water. In 20XX， the Central Government made it a priority to bring safe drinking water to all of Xinjiang， investing 12.2 billion yuan （$1.72 billion） in over 400 water projects. The Payzawat project， with total investment of about 1.75 billion yuan （$247.5 million） fetches water from a river over 100 km from the county seat to every household in the county via 1，827 km of pipelines， according to Zhang Yun， Director of Xinjiangs management center of rural drinking water safety. Many advantages Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949， the Central Government has made great efforts to improve peoples livelihood in Xinjiang， enhancing these efforts in late 20XX， when the country launched its targeted poverty alleviation campaign. Covering about 17 percent of the total land area of the country， Xinjiang is home to only 2 percent of Chinas total population. Over 22 million people from 47 ethnic groups are sparsely distributed across the vast land that borders eight countries. The region is blessed with a colorful culture and picturesque scenery； however， unfortunately， it has also been a target of terrorists， extremists and separatists. The complex geographical feature of the region， which includes large deserts， snow-covered mountains， grasslands and basins， has made transportation difficult， poverty more common and poverty alleviation more challenging than many other areas in the country. However， the advantages of this region are also obvious. A spectacular landscape， ethnic diversity and fascinating cuisines have combined to make it an enticing tourist destination. The land is endowed with rich agricultural resources. Tourism and agriculture have become two pillar industries in the regions fight against poverty. Huocheng County in north Xinjiang has similar weather and soil conditions as Provence in France and is suitable for planting lavender. In the mid-1960s， it introduced French lavender. Dubbed Chinas lavender town， it has the largest lavender production base in the country， accounting for 97 percent of Chinas lavender output， with over 3，500 hectares devoted to the plant. The plant with purple flowers has become a main source of income for locals. Hou Maomao was one of the first batch of farmers to plant lavender in Sigong Village. When he transformed his 1-hectare farmland from cropland to lavender field in 20XX， his family was still registered as a poor household. With lavender planting tripling his income， in 20XX， Hous family climbed out of poverty， earning an annual income exceeding 50，000 yuan （$7，000）. That year， the family moved into a new house. In addition to lavender， farmers in Xinjiang have found opportunities in growing a portfolio of other plants. Rose plantation bases have followed a similar development mode. For example， locals in Hotan have set up a complete production line from planting roses to processing rose jam. For farmers living near deserts， drought-resistant shrubs such as saxaul have become solutions to their poverty. In Shanshan County， 69 households living near the Kumtag Desert have been growing these plants to battle desertification and poverty. Farmers receive a subsidy for planting saxaul. Xinjiang is also well known for its fruit. Substantial sunshine and considerable temperature difference between day and night makes the regions fruit particularly sweet. Luntai County has a 2，500-year history of growing small white apricots. In order to make the fruit a cash cow for the farmers， the local government invited experts to deliver training in planting， processing and marketing， and even set up associations to boost the fruit business. It has built an information and logistics platform offering a full range of services. In addition， it has launched an annual Apricot Blossom Festival， which has now become a major tourist attraction. Tourists attracted to various flower and fruit festivals in Xinjiang have also explored nearby places. Tuyoq， a little-known ancient village located at the foot of t。