Village head endeavors to turn farmers' dreams into reality

Li Liancheng, a 73-year-old deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) and Party chief of Xixinzhuang village in Puyang county in Central China's Henan province, shows a humble yet determined spirit when talking about his quest for rural development. Behind this is his deep-rooted passion for his community.

For over 30 years, Li has been a dedicated village head, leading Xixinzhuang out of poverty and into a reality where the lives of its residents mirror those of urban dwellers.

The past two decades when he serves as an NPC deputy have seen him champion rural vitalization, offering valuable insights and recommendations for the betterment of rural areas.

In 2019, when he attended the annual session of the NPC, Li brought the dreams of farmers to the spotlight, presenting them to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

"In the early days of reform and opening-up, the dream of farmers was to have enough food and clothing. Forty years later, farmers have developed a second dream, which is to provide their children with access to good education. Their third dream is to have access to quality medical care and the fourth dream is to see their village urbanized and they can find employment in the neighborhood. For their fifth and sixth dreams, farmers expect to have high-quality public cultural services and have a clean and tidy living environment in the village. They also aspired to escape poverty and achieve prosperity, and want to see national territorial sovereignty well safeguarded," Li told Xi at a meeting during the session.