Entering the new stage of rural revitalization, Shibadong Village has summarized the valuable experience of the past. Efforts have been made not only to play the principal role of the masses to stimulate the endogenous power in the reform and development, but also to fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the masses, in a bid to support rural revitalization with the endogenous power of the people.
The research team learned in Shibadong Village that an effective local practice is to combine typical guidance and positive incentives.
One is to explore advanced examples of entrepreneurship among the masses. Villagers can learn about the changes in the village as well as local typical characters and their exemplary deeds through the “Shibadong Today” livestreaming every day. “Shibadong Today” has shown the touching stories of a number of such typical figures through livestreaming as Long Jian, Long Jinli and Shi Yanqin, guiding all villagers with the things around them to create a positive atmosphere of striving to be typical entrepreneurs. In recent years, 32 households have been promoted by the media.
The other is the positive encouragement through the villagers’ ideological and moral star-rated management. Villagers told the research team that the village regularly organizes moral evaluation meetings for all the villagers, and even 16-year-old villagers are involved. According to the survey, the village groups will score each other from six aspects like law-abidance, social morality, self-reliance and civilization. Each household counts the average score according to the number of family members. The scoring results are announced on the spot and publicized on the list. The results are divided into different levels, and those households with more than 90 scores will be awarded “five-star” signs. As the masses are encouraged to chase for role models, the spiritual outlook has been greatly improved. Up to now, the village has voluntarily handed over or exchanged 136 mu (about 9.07 hectares) of contracted land to support public welfare undertakings and infrastructure construction.
On November 3 every year, Shibadong Village holds a commemorative party for the first initiative day of targeted poverty alleviation and launches the awarding activity. At the party, the outstanding villagers including the “Most Beautiful Shibadong Villagers”, the “Most Beautiful Cleaners” and the “Excellent Party Members” will be evaluated through the process of public audition, group selection and network selection. Those outstanding villagers will be awarded honorary certificates and prizes ranging from 300 to 1,000 yuan for each.
Through the combination of typical guidance and positive incentives, the masses have not only improved their senses of fulfillment and happiness, but also actively engaged in the cause of rural revitalization, which is conducive to the transformation of villagers from dependence on others to self-reliance.
“Realistic and localized” industrial development mode
Mobilizing the masses is the foundation of rural revitalization, while developing industries is the key to rural revitalization.
Shibadong Village has adapted to local conditions and persisted in vigorously developing rural industries. Industries like characteristic planting, resource exploitation and rural tourism have flourished. Shibadong Village has embarked on a way to sustainable development featuring production development, rich life and good ecology.
The characteristic planting and breeding industry is booming. Local cadres introduced that in view of the problem of “a large population with relatively little arable land”, the village has explored and implemented the mode of “enclave economy” according to the idea of “stepping out of Shibadong Village to develop industries”. The village has established Miaohanzi Fruit Industry Co, Ltd.. Through the form of share cooperation, 1,000 mu (about 66.67 hectares) of land in the agricultural park has been transferred to construct a high-quality kiwifruit base, which obtained the organic product certification and the title of “export demonstration base”. Some villagers have received dividends through it. The breeding industry is mainly based on native chickens and bees. Long Xianlan, a young man who used to have nothing, has become the “king of beekeeping”. He not only keeps more than 400 boxes of bees by himself, but also invites 18 villagers to form a cooperative, leading 562 people from 118 households to raise bees together with an annual income of over 1.5 million yuan.
Resource development-based industries are thriving. The main intangible cultural heritage resource is the Miao embroidery. The village has established a cooperative of the Miao embroidery industry and signed cooperation agreements with enterprises like CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. and local universities to innovate creative designs and expand the order business of the Miao embroidery. 54 left-behind women have been employed on the doorstep, with an annual output value exceeding 400,000 yuan in the past two years. The mineral water is the main material resource developed in Shibadong Village. The village has introduced enterprises to invest in a spring water factory, which pays dividends to the village collective in the form of “50 plus 1” every year, with an average annual dividend of 600,000 yuan in the past two years. The benchmark industry of Shibadong Village comes from the development of Red resources. Around the Party spirit education base, youth study base and patriotism education demonstration base, efforts have been made to cultivate three teams of Red tour guides, teachers of Party spirit education and red scarf docents, in a bid to create high-quality Red education classes, Party spirit education classes and patriotism education classes.
The ecotourism industry is in full swing. Shibadong Village is one of the “Eight Red Scenes” in Hunan Province. It has been selected as one of the “100 Fine Lines of Red Tourism for the Centennial of the Party”, “China’s Beautiful Leisure Countryside” as well as a national 5A scenic area. The village is a hot spot for study trips and rural tourism, boasting tourism resources such as mountains, canyons, jungles, caves, the traditional Miao villages, as well as the Miao songs and dances. The village has built tourism service facilities including the tourist center of Shibadong Scenic Area, poverty alleviation exhibition hall, e-commerce service station and specialty product store. The labor service export industry continues to be consolidated. The village has carried out vocational skills training for spare laborers, actively connecting with the Human Resources and Social Security Department. The “Shibadong” special train has been operated, actively transporting laborers to Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other coastal developed areas. In the past two years, the village has realized the transfer employment of 183 labor force, increasing the income by more than 6 million yuan.
Rural construction mode of “nostalgia retention and innovation”
The upgraded Pear Village is seething with tourists, presenting a vibrant scene.
The general principle of construction is “harmony between people and nature, harmony between construction and original ecology, perfect combination of architecture and national characteristics”. Shibadong Village has stuck to the improvement of infrastructure without engaging in large-scale demolition and construction. It has precisely implemented the “six in one” project of water, electricity, roads, housing, Internet and environmental governance, as well as “renovation from five aspects” of kitchens, toilets, bathes, pigpens and dilapidated houses. Meanwhile, it has also combined with the “flower garden action” to carry out the project of “treatment from three aspects (treatment of toilet, garbage and sewage), planting from three aspects (planting trees, flowers and vegetables) and creation of beautiful farmhouses”.
The front and back of the village houses have been paved with green stone slabs. The transformation of the rural grid has been completed. Every household has access to tap water and safe electricity. The households with the will are equipped with wireless network. Up to now, a total of 16.58 kilometers of road construction has been carried out in the village. All 225 houses in the village have undergone renovation and “toilet revolution”, making the original houses more comfortable and livable. Combining beautiful countryside and retention of nostalgia, Shibadong Village has been rated as “China’s Beautiful Leisure Countryside” and one of “the First Batch of National Demonstration Villages of Traditional Villages”. The happy life also serves as an important source for the old people in the village to create and sing the Miao songs.
Shibadong Village has strengthened its cultural confidence by upholding integrity and innovation, made great innovations in the new era in the inheritance of local civilization, and achieved transformation and development on the basis of safeguarding the national cultural mark.
Shibadong Village has also put the local tradition of respecting nature, conforming to nature and caring for nature throughout the whole process of rural construction, so that the Miao dwellings are antique and the village takes on a new look, fulfilling the villagers’ “dream of happy living”. Construction and transformation measures like greening, hardening, brightening and beautification have injected modern civilization elements into the ancient countryside. Shibadong Village has promoted the integration of culture and tourism as well as the integration of agriculture and tourism, so that the profound culture can empower new industries. Shibadong Village has done a good job in the protection and development of the Miao landscapes and the Miao villages, the excavation and inheritance of the Miao songs, the Miao dances and the Miao festivals, as well as the creative promotion of the fine Miao embroidery and the Miao dyeing.
Highlighting the original color, the rural culture has awakened the native power of the countryside. The artistic empowerment has activated the driving force of characteristic countryside construction. The practical exploration on the road of rural revitalization has enabled the natural scenery, folk customs and ethnic traditions of the countryside to interact harmoniously.
Rural society mode of “mutual assistance and common prosperity”
The rural grass-roots governance mode of “prosperity of mutual assistance from five aspects” is a new contribution made by Shibadong Village to explore the replicable and extendable experience of rural revitalization.
The “prosperity of mutual assistance from five aspects” is a new grass-roots governance mode of “village Party branch, mutual assistance groups and farmers”, which is summarized and improved in practice in Shibadong Village. It is can be called the “1553” working mechanism, that is, one Party member contacts five households to form a mutual assistance group and draws up a “demand list” and a “supply list” from five aspects of learning, production, local customs, neighborhood and green home. The village has set up a total of 41 mutual assistance groups, realized the full coverage of Party members and the masses, and solved a large number of difficult problems. Formed in poverty alleviation and developed in rural revitalization, the “prosperity of mutual assistance from five aspects” has achieved remarkable results in rural harmony and common prosperity.
Mutual assistance focuses on the revitalization of rural industries. In order to develop the industries in Shibadong Village, Long Dongjie, a veteran Party member, thought of persuading young people who worked outside to return to their hometown to start their own businesses and provide support for the development of local industries. She went door to door to repeatedly persuade young people who worked outside to return to Shibadong, so that the village’s industries were developed, the elderly and children were taken care of, and the villagers’ life became more and more prosperous. The villagers who started their own business first have shared their experience and technology, helped other villagers to start their own business, or directly invited the surrounding villagers to buy shares, realizing the full coverage of the village industry.
Mutual assistance is reflected in the road to a well-off society. The house of Yang Cheng, a local villager, had accidentally caught fire. His house burned down and his belonging were lost, so he was in a difficult situation. The leader of the mutual assistance group called on the villagers to help each other. In addition to the government’s help, all the families in the village donated money to him. Yang Cheng built a new house soon. The problem of single villagers has been greatly changed in the mode of mutual assistance. Most single villagers have successfully fallen in love. “Meet in Shibadong Village” has also become a brand program of Hunan Satellite TV.
Mutual assistance is implemented to the appraisal system. On the monthly themed Party day, all the villagers have to review the mutual assistance activities of each group for the month. The results of the review will be an important basis for selection and commendation, promotion of candidates to join the Party, selection of reserve cadres and distribution of collective economic income. The village also relies on the village collective economy to establish the bank of “prosperity of mutual assistance from five aspects” in Shibadong Village. In daily life, villagers can “exchange their actions for points and points for goods”. They can exchange points coupons for daily necessities such as oil, salt, rice and noodles in the bank, and enjoy real benefits.
The goal of “prosperity of mutual assistance from five aspects” is common prosperity. The village has combined individual prosperity with collective prosperity, so that the whole village can achieve a new vision of rural revitalization with rich life, prosperous industry, civilized local customs, effective governance and ecological livability, and finally realize the common prosperity of the countryside.
“Branch-led and Party member-driven” grass-roots governance mode
On the way to rural revitalization, Shibadong Village insists on strengthening the construction of grass-roots organization, giving full play to the role of Party organization. In accordance with the “branch-led and member-driven” structure, efforts have been made to promote grass-roots governance mode by fully demonstrating the role of the grass-roots party organization as a fighting base and the pioneering role of the Party members. Thus, a vivid pattern of mutual assistance and mutual progress between the Party and the masses has been formed.
Through the “double description and double evaluation” system, the Party branch pays attention to the literate and competent candidates with high political consciousness and high prestige. The excellent college students are recruited and trained as village officials to take charge of village official and administrative affairs, and improve the efficiency of village affairs. The number of party members has increased from 16 in 2013 to 36 at present, including 11 young Party members under the age of 35 and 15 Party members with college degree or above, so as to realize a younger age structure of the branch. According to the standardization of branch setup, the branch is divided into four party groups, which are responsible for public services, rural tourism, agricultural production and other work. Highlighting the refinement of management services, there are eight service positions for Party members, such as publicity and education, civilized persuasion and tourism information, to serve the people in an all-round way. A scientific and complete work system has been established, centering on six aspects like organizational construction, village-level management, villagers’ discussions and supervision of village affairs. The construction of the focus position has been standardized. The village-level service platform has been built with convenient service center and activity room for Party members. The online service platform of “Xiangxi e-Road Link” has been implemented, so that villagers can handle things without going out. 3,218 village-level affairs were handled in various forms. The satisfaction rate of the people on the village Party branch committee and villagers’ committee has increased from 68% to over 98%. Through the construction, the Party branch will be truly developed into a strong fighting fortress of rural revitalization.
The leading role of Party branches should be highlighted. Shibadong Village has established party groups on farmers’ cooperative organizations, industry chains and village grids. There are four service Party groups on industry prosperity, rural tourism, public service and care for the elderly. Members of the branch committee have taken the initiative in working as heads of new economic organizations such as the Miao embroidery company and kiwifruit cooperative. Branch members have been selected to serve as Party construction instructors in economic organizations like Shibadong Mountain Spring Water Co., Ltd. and Huayuan Shibadong Tourism Development Co., Ltd. to guide and check important decisions of the companies. The influence of the Party organizations have fully covered the economic development, public welfare, public security and stability maintenance of Shibadong Village, effectively leading the development of the village and truly playing a leading role.
After completing the task of the poverty alleviation as scheduled, Shibadong Village has comprehensively matched the rural revitalization strategy and achieved certain results in the aspects of “thriving industry, livable ecology, civilized local customs, effective governance and rich life”. A series of effective practices have been promoted in Xinagxi and even Hunan Province.