ZhangWeiji(right),formerPartybranchsecretaryofNanlingVillage,andZhangYubiao,secretaryofthePartyCommitteeofNanlingVillageCommunity.byChenJian
AttheNanlingVillageCommunityServiceCenter,villagePartybranchsecretariesfromtheoldrevolutionarybaseareasvisittolearnaboutexperiencesthatfosteredprosperityinthecommunity.ZhangYubiao,secretaryofthePartyCommitteeofNanlingVillageCommunity,sharesPartybuildingexperienceandtheeconomictransformationofNanlingVillageCommunity.byChenJianOverthepast40years,thefour-square-kilometerNanlingVillageinLonggangDistrictofShenzhenhastransformedfromapoverty-strickenvillageintoamodernneighborhoodwithcollectivefixedassetsof3.5billionyuanandpercapitaannualincomeof150,000yuan.
Thevillage’sdevelopmentmiracleisattributedtostrugglesacrosstwogenerationsoflocalresidents.
PovertyBreedsaDesireforChange
BeforeChina’sreformandopeningupinthelate1970s,Nanlingvillagers“reliedonloansforproductionandlivedongovernmentrelief,”andtheimpoverishedlifeforcedmanytofleeaway,accordingto73-year-oldZhangWeiji,whoformerlyservedasPartychiefofNanlingVillage.
Zhangbegantoserveasavillageofficialsincethe1960s.BeforeChinaimplementeditsreformandopening-uppolicy,576villagersfrom134householdsthereweredividedintofourproductionteams.Zhangdecidedtobuildafactoryonemptylandincollaborationwithsomecompaniesbyintroducingoutsideinvestment.
Earlyin1980,afterZhangcommunicatedwithmultiplestakeholders,thevillagejoinedhandswithanelectronicsfactory,thefirstsuchpartnershipinShenzhen.
ZhangWeijiledvillageofficialsandvillagerstoimprovetheenvironment,carryearthfromthemountainstosmoothouttheroadandplanttreestobeautifythevillage.
In1987,thefirstindustrialzonewasbuiltinNanlingVillage.Atotalof14enterprisesmovedinandthefixedassetsofthevillagegrewto5.3millionyuan.Mostvillagersbecameemployeesofthesecompaniesandbeganworkingeight-hourdaystoearnmonthlysalaries.
ThevillagersshowedgreatrespectfortheirseniorPartyleaderandawillingnesstofollowhimwhereverhedecidedtogonext.
In1982,NanlingVillagereceiveditsfirstlandacquisitioncompensationfeeof430,000yuan,whenZhangWeijiservedascaptainofthevillage’sfirstproductionteam.Afterextensivediscussionandconsideration,hedecidedtousethemoneyondevelopment.
Somedoubtedthedecisionatfirstbutsoonchangedtheirmindafterrealizingthemoneywouldbeinvestedinbuildingfactoriesandexpandingproduction.
In1983,thetownshipgovernmentproposedmergingthefourproductionteamsinNanling,andthevillagersralliedaroundZhangtoleadthework.
Zhangproposedcombiningtheassetsofthefirstproductionteamintoajointfundtofostercommonprosperity.Hepersuadedvillagersbygoingdoor-to-doorandultimatelymergedtheassets.
ZhangwaselectedPartychiefofthevillageanddirectorofthevillagecommittee.ThefourproductionteamsinNanlingVillagewereformallymerged.
ZhangWeijisolemnlypromisedhisfellowvillagersthattheywouldalwayshaveenoughtoeat,liveinnewhouses,haveextramoneytospendandenjoylongandhealthylives.
Almost35yearslater,Zhangisproudtohavekeptthosepromises.“ImeantwhatIsaid,”hegrinned.“Theywouldneverhavefollowedmeifmyheartwasn’tinit.”
Heisusuallythefirsttooffertoshoulderothers’woes.Whenrainfloodedfactoryworkshops,hejumpedinthewaterwithabuckettodrainwater.
Tomakethevillagemorebeautiful,sevenfamilymembersofvillageofficialshaveservedasvoluntarycleanersformorethan20years.Thevillagebuiltabathroomespeciallyformigrantworkers,andZhang’swifeoverseesthesupplyofhotwater.
“NotonlyisourPartychiefcapable,buthetakestheleadoneverything,sowealwaystrusthim,”explainedLiHongqing,formerassistanttoZhanginPartyaffairs.
“EveryPartymemberorofficialmustremainfullydevotedtoservingthepublic,”Zhangasserted.Hestillserveshisfellowvillagerstothisday.
VillagePartymembersandofficialshaveneverenjoyedprivileges.Theyreceivethesamesharesandbenefitsaseveryoneelseandnonehaveeverbrokenthelaw.
FormerPartychiefofNanlingVillageZhangWeijirecountsstoriesaboutlocaldevelopmentatthecentralsquareofNanlingVillageCommunity.byChenJianANewChapter
ZhangWeiji’seldestsonZhangYubiaowasbornin1974andholdsamaster’sdegreeinmanagementfromSouthChinaUniversityofTechnology.
In1994,ZhangYubiaoreturnedtothevillageaftergraduatingfromcollegeandbecameheadofthevillage’sYouthLeaguebranchlikehisfatherdid.In1998,hebeganservingasPartychiefofthevillage,directorofthevillagecommitteeandchairmanofthevillage’seconomicdevelopmentcompany.
ZhangYubiaonolongerhastofacechoiceslikesplittingupportionsofricetofeedmorepeopleandinsteadeyesavenuestoleadNanlingVillageto“greaterglory.”
Intheearly1990s,NanlingVillagewitnessedanewroundofentrepreneurship.Thevillageinvestedmorethan90millionyuan,introducedeightforeign-fundedenterprisesandbuilttheGoldenParkIndustrialZone,whichhelpedthevillageearn10to20millionyuaninrevenueseachyear,equivalenttoanincreaseof20,000yuaninpercapitaincome.
In2004,Shenzhenbegantoacceleratetheurbanizationofruralareas.
NanlingVillagetransformedfromavillageintoacommunityandestablishedashareholdingcompany.In2006,NanlingsetupacommunityPartycommittee,thefirstofitskindinShenzhen.
Nanlingishometo1,000nativevillagers,morethan6,000registeredlocalsandaresidentpopulationof80,000.Creatingahappy,livablemoderncommunityhasbecomeoneofZhangYubiao’sgreatestgoals.
“Irespectmyfatherverymuch,butIamnothim,”remarkedZhangYubiao.“Ihavetoblazemyownpath.”
In2012,theParty’s18thNationalCongressproposedanewdevelopmentstrategy.ZhangYubiaobegantorealizethatthesustainabledevelopmentofNanlinghadtobedrivenbyinnovation.
In2017,Nanlinginvested300millionyuantosetupShenzhen’sfirstventurecapitalfundunderacommunity-levelstockholdingcompanyandundertookagroupofforward-lookingandhigh-growthinnovativeprojects.Toeliminatebackwardproductioncapacity,Nanlingterminatedacontractwithatraditionalcompanyearlyandpaid20millionyuanforbreakingthecontract.
AfewyearsagoataNanlingshareholdersmeeting,ZhangYubiaopromisedthathewouldresignifhefailedtofosterasuccessfultransformationinthreeyears.Justastheydidtohisfather,thevillagerschosetotrustthenewleader,andtheycollectivelysetoffonanewjourneytowardseconomicprosperity.
ZhangYubiaocollaboratedwithacompanyassociatedwithTsinghuaUniversityandjoinedhandswithspecialistsfromSunYat-senUniversitytoestablishascienceandtechnologyparkandadesignresearchinstitute.Rentisnolongerthemajorsourceofrevenue,andinsteadearningscomefromequity.
Today,NanlinghasbuiltascienceandtechnologyparkandsetuptheNanlingEquityInvestmentFundManagementCo.,Ltd.whichhasfinancedthedevelopmentofartificialintelligence,electronics,informationtechnology,healthcare,newenergyandnewmaterials,andintroduceddozensofhigh-techindustries.
“Inthepastwereliedonfarming.Laterwe‘cultivated’arealestateindustry,”saidZhangYubiao.“Nowwehaveto‘seed’hightechnology.Iamconfidentwecanincubateseveralhightechcompaniesandbecomebiggerandstronger.Oneday,IwillbetheretoringthebellwithvillagersafterNanlingproducesalistedcompany.”NanlingVillageCommunityhasestablishedaservicemechanismsupportedbyPartymembers,socialworkersandvolunteers.Thecommunityhasregistered34socialorganizationsand20voluntaryserviceteams.byWangLei
ResidentsexerciseattheNanlingVillageCommunityServiceCenter.byChenJian