Brief introduction:
SunTao, from Rizhao,Shandong Province, Ph.D in Economics,XMU, was appointed as the selected graduates for future cadres by the Organization Department of the CPC Guangxi Committee in July,2015. In October of the same year, through voluntary registration, he was chosen to be the first secretary of Taohua Village, in Lingyun Town, which is a poverty-stricken village with the ethnic group, Yao.
Identity Transformation: Serve the people Heart and Soul
SunTao is teaching the Party members from Taohua Village how to put “Two Studies, One Action”into practice.
Sun is often asked: “How do you feel about being the first secretary in a poverty-stricken village?” For common people, it is incredible that Sun has finished his transformation from college to society, from East to West, from provincial authority to the first line of anti-poverty program after 2015.
“Xiamen University has an excellent tradition of patriotism. Mr.Chen Tan Kah Kee’s Spirit--- ‘We would rather sell all the buildings than stop developing XMU’ has influenced me unconsciously. West China is a hotspot for ambitious talents to develop their career and I have long been expecting to make my own contribution towards this land.” Before his graduation in 2015, it coincided with the Organization Department of the CPC Guangxi Committee’s recruitment, Sun was deeply moved by the cadres’ sincerity and decided to work in Guangxi alone. After his working at the Department of Finance of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sun responded the appeal for young cadres to work for targeted poverty alleviation and applied for it immediately. He said: “ It is lucky to join in this program in person when the whole county is taking targeted measures in poverty alleviation with vigour and vitality.”
From Sun’s point of view, how to be a qualified first secretary in the party organization of a poverty-stricken village is of overriding importance and a thorny issue.
Taohua Village in Lingzhan Yao ethnic township consists of 14 natural villages, some of which are distant from each other by more than 10 miles. Rocky desertification is its typical terrain. It also suffers from water shortage, rare land and other resources. There are 360 families and its whole population is 1786. With traffic locking and education lagging, over 68% of its people are poverty-stricken. Therefore, how to overcome poverty and achieve prosperity is the most difficult task for Sun.
After taking office, Sun began to investigate which kind of life these poverty-stricken people led and all of them were interviewed by Sun. He also followed their opinion and made full preparation for how to shake off poverty. At the end of 2015, Sun brought the first batch of goods and materials, with the help of caring people, and installed LED lights for every house. For these villagers, this was the first time in their life that a lamp has lighted in their house. They were very excited and happy. At that night, Sun and the village chief slept on the top of the hill, sharing only one bed. Outside was the sheepfold. Sometimes one of the sheep would kick into the room.Sun said he felt especially warm when watching the faint light dotting the country.Later, Sun learned that there was only one bed in that family and all their families sat around the stove for a whole night at that day.
Over one year later, these impoverished people have moved from the adobe dwellings to spacious and bright settling houses. Experiencing the whole process, Sun felt that the love for people and the Party should depend on what you have done for the pubic.
There are numerous examples of Sun’s true love for his people: to help a low-income family with seven of them unregistered go back on the right track, to support the aged of no family, with the help of the warm-hearted people and companies, to finance 7 needy students and so on.
Sun mentioned:“ Each of us is born into one family not of our choosing. We are lucky enough. Thus, it is our duty to help these unlucky ones.”
Earnest and Diligence: Be a sewer with practice
“ 2010 was my enrollment day. I have spent 5 years finishing my postgraduate and doctoral studies in XMU, during which I have grown in the fastest way. Besides knowledge, these college years have shaped my outlook on life and values gradually.” Sun said, as the alumni representative at the 2017 Launching Ceremony.
Sun helped the mass apply for the subsidy for the housing reconstruction.
In Sun’s eyes, although XMU is located at the corner of the southeast region, it is surrounded by a favourable academic atmosphere. Under this influence, XMUers are very earnest and diligent, denying all the hustle and bustle of the cities. He also realized that getting rid of arrogance and impatience was especially significant to deal with endless and intricate grass-root work. He made it honest that “earnest and diligence is my fortune brought by grass-root experience, which is akin to what I have learned in XMU.”
“There is only one needle threading hundreds of lines.” which is the vivid description for the first secretary’s work. Sun has to integrate with superior departments as well as deal with complicated and changeable daily affairs. Specifically, his work covers the “science and technology,culture and public health,economic construction, administration maintenance, cadre cultivation and so on”. While, Party construction and poverty alleviation are top priorities of his work.
When Sun first came to Taohua Village, its Party organization with 32 members was called “weak and slack”. Half of them are migrant workers while most of the rest staying at the hometown are poverty-stricken people. With low Party spirit and slack organization, they can do nothing for the people.
In order to change this situation, Sun decided to seek investments with village cadres. They achieved the support from the Department of Finance and settled the traffic problems for 8 natural villages. Sun believed that his enthusiasm and patience could influence and motivate the other village cadres’ positivity. Moreover, Sun took the opportunity of developing the rural collective economy to promote the “Rural Party Construction” by taking the new mode of “ contracting with the able cadres, cooperating with the impoverished”.Through this policy, they cultivated the characteristic agricultural industry and absorbed 52 poverty-stricken households into poverty alleviation industry.
It is worth mentioning that Sun has led his people to transfer and level 300 acres uncultivated land and introduce 2 companies to develop “Production-Marketing Integration” characteristic planting and raising industry.
Actually, villagers didn’t know Sun’s doctoral identity until half a year later. Sun explained:“labeling my identity will make distance between us.I feel gratified that they never call me Dr. Sun, which illustrates that I’m not an outsider.”
Lofty Ideal: Improve Poverty Alleviation in a Long Run
Sun is propagandizing the policies to strengthen agriculture and benefit farmers.
Having raised a total poverty alleviation fund of more than 7 million yuan, hardened the village roads with the length of 4.47 kilometers, established 29 water tanks, paved 3.6 kilometers water pipes, installed 50 streetlights, built 2 culture activity centers and 1 local construction model village, relocated 20 households, and settled 180 poverty-stricken households’ traffic problems , 160’s drinking water problems, 20’s electrifying problems and 40’s housing problems was what Taohua Village has finished so far.
Of course, the changes that the Taohua Village has made are more than that. In the recent two years, Sun has dedicated to this village’s development, with the help of his classmates and friends, social caring people and companies, as well as the government. Nowadays, the Little Erlang ( a household name of a school boy in China) Library officially opened to the public; Students from XMU volunteer for teaching in Taohua Village, aiming for improving its education level and broadening children’s horizons; Spring Festival celebrations with Miao characteristics have also been held normally.... Over the past two years, Sun’s contributions have been awarded by villagers’ sincere thanks. One of the college students from this village once praised that what they had given for village children was not only the material support but also spiritual help that mattered more.
In the next April,Sun’s four-year term will come to its end. He expressed that he would value this precious experience and continue to explore the development road for the poverty-stricken villages in his new position. “ Before leaving, I will focus on establishing a long-term mechanism for development, ensuring that the whole village will operate in a normal way in the future and seek even better improvement.” Sun added.
Sun mentioned: “ What I should consider about is not protecting only one village and several thousand people from impoverishment but exploring how to improve thousands of the weak’s livings. We are used to focusing on those who draw the nation onward, however, those who care for the benefits of the weak and poor also need focusing, which in the intrinsic requirements for social justice.”
Sun firmly believed that it is the common people that finally help realize our great national dream. This is also his sincere expectation towards his junior schoolmates.
(Jiyuan.Lin from Publicity Department)
This column is jointly sponsored by the Publicity Department of the XMU Committee of the CPC and the Secretariat of XMUAA.
