Famers work in the field in Kaiyuan Village. [Photo/Xinhua]

Nestled in a valley, Kaiyuan Village is in Ruichang City in north Jiangxi Province. With a river to its south and a road to its north, this tranquil, peaceful village's lush green surroundings of paddy fields east and west present a picturesque landscape all year round.

Some 300 years ago, the village was still an isolated wilderness. The valley first became a human settlement when escapees from northern war chaos took refuge there. My exhausted ancestors stumbled upon this enclosed utopian garden after trudging for days. Having rested long enough to soothe their ragged nerves, they decided to live there. Those diligent pioneers concealed their identity and worked from dawn to dusk to build in the valley what became my beloved hometown.

Butterflies and bees dart and hover over the fields at spring time, and local residents labor while children play hide and seek in fields bedecked with flowers.