By Jin Yuhan

Walking into the Chenhua Village History Museum in Xiapu Subdistrict, Beilun District, visitors are greeted by two old-fashioned cameras on display.

"This is the first-generation Beilun-brand camera produced by our village collective enterprise in 1978," said Zhou Guohong, Party Branch Secretary of Chenhua Village, carefully lifting one of the cameras. "It costed 10 yuan at the time—about half a month's wages for an average worker. The one next to it is the second-generation model."

Both cameras' shutters still work. Behind them lies an entrepreneurial story little known outside the village.

Pointing to an old photo on a display board, Zhou continued: "This is Zhang Hejun, who once made molds for our village's camera factory. Few could have imagined he would later found Ningbo Deye Technology Co., Ltd., now a listed company."

Zhang's rise—from moldmaker to leading the development of air-conditioning parts meeting Japanese standards, and later securing contracts for all domestic plastic components of the Haval SUV—mirrors the rapid growth of Ningbo's mold industry. Today, Deye's dehumidifiers lead the national market.

The museum's "Famous Figures" section features another village icon: Zhou Keding. In a faded photograph, he is seen adjusting a vintage camera.

"He was the first photographer in Beilun," Zhou Guohong said. "During the war, he donated 90,000 yuan to buy a fighter jet for the front lines." Zhou Keding's photographs were published in Kodak magazines, and he later served as a technical advisor to the village camera factory.

Beyond industrial history, the museum houses donated heirlooms such as rice cake molds and antique rulers. "When we opened the museum in January, many villagers brought items from their own homes," Zhou said. "The owner of these two Beilun cameras even turned down compensation."

Today, Chenhua Village is a far cry from its modest beginnings. The local industrial park generated 5 million yuan in collective income last year, up 500,000 yuan from the year before.

Standing outside the museum, Zhou gestured toward the distance. "Over there is our Han Dynasty tomb cluster, where precious relics were unearthed. Further east is a Qing Dynasty water conservancy monument, a testament to our ancestors' skills in flood control."

"From Han tombs to industrial parks, from 10-yuan cameras to a listed company—our village has many stories worth telling," Zhou said with a proud smile.