Practical Significance of Up and Out of Poverty
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China’s central leading body, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core, the country’s government has considered poverty alleviation the most pressing task at hand, its top political philosophy, basic system and the development path of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People’s Republic of China. Development-oriented poverty alleviation has become the central mission for the country to complete construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. As Xi pointed out, the most difficult work in the mission must be performed in rural, poverty-stricken areas themselves, and China cannot be made whole without transforming such areas into moderately prosperous societies.
Statistics reveal that between 2013 and 2016, China saw its impoverished population drop by 10 million, during which time 55.64 million people rose from poverty-a population equivalent to a medium-sized country. Poverty dropped from 10.2 percent at the end of 2012 to 4.5 percent at the end of 2016. China’s wisdom and successful practice in targeted poverty alleviation and elimination has drawn great attention from around the world.
Up and Out of Poverty, originally published in Chinese in 1992, comprises 29 of President Xi’s speeches and articles written during his service as Party secretary of the CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee in Fujian Province, from September 1988 to May 1990, alongside 10 color photos, six of which show Xi at work.
To eradicate poverty and boost development in eastern Fujian, Xi Jinping devised innovative plans, mechanisms and methods that are documented by the book, and answered questions, both theoretical and practical, on how to accelerate economic and social development there, touching upon major topics of economic, political, cultural and social progress as well as ecological progress and Party building. Thoughtful and profound, vivid and cordial in style, the book is considered of high theoretical value.
Furthermore, it paints an engrossing picture of Xi Jinping’s hard work during his two-year tenure in Ningde, a reflection of his unyielding determination to serve the people with all his heart and help impoverished communities rise up.
Zhang Fuhai, president of China International Publishing Group, addressed the release ceremony of the English and French editions of Up and Out of Poverty on August 23, 2017, noting that not only does the book document General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ideals and faith in loving the people and serving the people, but also his strategic thought, theoretical support and practical exploration of targeted poverty alleviation and elimination.