LiLiancheng(thirdfromleft)discusseslocaldevelopmentwithothervillagers.LILiancheng,aged67,thePartysecretaryofXixinzhuangVillage,HenanProvince,hasbeeninthispositionfor27years.HespeaksinHenandialectanddisplaystheshysmileofaChinesefarmer.Hehashisownsimpledefinitionofruralrevitalization:“Inmyopinion,it’swhenvillagershaveaccesstothesameresourcesascitydwellers.Forexample,citydwellersliveinmodernbuildings,haveaccesstogoodschools,largehospitals,andmanyemploymentopportunities.Ifvillagershadaccesstothesameresources,ruralrevitalizationwouldbeachieved.”
FromPovertytoModerateProsperity
XixinzhuangVillage,located22.5kilometerssouthofPuyangCountyinHenan,usedtobeasmallremotevillageknownforitssaltproduction.
In1991,attheageof40,LiwaselectedasthePartysecretaryduetohisgoodperformanceatworkandhisunderstandingofdoingbusiness.“In1983,withtheexploitationoftheZhongyuanOilfield,Iunderstoodthecountrywantedtostimulatedomesticeconomicdevelopment,”saidLi.Hethenbuiltthreegreenhousestogrowvegetables,andemployedanagrotechnicianwhoseannualremunerationwasRMB10,000.Atthattime,itwasalargesumofmoney;inavillageoreveninatown,itisrareforasinglefamilytohaveanannualincomeofRMB10,000.
In1991,thevillagehad172householdsandabout700inhabitantsandtheaverageannualincomeperpersonwasRMB600.Beforemakingafortune,Lihadtoovercomemanydifficulties,likenotbeingabletoaffordfoodandnothavingaccesstoeducationoremployment.Whenelectedin1991,hedecidedtocommittoeliminatingpovertyinhisvillage.
Astheleaderofthevillage,thefirststephetookwastodevelopvegetableproductioningreenhouses.“Wedidnothavealotofmoneyorexperience,butgreenhousescouldbringussizableprofit,sothevillagerstrustedme.”Underhisleadership,thevillagebuilt40greenhousesinoneyear,increasingtheannualpercapitaincomebyRMB600.
However,in1994,greenhousevegetablecultivationgeneratedlessprofitduetoitsincreaseinpopularity.Afteradiscussionwithothers,Lidecidedtoinitiatean“economictransformation.”
Hechosetosetuparecycledpaperbusiness,butthattoobroughtitsownuniquechallenges.“Duringthecollectiveinvestment,manyvillagerswerehesitant.Forthem,IdidnothavetheabilitytorunabusinessbecauseIdidn’tevenfinishprimaryschool.”Finally,only12villagersdaredtoinvestinthecompanywithatotalinvestmentofRMB270,000;RMB60,000ofwhichcamefromLi.Facinganuphillbattle,hepromisedtheothervillagers,“Ifwesucceedinmakingaprofit,wewillreceivedividends;ifwefail,Iwillpersonallytaketheloss.”Oneyearafterthecreationofthecompany,theshareholderseachreceivedRMB127,000.In1996,thecompanymadeanannualprofitofRMB2million.Withthesuccessofthisproject,thevillagerswhohadinitiallybeenhesitantnowwishedtobecomeshareholders.However,theother12shareholdersdidnotagree.
AsthePartysecretaryofthevillage,Li’sprimarymotivationistoincreasethewealthofeveryoneinhiscommunity.Duringthisverydifficultperiod,heworkeddiligentlytochangethemindofthe12shareholders.In1997,hefinallysucceeded,allowingallfamiliesofthevillagetobeshareholdersofthecompany,seeinginvestmentincreasetoafewmillionyuan.
“Allthefamiliesinthevillagearenowshareholders,andatleastonememberofeachfamilyworksforthecompany.”Liandhisassociatesworkveryhard,alwaysonthelookoutfornewbusinessopportunitiesinotherareas,includingTianjin,Liaoning,Shanghai,andJiangsu,whichcouldhelpboostthedevelopmentofthecompany.Theyarealsoinvolvedintheproductionoflamps,includingenergy-savinglamps,decorativelamps,carlights,fluorescentlamps,anddecorativelampsforChristmas.Thecompanyhasgrownatahighspeed,anditsproductsarenowexportedtoeightcountriesandregionsinEuropeandAmerica.ItiscurrentlythelargestindustrialconglomerateoflampsinnorthernHenanProvince.
LiLiancheng,sittingontheground,givesaninterviewtoChinaToday.“Afterafewyears,Idiscoveredthatourcompanywasinfactashareholdingcooperativesystem,”saidLi.Thankstothedevelopmentofseveraljoint-stockcompaniesandfundraising,Lihasmadeiteasyforeveryoneinhisvillagetogetrich.ThepercapitaannualincomerosefromRMB600in1991toRMB30,000in2017.
Atpresent,thevillageisknownasamoderatelyprosperousvillage.With16companies,fourofwhichareTaiwanese-funded,thevillageproducesanannualvalueofRMB1billionandpaystaxestothestateofnearlyRMB100million.Inadditiontoprovidingjobsforitsmembers,thevillageoffersover10,000jobstopeopleinsurroundingvillages,encouragingthemtoalsobecomeshareholders.Eachyear,itscompanygeneratesafewmillionyuanthatdirectlybenefitsneighboringvillages.
AccordingtoDocumentNo.1ofthecentralgovernment,industrialrevitalizationisthekeytoruralrevitalization.“Throughthedevelopmentofdifferentindustries,XixinzhuangVillagehasinfactalreadyrealizeditsrevitalizationaccordingtothenationalstandards,”Lisaid.
AttractingTalents
“Tocarryouttheruralrevitalizationstrategy,weneedapioneer.ItisoftensaidthatifthePartybranchissufficientlyactive,thepopulationwillbecomerich,andifthePartybranchsecretaryiscompetentenough,thePartybranchwillbeactive.Tobeagoodpioneer,youhavetodemonstrateintegrityandself-discipline.Ittakesagoodblacksmithtomakegoodsteel,”saidLi.“In1991,thevillagersgrewgreenhousevegetables.However,thereweretwopoorfamiliesinthevillagewhodidnothaveenoughmoneytobuildagreenhouse.SoIgavethemtwoofmythreegreenhouses.Somevillagersdidnotwanttobuildtheirhousesnearstinkypuddles,soIbuiltmyhousethere.”WithallthesesmalleffortsLigainedthesupportofthevillagers.Bothasaselflessleaderandpioneerinbusiness,LihasmadehisactionsbecomethemostpowerfulpledgefortheeconomicdevelopmentofXixinzhuangVillage.
HiseffortsalsoresultedinthecreationofthefirstinstituteofPartybranchsecretariesofChinaonMay21,2016.Theinstitute’svocationistoprovidetrainingtoPartyofficialssotheycanimprovetheirskills,andtotrainnewpeople,whichshouldhelpoptimizetheParty’sbasicorganizations.Lithenexplained,“In2017,thisinstituteprovidedtrainingtovillagePartysecretariesfrom19provinces.IfthePartyofficialsacquiremoreskills,therevitalizationofruralareaswillnotbefaroff.”
Duringtheprocessofruralrevitalization,itisimportanttoattractandretainprofessionals.AccordingtoLi,withoutprofessionals,ruraldevelopmentcanonlybesuperficial.InXixinzhuangVillage,theimportanceofprofessionalsisnotunderestimated.Stepshavebeentakentocreatenewpostsforprofessionalswhowishtoreturntovillages.“Weneedtoattractspecialists,butaboveall,thesepeoplemustknowagricultureandloveruralareas.AcitydwellerearnsRMB5,000amonth;theemployeesofthecompanyinourvillageearnthesamesalary.Weareworkinghardtoreducethegapbetweenurbanandruralincomeandcreateanurturingenvironmentforpersonaldevelopment,”saidLi.
ProsperousandpeacefulXixinzhuangVillage.
AFarmer’sDreamComesTrue
InMarch,duringdiscussionswiththedeputiesofShandongProvince,alargeagriculturalprovince,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingdiscussedtheruralrevitalizationstrategy.Hepointedoutthattheprosperityofthecountrysidereflectedthesuccessofbuildingamoderatelyproseproussocietyinallrespectsaswellasthequalityofsocialistmodernization.Itisthereforeimportanttomobilizefarmersbecausetheobjectiveoftherevitalizationofthecountrysideispreciselytosatisfytheiraspirationtoabetterlife.“WhenIreadPresidentXi’swords,Iwasreallytouched.Forme,theChinesefarmershaveeightdreams,andwhentheseeightdreamsarerealized,theruralrevitalizationofChinawillberealizedandthefarmerswillhaveachievedacomfortablelife,”saidLi.“Theseeightdreamsare:thesatisfactionofthebasicneedsofeverydaylife,educationinproximity,accesstomedicalcare,urbanizationofthecountryside,venuesofculturalactivity,thecreationofanenablingenvironment,theeradicationofpovertyandtheenrichmentofruraldwellers,andsafeguardingChina’sterritorialintegrity.”
LiLianchenghasgivensuggestionstoachievetheseeightdreams,suchasprovidingfarmerswithfinancialassistancetobuyagriculturaltools,andsupportingexpertswhoagreetocomeandteachinthecountryside.
“ThedreamofChinesefarmersisthedreamofruralrevitalization,andtherealizationofruralrevitalizationwillmeetthedemandsofthefarmers,”saidLi.Overthepastfewyears,thevillagehaspaidRMB90milliontobuildahospitalwithmedicalfacilitiesthataremoreadvancedthanthosefoundinPuyangCity.Farmersthereforehaveaccesstoqualitymedicalserviceintheirvillage.RMB1millionwasinvestedintheconstructionofagarden-styleschoolandanelderlynursinghome,towhichresidentshavefreeaccess.Inthevillage,domesticwater,electricity,andfuelgasarealsofreeforeveryhousehold.
Today,Xixinzhuangisamodernvillagethatalsohaswideroads,neatresidentialbuildings,andbustlingcommercialstreets,andtherearerestaurants,hotels,supermarkets,andgreenpathways.“Ourvillageislikeacity,”saidLi.