In order to recognise outstanding women individuals, set examples for the others, and inspire women to cultivate self-respect, confidence, independence, and self-reliance, as well as to encourage them to forge ahead on a new journey and contribute to the new era by actively participating in the modernization of China, the All-China Women's Federation recently held a commemorative event for International Women's Day (March 8th) and an Awards Ceremony in Beijing.
A total of 15 students or graduates from the Open University of China (OUC) system were awarded the “National March 8th Red-Banner Holders”. Let us listen to the inspiring stories behind them.
KUANG Suzhen, a graduate of Rural Administration at Chenzhou Campus of Hunan Branch, currently serves as the Party Secretary and Director of Long Village Committee, Meitian Town, Yizhang County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province.
After graduation, KUANG returned to Long Village, a Yao ethnic community in Meitian Town, Yizhang County, to take up her roles. What she has learned during her studies laid a solid foundation for her work in building rural community.
Due to the decline of its coal industry, Long Village was once in a predicament. KUANG was fully aware that transformation was the way forward, but the land transfer is the main challenge along the way. To address villagers’ concerns, she visited every household, and patiently explained the benefits of land transfer. After achieving the consensus, she then devoted herself into the village’s industrial development and successfully established a development model combining “Party branch + enterprise + cooperative + farmers.” In developing the industries, KUANG learned cultivation and maintenance techniques of navel orange from experts and then passed the knowledge on to her villagers. Now, the village boasts thriving industries, including a 3000-mu (approximately 990 acres) navel orange orchard and a 300-mu (approximately 49.5 acres) plum orchard, significantly boosting villagers’ incomes and transforming Long Village into a model for rural revitalisation.
KUANG also made great efforts in primary-level governance and rural environmental improvement. She innovatively introduced a management model of “grid management + three-head system + household points” and formulated “one-village-one-regulation”, transforming the village from a community with many petitioning issues into a national model for rural governance. During the rural environmental improvement, she actively reported the information about her village to relevant authorities to strive for a pilot project for the demonstration site. After the project was launched, she persuaded those villagers who didn’t understand what the project is about with patience. There was a villager who disagreed to demolish his idle house. KUANG spent several evenings making conversations with the villager, and finally persuaded him. Driven by her, the villagers actively participated in the project. Within only two months, once dirty, messy and shabby village was transformed into a harmonious and beautiful rural community, with facilities such as walking trails and vegetable gardens. Through her practical actions, KUANG fulfilled her original aspiration, leading Long Village towards a new life of prosperity, harmony and beauty through rural revitalisation.
Joined Planned by Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development
Source: Hunan Open University