"My Farewell to Poverty": Our life will be better under the Party’s leadership

Talking about our Xiaogang village, everybody knows it is the origin of the all-round contract system.

At the moment when villagers pressed their fingerprints on the agreement for conducting this pioneering system, everyone was unconvinced: why the food is not enough although we have worked so hard with all available farmlands, oxen, and farm tools?

After adopting the all-round contract system, were able to produce grains enough for five years with one year’s work. I felt so satisfied at that time.

Things were getting better every day thanks to the policies of the Communist Party of China.

The first agritainment "Jinchang Shifu" in Xiaogang village was opened by my fourth son and me in 2008. When President Xi Jinping inspected the village in 2016, the turnover had reached 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. After that, there have been more visitors to the village and the annual income could be more than 200,000.

"Agritainment is to make the farmers happy," as Xi said, has finally come true.

Village cadres are made a good point in saying that larger scale of agriculture could bring more benefits. In 2017, I sold 7 mu of land for ¥ 800 per mu, which turned me into an investor from a farmer. At the end of the year, every person in the village received ¥ 350 in dividend. By this year, the dividend has risen to ¥ 600.

Today, the villagers have no difficulties with food and clothing, and people have their own nice buildings and cars, which used to be unimaginable.

A better life can better grasp people's hearts. I have four children, all of whom worked away from home some years ago. In recent years, everyone has come back home. It is good to see everyone live together. This village's development in the future depends on the youngsters.

My two grandchildren who graduated from college are also back. The guide that you saw in the memorial hall of the all-round contract system is my granddaughter, Yan Mei. Before July 1, she went to a speech competition and asked me what to speak about. I told her to just narrate the development of our Xiaogang village in recent years.

In fact, I always tell tourists about the all-round contract system, agritainment and the changes of the village. The more I narrate, the more I feel in my heart: our village is connected to Zhongnanhai, and our life will be better under the Party’s leadership.

The article is contributed by Chang He, translated by Fei Jinglun.

Find the original piece at https://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2021-07/09/nw.D110000gmrb_20210709_7-01.htm