From May 5-8, 2014, the East-West Cooperation Meeting of the China Zhigong Party was held at Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Yan Xiaopei, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Vice Chairman of the China Zhigong Party’s Central Committee, attended and addressed the meeting.

Vice President Zhang Hui of the Open University of China (OUC) was invited to the meeting and introduced the history of the construction and operation of the OUC. During the meeting, the OUC also donated books to the primary school in Jintang Village, Kanxu Township, Daxin County, Chongzuo City. It also opened the OUC’s “Hand in Hand” electronic periodical reading room for rural adolescents.

Relevant personnel from the China Zhigong Party’s Central Committee, as well as its provincial, municipal and grassroots level organizations, also attended the meeting. Li Wantong, Director of the Department of Social Services, under the China Zhigong Party’s Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

Since 2010, 155 “Rural RTVU Bookstores” have been established at 155 rural middle and primary schools in 28 provinces and municipalities. The bookstores have attracted visits from more than three million open university teachers and students, as well as rural adolescents and villagers. The multitude of visitors has enthusiastically participated in the reading activity. Since the end of 2013, the OUC has been cooperating with the Taofen Foundation in donating books to 14 grassroots level libraries and “Rural RTVU Bookstores” under the Hunan, Chengdu and Hebei Branches. This has enhanced the support capacity of reading services for libraries and bookstores in a number of local RTVUs.  

Research in Xinhe Overseas Chinese Farm 

By Wang Zhaoguang, the OUC