Ripe grapes in a greenhouse at Dingjiaquan village in Wuqing district, Tianjin, on Aug 18, 2020. [Photo by Jiang Lu/chinadaily.com.cn]

Grape-picking tourism flourishes in a northern China village where more than 10 hectares of grape greenhouses draw people from Beijing, Tianjin and other surrounding areas. Including the income generated from grape sales, the greenhouses produce a revenue of 4 million yuan ($578,318) per year.

Dingjiaquan village in Nancaicun town, Wuqing district, Tianjin city, was a poverty-stricken village in the past. Several years ago, the village committee began to grow grapes to promote urban agriculture under the guidance of the Wuqing District People's Government and the Grape Research Institute of Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The local government also funded grape growers to construct grape greenhouses in the village.

Grape grower Yang Zhengang said that he used to plant 4,000 square meters of wheat and corn, and he could only earn about 6,000 yuan per year. Supported by the village committee, he decided to plant grapes. Apart from grapes gathered for sale, the rest are reserved for picking tours. The net income of Yang's grapes can reach 50,000 yuan per year.

The village committee also built 18 new hothouses in 2015 in addition to a grape planting base. Villagers planted organic vegetables and potted vegetables with new agricultural technology.