Such generous welfare is built on the village's economic success over the years. In 2022, the village's output value reached 1 billion yuan and the revenue 28.5 million yuan. The villager's per capita disposable income reached 62,500 yuan with a year-end bonus from the village worthy of 100,000 yuan.

"Agriculture is the foundation; industry is the driving force; and the sound ecological environment and tourism are the new highlights," Chang shared as he explained the major sources of growth over the decades.

"In the 1960s and 70s, the village suffered from extreme poverty. Most farmlands were bottomland leading to poor yields. Villagers lived in dilapidated houses with dirt walls and thatched roofs," Chang recalled the situation when he became the director of the village at the age of 23 in 1966.

After a meeting with villagers hosted by Chang, they reached a consensus — their poverty was not destined and they could change their fate by working hard.

Chang and the villagers then spent more than 10 years improving the fields so they would better grow crops. They fetched soil from elsewhere to heighten and flatten the muddy hollows to avoid water logging. Agro-technicians were also invited to give instructions on how to increase yields.

Around 1,700 mu (around 113 hectares) of farm fields have been transformed and secured stable yields of over 500 kilograms of rice per mu.