From No. 1 drug village to an inspiring future
Print Edition
WIth lush fruit trees, neat streets and sparkling fish ponds, Boshe, a small coastal village in south China, is no different from any other villages except for its ubiquitous anti-drug slogans and wanted posters which remind people of its grim past.
The village of 14,000 in Guangdong Province was once dubbed the 鈥淣o. 1 Drugs Village,鈥 with more than a fifth of households linked to drug production and trafficking.
Lufeng, a city that administers Boshe, used to supply around one-third of the nation鈥檚 crystal meth and Boshe was the most notorious area in the city, recalls Lin Weidong, a police officer with the public security bureau of Lufeng.
On December 29, 2013, in the pitch dark, more than 3,000 police officers raided the village, seizing 3 tons of crystal meth and arresting more than 180 suspects.
When Cai Longqiu was appointed Party chief of the village, he was fully aware that the journey ahead would be long and arduous.
鈥淭he water was polluted. The land had become barren. And people had left their homes,鈥 Cai said.
In December 2018, Lufeng was removed from the list of China鈥檚 major drug areas. The past 鈥渕eth village鈥 Boshe had embarked on a journey to build an alternative future.
On the wall of the office of Cai Xiaosheng, principal of a primary school in Jiaxi township, hangs timetables of 13 classes. Every Monday morning, all students attend a course related to the prevention and harm of drugs.
The school has installed brand-new walls, toilets and a playground. The number of students has grown from only 300 in 2013 to the current 800. A dozen young teachers settled in the village and the quality of education has been improved.
Mounds of drug-related debris have been replaced by lush lychee trees on both sides of the street and the seaside meth lab shacks replaced with fish and shrimp ponds.
A newly built park has been set up on a hill in the village. Stone benches and fitness equipment have been installed. At 5pm each day, street lamps light up a new red-brick path.
鈥淭he park has become an entertainment area for local villagers,鈥 said resident Cai Xiong. After dinner, people dance, take a walk and do other exercises in the park.
However, Cai Longqiu is still not satisfied. He hopes to attract more investment projects to the village, transforming the local agricultural industry and helping villagers make more money.
He has contacted dozens of firms but the efforts turned out to be in vain.
In January, the village cooperated with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited to set up a Chinese herbal medicine base, providing more than 100 jobs for villagers with an income of 130 yuan (US$19) per person per day.
鈥淚t is a good start,鈥 Cai said. 鈥淚 want to introduce more firms to the village, making people here lead a stable and happy life.鈥
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