Hongyan village: Legendary story of grapes

Zeng Qingbin shows his first grape vine – known as the King of Grape at 51 years old. [Photo/WeChat account of Xifeng county]

Previously, Hongyan village in Xifeng county, Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, was a poverty-stricken village in the province's highest category. Now, however, all 384 households in the village grow grapes. This year, the village's core area planted 3,000 mu ($200 hectares) of grapes, and grape sales are expected to generate 7.2 million yuan ($1.01 million) in revenue.

Hongyan Village's grape industry development must mention Zeng Qingbin, a major local grower who started planting grapes in 1973. Three years later, his first 11 grape vines began to bear fruit, earning him over 200 yuan, a substantial sum. 

Encouraged by this success, Zeng eagerly began learning grape-growing techniques. As his grape business took off, villagers who had been skeptical soon started seeking his advice and joining him in grape farming, and Zeng generously helped them.

In just a few years, nearly 100 households in Hongyan village had planted grape vines around their homes. As transportation improved, the villagers began selling their grapes to nearby areas and the county. 

In 2001, the village had a bumper grape harvest, and villagers flocked to Xifeng to sell grapes, with the average household income rising to over 2,000 yuan. The villagers' enthusiasm for grape farming soared, and the planting area rapidly expanded to more than 800 mu.

As the grape industry grew, Hongyan villages sought more professional and diversified development of the grape industry. In 2005, the Hongyan Grape Professional Technology Association was officially established, offering integrated services from production to sales. 

In 2015, the Hongyan Grape Planting Demonstration Zone became the core demonstration area for the grape industry in Xifeng and received the "National Geographical Indication Protected Product" designation. Hongyan became one of the 100 high-efficiency agricultural demonstration zones in the province's "5 x 100" project. The Hongyan Grape Culture Festival has been successfully held 14 times.

The village's infrastructure has also been steadily improved in recent years, laying a solid foundation for developing a rural tourism industry that integrates farm stays, summer retreats, and grape picking. In 2023, the Hongyan Grape Culture Festival attracted nearly 50,000 visits, helping local farmers sell over 150,000 kilograms of grapes and boosting the collective economy of surrounding villages like Dazhai, Chaoshui, and Hongyan by more than 150,000 yuan.