Jinzhai County is located in the hinterland of Dabie Mountain and is the largest mountainous county in Anhui Province. During the years of the revolutionary war, Jinzhai was the main birthplace of the Red Fourth Front Army and the Red 25th Army, and more than 100,000 heroic sons and daughters shed blood and sacrificed for the revolution. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in order to cure the floods of the Huai River, Meishan and Xianghongdian reservoirs were built, and more than 100,000 people in Jinzhai moved away from their homes, and more than 100,000 acres of fertile land were flooded at the bottom of the reservoir. In 2011, Jinzhai was included in the 36 counties in the Dabie Mountains concentrated contiguous poverty-stricken areas. Dawan Village, Huashi Township, is one of the 71 poorest mountain villages in the county.
"Dawan has a good scenery, and there is a ridge when you go out, either you stumble over a stone, or you cut your neck with thatch. "This was once a true portrayal of Dawan Village deep in the mountains. In order to get rid of poverty, the people in the village have been working for decades, but by the end of 2014, 575 of the 3,521 people in 921 households in the village had not been lifted out of poverty, with a poverty incidence rate of nearly 17%.
On April 24, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the village for investigation and research, discussed the poverty alleviation plan with the villagers, and instructed to take stable poverty alleviation measures and establish a long-term poverty alleviation mechanism, which gave great encouragement to the cadres and masses of Dawan Village. Dawan Village seized the new historical opportunity, and the cadres and masses made concerted efforts to conscientiously implement various policies, continuously tap the development potential, and steadily move forward on the road of poverty alleviation. In 2018, the per capita disposable income of Dawan Village reached 14,032 yuan, and the whole village was lifted out of poverty.
After several years of development, Dawan Village has achieved rich results in the integration of industry and tourism, and now it is seizing the opportunity of the construction of the first batch of Hemei rural boutique demonstration villages in the province, and has embarked on a road of revitalization and development of "planting and breeding on the mountain, welcoming guests at home, and integrating industry and tourism", and the collective economic income of the village has increased steadily every year.
We should focus on party building to promote development and not leave a poor family behind
In March, everything recovers. When she met Yu Jing, the first secretary of Dawan Village, on the weekend, she was on a video with her daughter, who is in the third grade of primary school, telling her daughter to be obedient at home and finish her homework carefully before going out to play.
In July 2015, Yu Jing, who was in her early 30s, had just finished her maternity leave and came to Dawan Village from the county seat to serve as the first secretary and the leader of the poverty alleviation team.
"One look at the house, the second is the grain, and the third is to see if there is a scholar at home. In order to familiarize herself with the situation in the village as soon as possible, Yu Jing immediately led the poverty alleviation team to visit the poor households in 37 villager groups in the village. Braving the scorching heat to climb the mountains and mountains, go door-to-door to find out the truth and dig up the roots of the poor. Through in-depth and intensive research, the team quickly grasped the real situation of poor households. Illness, schooling, lack of labor, insecure housing, and lack of jobs are the causes of poverty for many families.
After repeated discussions with the teams of the two village committees, Yu Jing formulated the general idea of "six grasps" for targeted poverty alleviation: grasp the team, lead the team, build strong grassroots organizations, and solve the fundamental problems of poverty alleviation; grasp the key, build new houses, improve housing conditions, and solve the problem of shelter for the poor people; grasp the security and build mechanisms, implement various policies, and solve the problem of peace of mind for the poor people; grasp the foundation, engage in construction, beautify the surrounding villages, and solve the environmental problems of poverty alleviation; grasp the industry; Cultivate leaders, provide jobs, solve the problem of increasing the income of the poor people, grasp overall planning and common development, consolidate the economic foundation, and solve the overall poverty alleviation problem of the whole village.
In order to enhance the cohesion of the cadres and the masses, Dawan Village has implemented the "Four Alliances and Four Gangs" project of party building to promote poverty alleviation, that is, production cooperation, industrial development, employment linkage, and labor to help. Establish a sense of responsibility for party members and enhance the consciousness of helping large households. Yu Jing tried to organize 61 party members in the village who had the ability to help and 73 poor households to "marry the poor", give full play to the role of party members as the backbone, enhance the confidence and determination of the masses to get rid of poverty, and not let a poor family be left behind.
In 2016, Yu Jing made a "military order" in front of General Secretary Xi Jinping, "If a household is not lifted out of poverty, I will resolutely not withdraw from my post". She "soaks" in the village every day, taking the village as her home for nearly 300 days a year, mobilizing Chen Zeping's household to relocate to a new resettlement site, helping Wang Neng's insured household to go through hospitalization reimbursement procedures, and checking the construction of a standardized tea base......
In October 2017, when the term of office expired, Yu Jing resolutely applied to stay in office, and it has been her ninth year in Dawan Village. She devoted herself to the work in the village, and led everyone to get rid of poverty and become rich with more than ordinary people's dedication, becoming a "good girl" and "good sister" in the eyes of the villagers, but she became a "stranger" that her daughter wanted to see but couldn't see. When it comes to her daughter, Yu Jing is full of guilt. "I saw my daughter growing up day by day on my mobile phone, calling her mother for the first time, walking for the first time, going to school for the first time, ...... my daughter's growth path, she was absent from many important occasions.
However, Yu Jing witnessed all the important moments in Dawan Village. 62 poor households and 201 people moved into the two-story building of the centralized resettlement site, the tourist reception center was officially put into use, the incidence of poverty was reduced to zero, Dawan Scenic Area was successfully promoted to a national 3A-level tourist attraction, Dawan Village was awarded the "National Model of Poverty Alleviation", and the General Party Branch of Dawan Village was awarded the "National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization...... She said that she has been stationed in the village for 9 years, which has increased her own experience and experience, and her spirit has also been baptized, and she is sincerely happy for every achievement made in Dawan Village, and she feels honored to be able to work in Dawan Village, and her daughter also likes the beautiful scenery of Dawan Village very much.
Today's Dawan Village has built 5,000 acres of standard tea gardens, with an annual income of 15 million yuan, attracting 500,000 tourists/year, and a tourism income of 70 million yuan, and also planting more than 800 acres of mulberry trees, more than 400 acres of various Chinese medicinal materials such as yellow essence, and 54 households in the village have developed farmhouses, farm courtyards and tourist homestays, and the village's collective economic income has grown from a blank in 2014 to 2.41 million yuan in 2023.
Party building leads development. Through the guidance of party building, Dawan Village accurately identifies poor households, formulates tailor-made assistance measures, and solves the difficulties of the masses in a timely manner, giving full play to the political advantages, organizational advantages and close contact with the masses of our party, and gathering strong momentum for poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. Whether in the past or now, in Dawan Village, "where there is a need, there will be a party flag flying, and where the party flag is flying, there will be development and prosperity" has become a true portrayal.
Capable people take the lead, industry drives, and the road to prosperity in poor mountain villages
"You can try the taste first, don't buy it if it's not delicious, and then search the price on the Internet, and if it's not the cheapest, don't buy it." Zhu Xianfu was in the hall on the first floor of the agricultural products exhibition and sales center, holding all kinds of snack samples, shouting while distributing them.
Zhu Xianfu is the person in charge of Dawan Ecological Agriculture Company, and has deeply cultivated Jinzhai pecans, small sweet potatoes and other industries by improving the taste of products, with an annual output value of more than 100 million yuan. In 2023, he saw the superior resources and strong flow of Dawan Village, and invested more than 400 yuan to establish an agricultural product exhibition and sales center in Dawan Village, Huashi Township, in order to enhance the development stamina and realize the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism and primary, secondary and tertiary industries.
"The second floor is the dining area, and there are free samples at each table, and I have confidence in my products, many people will buy them when they eat them, and they will become repeat customers. Zhu Xianfu said proudly. He kept pace with the times to develop product e-commerce, created two Internet celebrity products, "Qiaoqiaoguo" pecans and dried sweet potatoes, and helped Jinzhai pecans and sweet potatoes to be selected into the national list of famous and excellent new agricultural products, and enhanced the brand and added value of local characteristic agricultural industries. Through the integration of agriculture, culture and tourism and industrial integration, the agricultural products exhibition and sales center has received more than 50,000 tourists in 10 months of operation, with nearly 3 million yuan of income from the sale of agricultural products and catering, and 42 stable jobs.
Doing solid industry and linking agriculture with farmers is Zhu Xianfu's unremitting pursuit. In Dawan Village, he adopted the industrial development model of "leading + base + farmer", distributed seedlings free of charge, provided technical guidance free of charge, and recycled products at a guaranteed price, driving the masses to plant more than 500 acres of small sweet potatoes and beibei pumpkins, and 35 people were employed and increased by 800,000 yuan.
"I came from a background in agricultural technology, and I have been struggling with one thing, that is, through technological improvement, urban consumers will fall in love with local products in the mountains. Zhu Xianfu further cooperated with Dawan Village to introduce jade fungus cultivation technology and build a jade fungus base in Dawan Village. The base is carried out by the team of mycologists and academicians Li Yu to carry out technical guidance, and implement the five-in-one industrial agriculture model of "scientific and technological experts + village collective economy + demonstration base + leading enterprises + radiation to drive farmers", and realized the village collective dividend of 140,000 yuan that year, driving the surrounding people to work more than 60 people and increasing wage income by more than 50 yuan.
The first rich drive the latter to become rich. The transportation of Dawan Village is becoming more and more convenient, and there are more and more tourists, attracting more capable people to invest in construction projects, and the group of migrant workers who have returned to their hometowns to start their own businesses have increasingly become the pioneers of modern agriculture, the link between production and marketing, and the builders of beautiful villages. Dawan Village has developed 13 farmer cooperatives, 9 family farms, and 15 industrial leaders, bringing tangible economic benefits to the local people by providing nearby migrant jobs and helping to develop the courtyard economy. What was once the "hard bone" of poverty alleviation has been transformed into a happy village with increased income and prosperity.
Take off the poor hat by hard work and weave a good life with your hands
When I saw Chen Zeshen, the old man who was over seventy years old was immersed in weaving bamboo baskets, and under a pair of skillful hands, the bamboo strips were rolling up and down quickly.
Seeing that someone was coming, Chen Zeshen hurriedly put down the work in his hand, stood up and patted the dust on his body, greeted the person skillfully, recalled the scene of General Secretary Xi Jinping's symposium at his house, and introduced local products such as peanuts, wild vegetables, and small river fish on the shelves.
20 years ago, Chen Zeshen's son died unexpectedly while working in Shanghai, and later his daughter-in-law remarried and his wife died of illness, leaving him and his youngest grandson to rely on each other. Because of his old age, his grandson has to go to school, lack of skills and labor, and has no stable income, he has become poorer and poorer, and he was once a severely poor household.
At that time, I really didn't know what to do, so I invited Mr. Feng Shui to adjust the direction of the door and build a screen, hoping to change the fortune of the family. However, along the way, Chen Zeshen gradually understood that to truly change his fate, he must rely on the party's good policies, but also on his own hard-working hands.
According to the suggestion of the cadres, Chen Zeshen took the initiative to apply for an interest-free loan to start raising sheep, and usually planted some gastrodia and worked as a roasted tea master in the tea factory, and his hands and feet were diligent, and his income also increased, and he sold 12,000 yuan for sheep alone. In 2017, Chen Zeshen took the initiative to apply to take off the "poor household hat" and became the county's "poverty alleviation star".
The villagers found that Lao Chen's spirit had changed in recent years, and he became more and more energetic. Chen Zeshen said: "Although I am over 70 years old, I can't stop thinking that the wish I made has not been fulfilled yet!"
As time passed, Chen Zeshen's wishes were constantly changing. In 2016, his biggest wish was for his youngest grandson to get a good score in the college entrance examination and become a college student. After his grandson enters the university as he wishes, Chen Zeshen's biggest hope is not to worry about tuition fees and living expenses, and his little grandson can study and study with peace of mind. The village cadres helped the college students apply for interest-free loans to solve the problem of annual tuition fees, and Chen Zeshen worked hard to ensure his grandson's daily expenses with his income from working in a tea factory, public welfare positions, and photovoltaic power generation.
"Thanks to the party's good policies, I have a stable income, and my little grandson has successfully studied and employed!" In 2019, my little grandson graduated successfully and found a stable job in Hefei. Chen Zeshen was very pleased, but he had a new thought: when his grandson reached the age of talking about marriage, he should save more money and help him in the future. So, Chen Zeshen put up a few shelves in the old house, and simply packaged local specialties such as peanuts, gastrodia, and wild vegetables from his own house and the surrounding people, and sold bamboo shoots, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, etc. directly and freshly, and became the owner of the shop. He introduced the scene of General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit to the visitors for free, telling about the changes that have taken place in Dawan Village over the years, coupled with the fair price, the sales of goods have been good, and the small shelves can bring Chen Zeshen at least 20,000 yuan of net income every year.
Now, the little grandson has negotiated a good partner, Chen Zeshen is very satisfied, and he also pays special attention to personal health, and participates in the village physical examination on time every year. He said, "Now it is convenient to do anything, travel by bus, physical examination to the entrance of the village, express delivery to the door, I have to take care of my body, I can't let the children worry about my health." Picking up the bamboo basket that was almost completed, Chen Zeshen said, "Only by keeping your hands and following the right path can you make a beautiful basket." Living a life is like weaving a basket, and only by being diligent and motivated can you live a good life!"
Hard work is the only way to get rich. "Fight the battle of poverty alleviation, so that the people in the old areas can live a happy and beautiful life. "The cadres and masses of Dawan Village have kept in mind the earnest entrustment of General Secretary Xi Jinping, and have always maintained the motivation and motivation to get rid of poverty and become rich, and the living conditions and economic level have been improving year by year, and the per capita disposable income has increased from 7,120 yuan in 2015 to 17,866 yuan in 2023, and the road of happiness in Dawan Village is getting wider and wider.
The great changes in Dawan Village are not only the epitome of Jinzhai's precise poverty alleviation, but also the vivid practice of poverty alleviation in old revolutionary areas and poverty-stricken areas. The Dawan Road fully embodies the leading role of the party organization in giving full play to the political advantages, organizational advantages and advantages of close contact with the masses of our party in poverty alleviation; the key role of rural capable people in industrial poverty alleviation by virtue of their technology and ability, the first rich lead the latter to become rich; the local villagers refuse to "wait for the need" and create a happy life with their own hands, and the endogenous role in poverty alleviation through hard work. With the joint efforts of these roles, Dawan Village's road to poverty alleviation and prosperity is becoming more and more stable and better.
(Author's Affiliation: Anhui Jinzhai Cadre College)