Strong leadership supercharges rural vitalization in Shandong's district

Wang Lei, Party secretary of Dulu village uses his business and management skills to boost the sapling business, helping villagers achieve greater wealth. [Photo provided by Fang Jingya/for chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Laiwu district has been exploring new models of grassroots Party building, relying on the wisdom of rural leaders to promote rural vitalization.

In Beiwangzhuang village of Gaozhuang sub-district, the villagers regard Gu Guoming as the man who has brought prosperity to the village. Under Gu's leadership, the village collective income has increased by over 1.5 million yuan ($206,731.84), transforming the once impoverished village.

In Dulu village, Dawangzhuang town, Laiwu district, Party secretary Wang Lei has used his business and management skills to boost the sapling business, helping villagers achieve greater wealth.

Laiwu district has been bolstering effort to attract and retain talented individuals with a clear vision and strong management skills, encouraging them to contribute to their hometown's development.

In the latest round of elections, 116 talents were brought back to serve as secretaries of Party organizations in the villages, with the proportion of highly educated individuals rising to 70.5 percent.

Laiwu district issued implementation opinions on establishing a village-level development advisor system in 2020, pioneering an effective path where development advisors support rural vitalization. To date, the district has appointed 1,331 village-level development advisors.

To fully tap into young talent and boost rural vitalization, the district has also created a service platform, establishing 14 alliances to harness the intelligence and energy of young people for rural vitalization work. The alliances were organized by sub-districts and towns.

One such alliance in Niuquan town took the lead in forming cooperatives to grow non-GMO crops like soybeans and sweet potatoes and helping villagers sell large quantities of grapes and millet, increasing the village collective income by more than 100,000 yuan.

In addition, the alliance has promoted the construction of a rural vitalization incubation center in Laiwu district, hosting multiple forums and contributing to rural vitalization. (Edited by Yang Yi)