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Minnie Chan

A project to turn the steep slopes around the Tangjiashan 'quake lake', the massive lake created by last year's Sichuan earthquake, into a massive rose plantation is under way - despite uncertainties surrounding the ambitious plan.
The Beichuan county government earlier this year announced a plan to build a 1,333-hectare rose plantation around the Tangjiashan lake, deep in the mountains. 
Sixty thousand rose bushes have already been planted in the first phase of the project.
The idea is to throw a lifeline to the impoverished community by getting farmers to grow and sell roses, while helping to give the area a facelift  to attract tourists.
That might sound too rosy to many local farmers still living in temporary shelters under dire threat from landslides in the rainy season. None of them know how to grow roses, either. 
One thing is certain, local officials seem eager to have something to showcase to the outside world as the government prepares to build a big  earthquake museum with a price tag of 2.3 billion yuan (HK$2.61 billion), which has been branded a white elephant by critics.
Wang Wenjun, a local village official responsible for part of the rose plantation project, said roses had been planted in a quarter of the land assigned for the project.
But, he said  from his home in a prefabricated building in Xuanping township yesterday, 'none of the farmers has any rose-growing experience. We have to learn everything from scratch'.
Mr Wang, 41, lost his only child, his 16-year-old daughter Wang Jinfeng ,  in the magnitude-8 earthquake last May. His home was inundated by the 'quake lake'. Mr Wang said he was pinning his hopes on the rose project.
'Many families are as unfortunate as me, and all of us hope the rose project will help us rebuild our home and improve our living as soon as possible.'  He said local farmers were told their income would double if the plan worked out. 
Another farmer, Wang Xianfeng, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Xu Qian, said she had nothing to lose even if the project flopped - as local farmers were poor anyway.
'My risk is low because I earn only about 700 yuan a year by tilling my tiny plot of land,' the potato and corn farmer said.  
Unemployment is a serious problem in the towns and villages near Tangjiashan lake, an area known for its winding steep roads and poor accessibility.
Tang Anjun, whose 16-year-old son Tang Jian was buried under debris in the quake, said he had been jobless since the quake as his small workshop was in ruins.
The farmers were also told that some Beijing and Shanghai investors were planning to build a factory nearby to produce rose-essence oil. 
'Everything is still in the planning stage,' Mr Wang said. 'But of course, we hope our dream will  come true soon.'
Jiang Wenlai, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the project faced many uncertainties. 
'First of all, growing roses is totally different from cultivating corn and potatoes,' he said. 'Secondly, we are not sure if growing roses can really increase farmers' income.'



Budding rose farmers hope plantation at 'quake lake' blossoms