National Business Daily:

Fujian's "Ningde Model" is a successful example of targeted poverty reduction and alleviation. However, there is still much work to be done to transition from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization. Could you share any new developments and measures regarding Fujian's endeavors toward all-around rural revitalization? Thank you.

Guo Ningning:

Thank you for your attention and concern for rural revitalization in Fujian. During the period When General Secretary Xi Jinping was working in Ningde, he led local people to fight against poverty and proposed a series of important concepts on poverty alleviation, such as "constant dropping wears away a stone ," "maintain a persistent and hard-working spirit ," "weak birds take flight early ," "implement the practices of going into communities to communicate the Party's lines and policies, carry out research and studies, address people's complaints, and conduct field work ," "increase confidence before relieving poverty," and "acquire knowledge and skills before relieving poverty." His book titled "Up and Out of Poverty " provides us with valuable ideological, spiritual wealth and practical achievements. In 2019, when replying to a letter from residents of Xiadang Township in Ningde, General Secretary Xi Jinping encouraged villagers to work continuously on a path of rural vitalization reflecting the characteristics of eastern Fujian province .

Always bearing in mind what General Secretary Xi Jinping has envisioned for the province, the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and the provincial government made unremitting efforts to promote the comprehensive revitalization in five aspects: businesses, talent, culture, ecosystems, and organizations in the countryside, and work on a path of rural vitalization with distinctive local features. Last year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Fujian reached 27,000 yuan, ranking sixth in the country. This year, we plan to consistently implement the "Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Prosperity" project. In the next five years, we will pool the capital of 2.6 billion yuan each year to build over 1,000 provincial-level demonstrative villages on rural revitalization and renovate more than 10,000 villages across the province. We will focus on the following three fields:

First, we will develop characteristic industries according to local conditions. We insist on our way to promote high-quality development on modern agriculture with local features, expand industrial chain, ascend value chain and endeavor to build an industrial system that focuses on agricultural modernization. . During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), we fully committed to constructing 30 key industrial parks for modern agriculture, 20 major industrial clusters with local advantages and characteristics, 100 towns featuring agriculture industries as well as 2,000 demonstrative villages with local specialties. At present, Fujian tea, Fujian fruits, Fujian fish, Fujian grain and Fujian mushrooms have already become famous. The reputation of "Funongyoupin", the regional public brand of green and good-quality agricultural products in Fujian, has improved continuously.

Second, we will fully advance the building of harmonious and beautiful villages. With a target of "ensuring modern standards of living in rural areas ," we will build and renovate what is needed and promote rural development in an orderly manner. At the beginning of this year, we issued a guidebook on local villages classifications and carried out a new round of classifying work in rural areas in Fujian. Next, we will formulate rural construction guideline and improve rural landscape through micro-renewal, building beautiful courtyards, beautiful micro landscape, beautiful small parks, beautiful countryside as well as beautiful leisure tourist spots, so as to make our villages comfortable for both living and travelling. 

Third, we will improve civilization standards in rural areas. We will strengthen Party organizations at village level, utilize the positive role of village regulations and folk conventions and improve the rural governance model that combines self-governance, rule of law and rule of virtue. We will fully maximize the role of resident first secretaries , technicians sent to local areas, rural revitalization instructors and rural financial assistants. More college graduates, skilled personnel, rural migrant workers and entrepreneurs will be encouraged to go back and work in villages and counties within Fujian. We will facilitate financial services in all villages and nurture a number of "new type of farmers" who have a good knowledge of agriculture, love our rural areas, and care about rural people. Nowadays, villages in Fujian are harmonious, beautiful and prosperous.