Residents pack pomegranates at a 4,hectare plantation in Liuyuan village, Huaibei. According to the residents almost all of the households have an interest in a pomegranate plantation that covers more than 4, hectares.
In fact, the name Liuyuan means "pomegranate garden". Though the plantation has been in existence for several centuries and has nearly 2, pomegranate trees planted during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was only recently that the village was built into one of China's largest areas of pomegranate cultivation. Local officials said it was partly a result of efforts made by the government of Huaibei, one of China's largest raw coal production bases, to reduce reliance on the coal sector and improve the natural environment.
Until , the 3, residents of Liuyuan, which is located at the foot of once-barren hills, only had access to a limited amount of arable land. Then, the local government began a program to support the villagers' efforts to grow pomegranates. The support was based on many years of work by village cadres and residents, according to Liu Zhengde, one of the cadres. The plantation was partly a response to the local authorities' calls to cover the hills in trees.
In , the village cadres wanted to expand the plantation into an area used for the cultivation of grain because the existing trees had been fruitful and the cadres thought the fruit would bring the villagers more money.
As the environment had improved greatly and the pomegranate plantation had expanded, the local government succeeded in listing Liuyuan as a provincial pilot village in the province's plan to develop beautiful rural areas. The subsidies helped the expansion of the plantation, and the fame attached to being named as a pilot village attracted many tourists to Liuyuan. The influx of visitors has made it easier to sell the fruit, and a number of villagers have decided to give up growing grain and are migrating to cities for work.
