Party chief does it all, revolutionizes village in Jinan

Over the past two months, Gao Shuzhen, Party secretary of Sanjianxi village in Jinan, Shandong province, has been busy spreading rural vitalization-related content contained in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, to convey the spirit of the Congress and help villagers live better lives.

"When I shared news of the Congress with villagers, I noticed they were very interested. They have great expectations for the future of our country," said Gao, who was also a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, which was held in October.

"The report clearly focused on promoting rural vitalization, our lives will surely become better and better," she said.

With its neat rows of apartments, tidy roads, greenhouses and workshops, there are no more reminders of the time when Sanjianxi was a mess, a place of poverty.

The transformation began when Gao was elected as village Party secretary in 2004. Over the past 17 years, she has been working to create an efficient branch of the Communist Party of China to help residents make better use of their land.

"The key to the rural work is to increase incomes," said Gao, adding that it's the village Party branch's task to develop ways for residents to make a better living.

The village has been exploring tourism. It has built a snack street to attract tourists with restaurants, street vendors and light displays.

"Industrial development is fundamental for rural vitalization. By developing tourism, we aim to increase individual and collective incomes," said Gao.

In addition to the food street, an agricultural project, environmental livestock breeding areas, and an industrial park have also been developed, providing jobs for more than 80 percent of the local workforce.

The village's collective income last year rose to 8.29 million yuan ($1.19 million).

In addition, talented individuals have played an important role in vitalizing rural areas. Gao has been encouraging young people to start businesses in the village.

"We provide young people with incentives such as startup funding," she said, "With such preferential measures, young people can run businesses at a low cost, provide jobs to farmers and make use of village resources."

When Li Shaoqing, 40, and her husband, 42, started breeding black pigs in the village in 2009, they had no idea whether it would pay off.

The couple encountered financial difficulties keeping their business going at the beginning. Gao helped them get funding and apply for support from government authorities.

To date, some 200 people in their 30s and 40s have started businesses, according to the village.

Sanjianxi is listed as an excellent example of rural vitalization in the city.

"We will continue to study the spirit of the Congress and make a new start on our journey of rural vitalization," said Gao.

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