China is one of the four countries recognized as the cradles of ancient civilizations, and Henan Province may be said to have been the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.

The province tops the country in terms of underground cultural relics and is placed second in terms of such relics found above ground. It is therefore a true natural museum of history.

Henan is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, and its civilizations dates back to the Neolithic Age.

 

Nanjie of Linying, Luohe city, is called the "First Village of the Central Plains" for its economic prosperity. Yang Yinpeng

The exquisite pottery of the Peiligang and Yangshao civilizations, which existed over 8000 years ago, are evidence of Henan's amazing archeological riches.

However, Henan's claim to glory does not rest merely on its spectacular historical finds. When it comes to the 21st century, Henan has something else to be proud of - the Nanjie Village of Luohe, which also deserves a place in the region's historical records.

Nanjie, lying in the Central Plains, is just a vast expanse of land, its flat topography unbroken by either mountains or rivers, or mines and forests. Development of agricultural industry was, therefore, a natural choice for the region.

Today, it bears little resemblance to a traditional Chinese village, where smoke curls out of kitchen chimneys, and one can hear the cries of farm animals, or where farmers plough the field in spring, till in summer, harvest in autumn and store grain in winter.

On a piece of land covering less than 2 sq km, highrise buildings have sprung up, and home-made and imported vehicles run on smooth asphalt roads. The village, likened to a "mini-city", has all modern facilities, including well-designed apartment buildings, a kindergarten, a school, banks and shops.

The entire village is now involved in running a huge enterprise called Nanjiecun Group Ltd. According to the village's website, www.nanjiecun.cn, it is now a top-ranking national enterprise, with capital assets valued at more than $1.5 billion, and a skilled workforce of more than 12,000.

The enterprise is composed of 33 subsidiaries including five joint ventures with foreign investments, which offer 22 product lines of more than 200 varieties, for example, beer and instant noodles.

It has won numerous awards at provincial and national levels, and has consistently ranked among the "Best Managed Township Enterprises in China", apart from being rated a "Township Enterprise with Best Economic Performance" by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The group has also been selected as one of the most trustworthy enterprises in Henan Province for 11 consecutive years. In 2001, it was ranked among the most trustworthy enterprises in China, while in 2002 it was placed on the list of the Most Outstanding Foodstuff Enterprises in the nation.

Most of its subsidiary enterprises have received the ISO9001 International Quality System certification. Its products are now sold in more than 30 provinces, including almost all major cities in China, and exported to the United States, Russia, South Korea, Canada, Latin America, and other countries and regions.

As for life at the village, only 70 out of the 3,000 villagers are engaged in farming. For them, traditional farm tools have been replaced by various farm machines. Most villagers have become workers in agriculture-related industries, which have attracted large numbers of farmers from neighboring villages as well as laid-off urban workers and retired technicians.

While enjoying fresh rural air and quality food, the villagers also have access to cable TV and the Internet - creating quite a different lifestyle from that of the village days of yore.

(China Daily 10/19/2007 page26)