Xi leads China's holistic rural revitalization

GRASSROOTS WISDOM

Giving up her job in China's top academy of sciences, Wei Qiao is now a tech-savvy "new farmer" in her hometown in Jiangsu, contributing to rural revitalization with advanced ideas and modern entrepreneurial skills.

At a deliberation in which Xi participated during the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in March, Wei, also a national lawmaker, got a chance to share with the president her latest achievements as a farmer in the digital age.

"We have cultivated more than 20,000 mu of rice, with each mu yielding 550 kg of grain," Wei said, noting that by managing the fields with digital methods, work efficiency was greatly improved.

Xi commended Wei's efforts, saying "20,000-plus mu is no small number in south China." He went on to say that such an area is sufficient to unleash the potential of farm machinery and develop modern protected agriculture.

Xi considers talent as the foundation of rural revitalization, calling for promoting a two-way free flow of talent, land and funding between urban and rural areas.

Over the past decade, China has continued to introduce policies to support talent from various backgrounds, including university graduates and technical personnel, to take root in the countryside.

With working experiences in the village, Xi clearly understands that the key to revitalizing the countryside is to have strong primary-level Party organizations.

These organizations should play a leading role in bringing prosperity to the people and ensuring the effective implementation of policies formulated by the Party for the benefit of the people, he said during his inspection tour to East China's Jiangxi province in October.

This is part of the reason why the practice of dispatching "the first Party secretaries" and working teams to villages for the anti-poverty fight continues in China. This time, it aims to propel rural revitalization. "The first Party secretaries" and working teams consist of cadres selected from Party and state organs, state-owned enterprises and public institutions.

Led by Xi, China is ramping up efforts to consolidate the achievements in poverty alleviation and propel rural revitalization, including a five-year transition period during which major supportive policies and assistance for the poor will remain stable and the adoption of a law on the promotion of rural revitalization.

Xi urges officials at all levels to constantly hold in their hearts the interests and concerns of the people, and regard the benefit of the people as their highest career accomplishment.

"You are so busy with your work but still make time to see us. We are so grateful," Wang Deli, a resident of a mountainous village in Guangxi, said when he received Xi in his home in the spring of 2021.

"That is exactly what I am busy with," Xi replied. "People's happy life is the matter of the most fundamental importance to the country."