Good news to General Secretary | Yan Jinchang's family in Chuzhou, Anhui: Xiaogang people will always be dream chasers on the path of reform

On April 25, 2016, Yan Jinchang's family from Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province

Nine years ago, you praised 'rural tourism, enjoying the countryside' at my home. Now, my 'Jinchang Restaurant' has expanded to 30 tables and can accommodate 300 people! Nowadays, Xiaogang Village is bustling with people and thriving industries, and the people have no worries about food, clothing, or housing.  

——Yan Jinchang

Yan Jinchang, an elderly man, is 82 years old this year. His square face is covered with lines and patterns carved like knives and axes, like a thick chronicle, recording the changes of Xiaogang Village, the glory and dreams of Xiaogang people.

Family portrait of Yan Jinchang

When it comes to the scene of General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit nine years ago and the changes in the village over the years, the old man speaks quickly, his gray hair and bright eyes create a portrait with a strong sense of the times in his passionate words.

This is a sunny afternoon in 2025. Under the blue sky, the crimson archway of "Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County" at the village head, the straight and open Friendship Avenue, and the Huizhou style residences with white walls and gray tiles on both sides, along with the newly renovated Da Bao Gan Memorial Hall and the "old farmhouse" filled with memories of the times, seem to have all become storytellers.

Not far from the village head is the farmhouse restaurant "Jinchang Restaurant" run by Yan Jinchang's family. Just as he bid farewell to the last group of guests at noon, Yan Jinchang habitually sat in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette, drinking a cup of tea, and enjoying a moment of leisure time.

On the wall of the courtyard, the large photo of General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit is particularly eye-catching, bringing time back to the equally warm spring afternoon of April 25, 2016.

"I never dreamed that I met the General Secretary at my home." As soon as the gate of memory was opened, the old man Yan Jinchang's mood began to surge. "This is the most unforgettable moment for our family. The General Secretary is concerned about our Xiaogang Village. We still have to continue to explore new ways of rural reform and keep up with the big step of Chinese path to modernization."

dare to be the first

Xiaogang Village, located in Fengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, is the main birthplace of rural reform in China.

In 1979, the Xiaogang production team led by Yan Lihua and Yan Lifu's thatched cottage

In the winter of 1978, 18 farmers signed a life and death pledge in the form of "taking care of themselves" and pressed their red handprints on the large contract, marking the beginning of China's rural reform.

What was done at the cost of one's own life and fortune back then became a thunderbolt of China's reform and a symbol of China's reform, "General Secretary Xi Jinping gave high praise during his inspection in Xiaogang Village.

Yan Jinchang is one of these 18 farmers. Pressing the red handprint is the most important and correct decision I have ever made in my life, "the old man's words were resounding and powerful.

At that time, Xiaogang Village was a well-known "three dependent village" - relying on supply for food, relief for expenses, and loans for production. The 'big pot rice' has seriously dampened the production enthusiasm of farmers.

In 1978, Anhui experienced a once-in-a-century rare severe drought, and Fengyang County was affected by the natural environment, making the drought even more severe. And the spark of change was thus ignited, quietly spreading throughout the village.

On a cold night in December of that year, 18 farmers including Yan Jinchang and Guan Youde made an appointment to come to the home of villager Yan Lihua and signed a "secret agreement". That night, they divided the land, oxen, and farming tools of the production team into individual households and started a large-scale project. I never expected that we would pave a new path for billions of farmers. "Recalling that thrilling night, Yan Jinchang's eyes seemed to have a deep light.

Yan Jinchang remembers that in the autumn of 1979, the results of large-scale farming came out, and the total grain production in Xiaogang Village reached 134000 kilograms, which was five times that of the past. The per capita income in the village increased from 22 yuan to 350 yuan, and for the first time, it paid public grain to the state and repaid an 800 yuan loan.

The bold approach of Xiaogang Village, which guarantees the country, leaves enough for the collective, and the rest belongs to oneself, has spread like wildfire.

Subsequently, the Anhui Provincial Party Committee summarized its experience and reported it to the Party Central Committee, receiving full recognition from Comrade Deng Xiaoping. In 1982, the No. 1 central document of the Central Committee clearly affirmed the socialist nature of household production quotas.

The ice melts, and spring returns to the earth. From Anhui to the whole country, from rural areas to cities, China has embarked on a new era of reform and opening up.

Warm concern

General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been concerned about Xiaogang Village.

  During the 2014 National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Anhui delegation to discuss national affairs. He said with deep emotion, "I have a lot of feelings for Chuzhou." General Secretary Xi Jinping vividly remembered the research conducted that year, "I have notes and can even look them up

Two years later, General Secretary Xi Jinping arrived as scheduled, saying, 'If there is a chance, I will definitely go again!'.

Around 4pm, the car arrived at my doorstep and the General Secretary got off with a smile on his face, "Yan Jinchang remembered clearly." Our family was both surprised and delighted to greet us, and the General Secretary held my hand and greeted us warmly

In 2010, Yan Jinchang accompanied the advanced deeds report team of Shen Hao to Beijing and met General Secretary Xi Jinping. During this' home visit ', General Secretary shook hands with Yan Jinchang and his family one by one like old friends, and asked about their situation with concern as they walked.

Every household has built a house, and buying a private car is also common. Opening a farmhouse can earn over 100000 yuan in income a year, "General Secretary Xi Jinping asked carefully, and Yan Jinchang answered truthfully.

Passing through the hall and corridor, General Secretary Xi Jinping stopped in front of the refrigerator of the farmhouse and carefully examined the ingredients inside.

These are all farm dishes from our Xiaogang, "Yan Jinchang proudly introduced.

It is the reform that has given us enough to eat, and it is also the reform that has given us a good life, "Yan Jinchang loudly reported to General Secretary Xi Jinping." You have proposed the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and we, Xiaogang, also have a Xiaogang Dream

General Secretary Xi Jinping happily said, "The Xiaogang Dream is also the dream of the vast number of farmers

Reform is not limited to

Reform is the golden calling card of Xiaogang Village, and it has also been integrated into the blood of Xiaogang people, "said Li Jinzhu, a member of the Standing Committee of Fengyang County Committee.

In 2004, Shen Hao, who was appointed as the first secretary of Xiaogang Village from the Anhui Provincial Department of Finance, brought the "three-step" reform and development strategy - introducing industry, developing modern agriculture, and tourism.

Shen Hao proposed that villagers transfer their land to large-scale farmers for cultivation, and the surplus labor force can be used to develop various businesses. 63 year old Yan Jinchang was the first to respond and set up a farmhouse called "Jinchang Restaurant" in his own courtyard.

At that time, there were only four tables. "But Yan Jinchang firmly believed that" following the policy will definitely not be wrong! "Nowadays, not only has Yan Jinchang's business grown, but the rural tourism in Xiaogang Village has also been upgraded.

Looking far into the distance, the "Xiaogang Village Inn" under the clear sky, together with the nearby fields, farmhouses, and factories, creates a new rural landscape that interweaves tradition and modernity.

'Xiaogang Village Residence' is a key demonstration project for national homestead reform, "explained Li Jinzhu, highlighting the" reform value ". The project is constructed and operated through the unified collection and storage of village collectives, the revitalization and utilization of idle homesteads and farmhouses, and is an important part of the tourism industry chain in Xiaogang Village.

The reform of Xiaogang Village is also interrelated. In 2012, Xiaogang Village was the first in the province to carry out the registration of rural land contract management rights. In July 2015, the first certificate of land contract management rights in Anhui Province was issued in Xiaogang Village. After launching the pilot program of mortgage loans for land management rights, the "red capital" has once again become a "living asset" that can be mortgaged for loans.

Xiaogang Village has established a collective asset stock cooperative to empower and strengthen the collective economy. Li Jinzhu deeply felt the dividends brought by the reform. Xiaogang Village took advantage of the situation and deepened the "three changes" reform of transforming resources into assets, farmers into shareholders, and funds into stocks.

In February 2018, the village collective distributed dividends for the first time. For seven consecutive years, the annual per capita income increased from 350 yuan to 700 yuan, and the "red envelopes" received by villagers became increasingly generous.

Chasing Dreams Home

In recent years, Xiaogang Village has seen a rise in industry and popularity, with red tourism and rural tourism becoming increasingly popular. Yan Jinchang's children have gradually returned to the village to start their own businesses.

Three generations of flower drum artists sing Fengyang flower drum together

Yan Deshuang, the fourth son, followed his father's advice and returned to his hometown with his wife to take over the business of rural tourism. Now, "Jinchang Restaurant" has expanded to 30 tables. The eldest Yan Dewen's' Xiaogang Village Local Restaurant 'is right next door, the second Yan Dewu runs a supermarket, the third Yan Debiao runs a bathhouse, the eldest daughter Yan Defeng goes to' Jinchang Restaurant 'to help and get her salary when she has free time, and the youngest son Yan Dequan also starts a farmhouse. Yan Jinchang counted the good days of his children with his fingers.

Yan Jinchang was one of the top cultural figures in the village when he was young, firmly believing that "only with culture can we keep up with the situation and see the right path". Since the 1990s, 13 grandchildren have been born one after another, and he demanded that his children who work outside must support them to finish college.

In 2015, Changsun Yanlian returned to Xiaogang Village after graduating from university and started as a tour bus driver. He is now a middle-level employee in the village tourism company. My granddaughter Yan Mei, who studied broadcasting and hosting in college, is outgoing and has strong communication skills. She returned to the village to work as a guide.

Xiaogang Village is becoming increasingly attractive to the younger generation. Yin Yurong, a second-generation worker, returned to his hometown in 2012 to start a business and invested in pig farming. In 2018, led the establishment of a land stock cooperative, which led 43 households to invest in land management rights. In 2021, the highest annual income of the invested family reached 200000 yuan. Yin Yurong was also elected as the chairman of Xiaogang Village Women's Federation and became a representative of Chuzhou City People's Congress and Anhui Province Women's 14th National Congress.

From the "second generation of employees" to the "third generation of employees", from local villagers to foreign investors, talents and rural areas are traveling in both directions. Smart agriculture, quality homestays, live streaming e-commerce, healthy food... The primary, secondary, and tertiary industries are mutually empowered, and agriculture, culture, and tourism are deeply integrated. Fresh tracks are quietly emerging in the hands of the new generation of entrepreneurs, triggering a series of twists and turns.

From time to time, people ask Yan Jinchang if his "Xiaogang Dream" has been realized, but he keeps smiling without answering. The daring and adventurous people from Xiaogang will always be the dream chasers on the road of reform, "said the old man who had gone through storms." I still have to work hard with my children and grandchildren, old man

Journalist's note

Live up to the name of reform

I have a deep feeling during the interview in Xiaogang Village: regardless of age, Xiaogang people have a strong sense of "identity consciousness" - Xiaogang Village is a pioneer in rural reform and cannot let down this reputation.

47 years ago, 18 pioneering people from Xiaogang pressed their handprints and started a large-scale campaign, like a spring thunderbolt, opening the curtain on China's rural reform. From then on, the genes of reform were infused into the blood of the people of Xiaogang Village.

Nine years ago, when General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Xiaogang Village for inspection, he made it clear from the beginning: "Today, we are here to review the reform, which means we must adhere to the Party's basic line without wavering, continue the reform and opening up without stopping, and continue to write a new chapter." At the subsequent symposium, General Secretary Xi Jinping led and directed the deepening of rural reform under the new situation, emphasizing that the main line is still to handle the relationship between farmers and land well, and made important instructions such as "three unwavering" and "three musts".

In recent years, the people of Xiaogang have kept in mind their instructions, been grateful, and strived forward. They have grasped the "bull's nose" of the "separation of powers" reform, correctly handled the relationship between farmers and land, found a balance point of interests for all parties, integrated industries, accelerated development, benefited the masses, and made the village more beautiful. The "reform" has created a new atmosphere of rural revitalization.

At the beginning of this year, the No. 1 central document of the Central Committee made arrangements to further deepen rural reform and promote the overall revitalization of the countryside. As a pioneer and explorer, the reform of Xiaogang Village requires not only the courage to "fingerprint", but also the wisdom to "broaden one's horizons".

Practice has proven that only through reform can there be a way out, and reform must be constantly updated. General Secretary Xi Jinping's firm words are firmly remembered by the people of Xiaogang. On the new journey, they run and pursue their dreams without stopping.

Article source: China Women's Daily