Volcano village discovers the bedrock of success

Chen Ruimei tap, tap, taps a nail with pinpoint accuracy into one of the many porous holes that make the surface of a volcanic rock about the size of my own head. The nail skewers a sprig of dendrobium -- a type of orchid which has many commercial uses from tea, traditional Chinese medicine and even wine.

Volcanic rock, you say? You don't just find that lying on the ground. Well, in Shicha village in the South China island province of Hainan, you do. Shicha is located at the foot of an inactive volcano that dominates the landscape. You can't walk a single meter without encountering volcanic rock -- strewn about the landscape from massive eruptions millennia ago. It's used everywhere, houses are built out of it, and the volcano itself is a major tourist attraction, drawing in tourists to climb its slopes and spend, spend, spend in the local economy.

It's even used in the planting of dendrobium on an industrial scale. Ruimei, a worker at a dendrobium cultivation base in Shicha, used to have to leave the village in order to find work, but today she happily taps dendrobium sprigs into volcanic rock under the shade of tropical branches.

The notion of utilizing the local volcanic rock for industrious purposes stems from President Xi Jinping's introduction of targeted poverty alleviation in 2013. The idea being that for each individual circumstance of poverty, there must be a unique and individual solution.

"After they started planting dendrobium I came back to my hometown," Ruimei says. "My salary is much higher than before. Also, this is much closer to my family , so I can better care for the young and old at home."

Much of Shicha's success in raising its fortunes in the past seven years is related the volcano. Streams of tourists climb its slopes everyday year round to gaze upon the views and the crater itself. Locals like Huang Mei are primed to slake visitors' thirst and provide a bed after a day on the volcano, opening idyllic and comfortable homestays.

"Our homestay is right next to the crater parks," Huang tells me. "Tourism has been booming with more and more people visiting here. We also promote the local farm produce and villagers can sell it on our doorstep."

Huang is not alone in flying the flag of local produce. Hong Qiang is a college graduate that returned to Shicha in 2018 to start his own business. He too operates a successful homestay which produces a particular homegrown specialty popular among tourists -- black bean tofu.

Making it is an arduous and time consuming process, but Huang's steady hand and determination mirror his desire for success.

"When I returned to my hometown in 2018, I was impressed with changes," Huang says. "So, I started my own agritourism business, hoping to increase my income and promote the local delicacies."

As I make my way up the ashen slopes of the volcano I am swept along by a healthy bustle of visitors eager to make the summit and survey the view. At the peak it dawns on me why so many people have come back to their hometown of Shicha. It's not just to be better off financially, it's for views like this.