Unused homes and dormant resources were long a major obstacle to rural progress. This year, Keqiao District has leveraged its local strengths to pioneer a fresh approach for breathing new life into idle farmhouses, implementing coordinated development across village clusters, profit-sharing mechanisms that benefit local farmers, and support for specialized operators, transforming these rural resources into valuable assets and fueling sustainable growth for beautiful countryside initiatives.
Data from this year shows remarkable momentum, with 170 idle farmhouses activated across the district, attracting 111 million yuan in social investment, boosting farmer income by 2.4778 million yuan, and adding 5.2595 million yuan to village collective revenues. This effort has also generated 262 local jobs, proving that long-neglected homes can become pillars for thriving industries and shared prosperity. The image shows the diverse commercial activities at the "Fragrant Plum Sea" scenic area's common prosperity market in Dongcun Village, Wangtan Town.
Amid the plum-scented hills, study courtyards and cultural creative shops now dot the villages, bringing a vibrant new atmosphere to Wangtan Town's "Plum Blossom Trail" common prosperity area. This transformation stems from Keqiao's forward-thinking strategy to break free from the limitations of single-village development and adopt a coordinated regional approach. This year, guided by Party leadership and professional management, the district has used common prosperity zones as the foundation for integrating resources and industries across villages, moving away from fragmented and isolated initiatives. Instead, it has cultivated diverse mixed-use formats, such as "e-commerce live streaming + warehousing logistics + lifestyle services" and "red heritage study tours + rural leisure + specialty industries," propelling idle farmhouses from basic repairs to industrialized operations and significant value enhancement.
Within the "Plum Blossom Trail" area, 89 idle farmhouses have been collectively revitalized, capitalizing on the region's distinct plum-themed cultural tourism appeal. Through tailored renovations, holistic management, and thoughtful commercial integration, this initiative has invigorated the rural cultural and tourism economy, generating 2.4115 million yuan in farmer income and 725,000 yuan for village collectives, ensuring that idle assets in remote areas are truly monetized and contribute to development.
The ultimate goal of this initiative is to distribute development benefits to the people. Keqiao District has consistently worked to enhance the interest-sharing system among the government, businesses, village collectives, and farmers, refining long-term mechanisms that support and involve them. It has introduced a dual-track model combining "guaranteed base rent with additional equity dividends" and a three-tier revenue distribution method of "cooperation fees, guaranteed dividends, and operational transfer fees," establishing a multi-pronged income framework of "rent, wages, shares, and dividends." This allows villagers to participate in industrial development and continually reap the rewards of shared growth.
In Zhutiantou Village, Jidong Town, the village charges a cooperation fee of 30 yuan per square meter. Through standardized operations and industrial empowerment, this approach yields 140,000 yuan in annual project dividends, a 500,000 yuan increase in village collective revenue, and nearly 1 million yuan added to villager incomes each year. This success story illustrates a win-win path where old houses are revitalized, collective efficiency is boosted, and villagers achieve prosperity.