Economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand in Xianju, east China's Zhejiang province

Our lives are full of unexpected encounters and opportunities. A couple of weeks ago, I received an invitation from People’s Daily to accompany a group of journalists on a travel to a small city called Xianju in the southern part of China. As I rarely have the chance to escape Beijing and the sometimes a bit too buzzing city life, I did not hesitate to say yes.

Early on Tuesday 21st I set out towards Beijing South Railway Station, barely managing to squeeze both my luggage and me on the overcrowded subway. I’ve always found traveling by train to be the ultimate choice when going somewhere. Listening to the steady sound of the running train while looking at the shifting landscape passing by outside, this time from the golden wheat fields in the north to the dew green rice fields of the south, really is a sensational thing.

Five hours later I finally arrived Hangzhou where two representatives from People’s Daily warmly greeted me. Shortly after we set out towards our final destination – Xianju.

Xianju literally means “the place where fairies and immortal reside”. Having a quick look at the scenery surrounding the town you might understand why. Tall, majestic mountains and clear, blue rivers running through them. My encounter with Xianju also exposed some of my prejudice towards rural China. Having visited quite a few Chinese villages I was surprised to see that Xianju was not only a whole lot cleaner, but they had also managed to build a city naturally fitting in to the surrounding environment. Quite a rare sight in a quickly developing country.

This small town benefits from a unique climate, which is perfect for growing a mysterious kind of fruit called yangmei (or bayberry). The time of our visit to Xianju fell at the exact same time as the yangmei season, so we were met by a township buzzing with activity. Farmers out in the fields picking, factory workers sorting and brewing wine, roadside vendors selling these small, red sensations. Coming from northern Europe I’d never tried yangmei in my entire life, so I was particularly curious about this strange fruit. I was to be surprised by the taste: sweet and sour, leaving behind a refreshing aftertaste. During our three days long travel we did not only visit factories and processing plants, but also went berry picking in the orchards at sunrise, which in many ways was the ultimate “yangmei experience”.You might think that Xianju is nothing but a fruit orchard, but the natural environment here is really something unique. There are plenty of mountains to climb, rivers with crystal clear water that you can swim in and ancient villages with narrow cobblestone paved roads running through them. In many ways the perfect place for a weekend getaway.

Even though Xianju is one of China’s many fast growing regions, the booming economic development has not come at the expense of the natural environment. Heavily relying on agriculture and tourism, such a development is also necessary. Here, economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand.