阅读理解Shashiyu was once a poor village in Hebei Province, but now it has changed into a rich and livable place.
In the 1940s, villagers in Shashiyu had little food and few clothes, but they had a strong wish for a better life. The Party secretary of Shashiyu encouraged his villagers to do their best to pull themselves out of this poor living condition. "In the ancient Chinese story, Yu Gong could move mountains with his strong will and hard work, why can't we? Nobody was born to be poor. " Hearing his words, the villagers decided to make a difference.
Led by the Communist Party of China, the villagers carried water and soil to their village from faraway places to improve their land. From 1966 to1971, they reclaimed(开垦) lots of land and greatly improved their lives.
However, the village faced a new problem 20 years later as the environment became heavily polluted by chemical plants and mine refineries(精炼厂) built in 1990s. The polluting factories were shut down in 2004, and villagers started grape planting, which soon became a main industry in Shashiyu.
In 2009, the city- level government invested(投资) over 1 million yuan to change the village's exhibition hall into a museum in memory of development efforts made by earlier generations.
After 10 years, the village was called"National Forest Village".
The Party secretary said that the village has started a yearly tourism festival since 2015 to attract travellers to pick grapes. "The grapes could be sold at a better price once Shashiyu becomes famous through this festival. Our villagers can then live a even better life, " he said.
