Jilin promotes Party theory and alleviates poverty
Training centers at all levels have been established in Northeast China’s Jilin province since November to promote the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
One major focus of these centers is to help local residents learn more about the Party’s theories, government policies, laws and regulations, technology and culture — all of which have been impacted by President Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Centers in rural areas will also focus on poverty alleviation. In Balang village in Qianguo county, for example, a training center was set up to teach villagers about growing melons, which should provide wages that lift them from poverty.
Zhang Wei, a teacher at the center and head of a local station for popularizing agricultural techniques, said he has a WeChat group consisting of more than 90 members. “We use it to forward technological knowledge and share information,” Zhang said.
“But most of the time, I offer training for villagers on farmland to guarantee the effectiveness of their agricultural work,” he added.
Li Jinghe, who is from a poor household, rented two greenhouses earlier this year with the help of the center to grow melons. With new technologies he learned at the center, his organic melons are ready to go on the market after two weeks.
“I like the on-site form of training,” he said. “Teachers use plain language to talk about how to grow melons, from seed selection to grafting, management and fertilization, which is more understandable for us. I now have much confidence to grow melons and shake off poverty as well.”
Another new-era training center in Qianguo county was established in the Naheya residential community to focus on carrying forward the area’s ethnic cultural heritage.
A 13-year-old girl at the center said she has been studying to play the matouqin, a horse-headed musical instrument from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, for almost a year. “As a member of the Mongolian ethnic group, I like the fiddle so much, for it is a symbol of holiness and purity to us,” she said.
Her mother, Hu Xiaoliang, also studies at the center, learning to make the same instrument.
“We have enjoyed the charm of traditional culture and also learned a lot about the Party’s policies and principles. All the activities provided at the center are free and we have spent some really good time with each other,” Hu said.
The Naheya training center each month provides fixed classes for paper-cutting,
four-stringed fiddle, dancing, music, calligraphy and history. They have so far attracted more than 5,000 local residents.
The center also conducts various activities such as lectures and free medical consultations to promote the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress.
“In the future, we will innovate more activities focusing on the demands of people’s lives to improve their spiritual and cultural life,” said Wang Yanmei, Party secretary of Naheya residential community branch.
In addition to actual buildings, Jilin boasts 12 movable training centers in the provincial capital of Changchun.
The city’s public transport group set up these training centers on 12 buses, which are decorated with related posters. Ma Jianhua is one of the bus drivers and also serves as a grassroots policy interpreter.
“We usually share with passengers our experience and understanding about firefighting, emergency evacuation, traffic law, environmental protection and paper saving,” Ma said.
“We also collect opinions from passengers (on how) to improve our speeches,” he added. These movable training centers, which so far have had 20 different themes, are winning thumbs-ups from many passengers.
Ai Tieyu, a frequent passenger, said listening to the stories of model workers on the bus was a rewarding experience, spreading positive energy and promoting the Party’s theories and policies to the public.