"This Ninghai village is so gorgeous, really hard to believe!" On an early July weekend, Mr. Erdem Ozturk, overseas communication officer (OCO) of Ningbo municipality, had a fantastic one-day village tour in Ninghai county of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, where he plucked tea leaves, picked watermelons, went fishing and cooked seafood. Erdem was deeply impressed by his "village life", "For villages of Ningbo, you can't imagine how clean and beautiful they are, and their residents can earn money without ever leaving their hometown. Brilliant!"

　　“宁海的农村不像农村，太美了！”七月上旬的一个周末，宁波海外传播官Erdem Ozturk过得无比充实，采茶、摘西瓜、拉网、做海鲜……经历了一天“农夫渔夫”生活后，Erdem感触颇深，“宁波的农村都这么干净，而且村民不离开家就能赚钱，太厉害了！”

　　Hailing from Türkiye, Erdem has settled in China for nearly 10 years. As a native urbanite, he is always fascinated by rural life. "While there are also villages in Türkiye, I rarely visit them." Yet he has visited many villages in different cities since moving to China, among which Gejia Village in Ninghai and Chengyang Village in the Dongqian Lake Tourist Resort of Ningbo strike him as the best.

　　Erdem是土耳其人，来中国已近10年。从小生活在城市里的他，对农村充满好奇，“土耳其也有乡村，但我很少去。”来到中国之后，他去过许多城市的乡村，让他印象深刻的是宁海的葛家村和东钱湖的城杨村。

　　"It's different from the traditional countryside that I would expect. It's very clean here. You can find paintings on the walls and fragrant flowers everywhere. And what is more incredible is that all the villagers have their own unique crafts." The travelogues of Erdem’s earlier visit to Ninghai's Gejia Village were published in foreign magazines. They went viral worldwide and further aroused Erdem’s interest in Ningbo’s villages. Therefore, he spent a weekend experiencing the rural life in Ninghai with his girlfriend.

　　“和我想象中的农村不一样，这里很干净，而且墙上有画，到处有花，村民都有自己的绝活，很厉害。”Erdem游览宁海葛家村后写下的游记，刊发在外文杂志上，受到了来自世界各地的不少关注，这也让他对更多的宁波乡村产生了兴趣。趁着周末，他和女朋友来到宁海，想要进一步体验农村生活。

　　As they strolled down Xiafengcha village, Yuelong sub-district, antique-style residences came into view, together with tidy backyards, creative sceneries with lovely hives as well as an ocean park. And in the distance, tea plantations opened out into the rolling Wangfulou Mountain. Here Erdem had the chance to pluck tea leaves with the locals and learned that tea was not only a nice beverage but also a great ingredient for local milk tea, refreshments and cuisine.

　　来到跃龙街道下枫槎村，白墙黛瓦的住宅，干净整洁的庭院，蜂巢乐园、海洋乐园等艺术景观依次呈现，背景是连绵不绝的望府楼茶山。Erdem跟着当地村民上山体验采茶，了解到原来茶叶不仅可以饮用，还可以制作特色奶茶、做茶点，还能入菜。

　　The hospitable villagers invited Erdem and his girlfriend to lunch. With the help of a female villager, Erdem even cooked noodles. Later on, he went to the village's new coffee shop and became its first customer. "It's incredible that the locals make such great coffee. It's even a cut above others."

　　到了饭点，热情的村民招呼他们进家里吃饭。Erdem在村里一位大姐的指导下，为大家煮了面，还成了村里咖啡馆开业后的第一位客人。“不可置信，咖啡师就是土生土长的村民。咖啡做得很好，比一般咖啡馆都好！”

　　Standing by the tranquil bay under the clear sky, Erdem felt homesick. He hasn’t returned to Türkiye for over two years due to the pandemic. "Just like here, my hometown is also adjacent to the sea."

　　蓝天白云下的宁静海湾，勾起了Erdem对家乡的思念。因为疫情，他已经两年多没有回到土耳其了，“我的家乡也靠海，和这里很像。”

　　Erdem was invited to a special tour of Qiangjiao Town by a local fisherman. According to the self-introduction of this fisherman captain, he and his wife make a good living by their own effort, i.e., boat-steering and boat-meal-cooking.

　　受渔民邀请，Erdem登上休闲渔船，体验强蛟镇的特色旅游。船老大说，他和妻子搭档，一个开船一个做船餐，不用起早贪黑，靠着开“夫妻船”，把日子过得红红火火。

　　"The villages are attractively adorned with artistic creations, beautiful flowers and other ornaments. And the locals enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives. They are kind and always smiling." Erdem gained deeper insights into Ninghai villages after this one-day trip.

　　“村子美，村民富，很难想象在农村的日常生活，会被创意画廊、花丛、各类装饰包围！村民都很和善，笑眯眯的，看起来生活很好！”Erdem经过一天的乡村生活体验，对宁海的农村有了更深的认识。

　　Ninghai has flung itself into translating lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets in recent years. To date, this coastal county has become a home to over 200 scenic villages and attracted hordes of tourists around the world. What’s more, social media influencers in overseas communication nowadays deem those villages internet-famous photogenic spots.

　　近年来，宁海积极探索“绿水青山”向“金山银山”转化的有效途径，建成200余个“景区村”，吸引了不少国际友人前来体验、参观，成为海外传播的“网红”打卡地。

　　Reporter: Zhang Haiyu

　　Correspondents: Xu Mingyi, Wu Ligao, Hua Jianping

　　Translators: Mei Jie, Huang Dawang

　　Proofreaders: Zhou Shiyi, Zhang Dongjing, Jason Mowbray