LAND OF POTENTIAL: Chaicheng Village in Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province, lies at the foot of steep, rocky mountains (SUN ZHIPENG)

For the residents of Chaicheng Village in north China's Shanxi Province, September 8 this year marked the beginning of the harvest season. As the long evening and cool days of autumn set in on the day, villagers celebrated the end of summer by setting out to pick the ripe walnuts on the trees surrounding the village.

Chaicheng is in Matian Township, Zuoquan County. The county, lying on the western side of the main range of the Taihang Mountains, is one of the most underdeveloped regions in China. As in most local villages, villagers in Chaicheng make a living from their fields. They grow crops such as corn, soybeans, millet and wild pepper. In recent years, walnut production has gradually become the most important source of income for the whole village. Good prices for several years in a row drew villagers to walnut production. With help from county and township governments, the villagers have planted more than 27 hectares of walnut trees.

Yan Jinhui, the village head, said, "According to the five-year plan of our village, we are going to plant 80 hectares of walnut trees by the end of 2015."

The five-year plan Yan mentioned is the first of its kind in the village. Earlier this year, the Shanxi Provincial Government required all underdeveloped villages receiving state financial support to produce a five-year plan so that they could each establish clear development strategies in light of their specific conditions. On this basis, the provincial government hopes to better target its support.

Chaicheng's villagers initially wondered what they would put in the plan for a village of just 500 residents.

Yan gathered village officials and some young villagers working or attending universities in larger cities hoping to harness the collective wisdom of the village for the plan.

"In the beginning, we thought the effort was not necessary as we had lived without such a plan," said villager Liu Haijun. "Yet after the discussions, we found there was a lot to outline in the plan."

Economic pillar

A third of the plan was devoted to walnut production. The plan defines the walnut industry as the village's dominant industry. That is no surprise. Chaicheng is blessed with favorable natural conditions for walnut growing, and walnut trees have long been considered the village's source of fortune.

"This year, there is no question that we will have a big harvest of walnuts," Yan said. "But the price will not be as good as last year's."

Yan blamed a lack of warehouses for the poor prices they received after a bumper harvest. "Without storage, we have to put everything on the market at the same time and have no way to regulate the supply," he said.

"In addition, as walnut prices remained high in recent years, competition has intensified and a large amount of imported walnuts from such countries as the United States have depressed prices," said villager Dong Yanming.