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In the连绵 mountainous region at the junction of western Hubei and eastern Chongqing, a data-driven rural transformation is quietly taking root. Recently, our reporter traveled deep into the border area between Enshi, Hubei, and Wanzhou, Chongqing, to explore a cross-provincial rural governance project named 'Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing.' Despite its name derived from a local herb, the project is backed by a 'smart village' network covering two provinces and three counties, built on big data technology.
'Youyou grass' originally refers to a drought-tolerant, resilient wild grass native to the area, but it has now become a symbol of cross-provincial data collaboration. In several townships straddling Lichuan City, Enshi Prefecture, and Wanzhou District, Chongqing, the information silos once created by administrative barriers are being dismantled by a big data platform called the 'Hubei-Chongqing Digital Governance Brain.' At Wangying Town in Lichuan City, our reporter observed a giant electronic screen displaying real-time data on population flows, agricultural product prices, and geological disaster warnings from both regions. Li Mingyang, the town's deputy Party secretary, told reporters: 'In the past, villagers from both sides had to travel dozens of kilometers across the provincial border just to handle medical insurance or check subsidies. Now that data flows freely, many things can be done right in the village.'
Big data is not only bridging the 'last mile' of government services but also endowing rural governance with a 'clairvoyant eye.' In over 30 administrative villages covered by the Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing project, each household now has a unique 'data doorplate' posted at its entrance. Villagers can scan a QR code to report issues such as garbage accumulation or broken streetlights, and the system automatically assigns the task to the nearest grid manager. According to Chen Min, a big data expert from Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications and the project leader, since the platform began trial operations in 2024, it has handled a total of 12,000 cross-provincial matters, with the average response time reduced from 48 hours to 2.5 hours. 'When data flows, people's hearts connect,' Chen Min said.
However, this 'smart transformation' has not been without challenges. During our visit, we found that some elderly villagers were still resistant to using smartphones, and inconsistencies in data standards between the two provinces once caused the system to stall. In response, the project team developed a voice interaction interface and organized 'silver-haired digital classes.' Meanwhile, the big data bureaus of Hubei and Chongqing jointly issued the 'Hubei-Chongqing Border Data Sharing Standards,' which for the first time at the provincial level opened up data interfaces across 12 departments, including agriculture, civil affairs, and emergency management.
What is even more striking is how big data is reshaping the local industrial ecosystem. The Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing project pushes real-time data on soil moisture, weather conditions, and market trends directly to farmers. In Henghe Township, Wanzhou District, Chongqing, grower Zhang Jianguo used the 'production-sales heat map' provided by the platform to precisely connect his previously unsold kiwifruit with supermarkets in Enshi, Hubei, boosting his sales by 40%. He reflected: 'In the past, farming relied on the heavens; now, it relies on data.'
The success of the Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing project has also set a model for cross-provincial rural governance nationwide. Wang Zhiqiang, director of the Rural Revitalization Research Office at the National Information Center, commented: 'This is not a simple overlay of technology. By using data flows to unblock governance flows, service flows, and industrial flows, it truly achieves the goal of "letting data do the legwork so the people can rest."'
As night fell and our reporter prepared to leave, the digital screen in Wangying Town continued to flicker with dots representing cross-provincial data exchanges. Like the youyou grass, these dots are taking root and spreading across the Hubei-Chongqing border, quietly transforming the daily lives of millions in rural villages.
", "description": "An in-depth exploration of the 'Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing' big data project at the junction of Hubei and Chongqing: from government services to industrial integration, how big data breaks down administrative barriers and enables a 'smart transformation' in cross-provincial rural governance. Reporters visit Enshi and Wanzhou to uncover innovative applications such as data doorplates and production-sales heat maps, painting a digital picture of China's rural governance.", "keywords": "Youyou Grass Hubei-Chongqing, big data, rural governance, cross-provincial collaboration, smart village, Hubei-Chongqing digital governance brain, data doorplate, Chen Min" }