Sichuan Yingshan: Targeted Assistance to Promote Comprehensive Rural Revitalization

In 2023, after Yingshan County in Sichuan Province was identified as one of the 39 less developed counties in the province, the county established a county-level work promotion mechanism for bottom-line assistance. It leveraged various support forces, including contact assistance, targeted assistance, pairing assistance, and the "three-level joint assistance" of state-owned enterprises, to accelerate the removal of the "label" of being a less developed county.

The following year, led by the Provincial Party Committee's Social Work Department and in collaboration with Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College, Industrial Bank Chengdu Branch, and Sichuan Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection General Station, targeted assistance was provided to Longyue Village in Laolin Town, Sanguan Village in Dongsheng Town, Longba Village in Hui Long Town, and Lu Jing Village in Lu Jing Town of Yingshan County. Through targeted assistance, efforts were made to help villages address their weaknesses, continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and vigorously promote comprehensive rural revitalization.

Linking Farmers to the Village Collective Economy Achieves a Breakthrough from Zero

Recently, the author visited the morel mushroom demonstration base in Laolin Town and saw that in over 20 planting greenhouses, morels, resembling small umbrellas that had not yet opened, densely covered the entire ridge. Villagers were carefully harvesting the morels, which, after being selected and weighed, filled baskets of various sizes and were neatly arranged on the industrial roads within the base.

"The large size and good appearance mean they can be sold at a good price," said Zhu Shaobo, the deputy secretary of the Party branch of Longyue Village in Laolin Town. He mentioned that last year's morel harvest was bountiful, with sales reaching nearly 100,000 yuan.

"This is the new industry that Secretary Xiao brought to our village, filling the gap in the village collective economy," said Zhu Shaobo.

The "Secretary Xiao" referred to by Zhu Shaobo is Xiao Jian, a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, who had worked at the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and was sent to Longyue Village in Laolin Town last year to serve as the first secretary stationed in the village.

Shortly after taking office, Zhu Shaobo expressed to Xiao Jian the idea of the village collective economic organization wanting to plant morels, but the lack of technical and financial support had prevented the project from being realized.

"Don't worry, take it slow," Xiao Jian, who was well-versed in rural work, had a clear plan in mind: venturing into a new industry should not be rushed, as failure could lead to significant losses. While he calmed Zhu Shaobo's eager mood, he invited experts from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences to conduct a site inspection. After repeated deliberations, the experts concluded that the village's altitude, temperature, and humidity were suitable for morel cultivation. This conclusion reassured Xiao Jian.

With the concerted efforts of the villagers and officials, the base construction progressed rapidly. In September of last year, the morel mushroom demonstration base in Laolin Town, covering more than 10 acres, was completed; in October, Xiao Jian coordinated with the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Provincial Edible Fungi Research Institute to obtain morel mushroom spores worth 25,000 yuan for planting in the base.

"We have formulated a 'three ones' morel mushroom industry development plan," said Xiao Jian. This includes connecting one planting expert from the Provincial Edible Fungi Research Institute to the village for hands-on technical guidance; hiring one local morel mushroom planting technician from Yingshan County for on-site management; and cultivating one local morel mushroom planting technician within the village. Zhu Shaobo, who has some planting experience, is being groomed by the village to become a "local expert" in morel mushroom cultivation.

"We adopt a '721' profit distribution model, with 70% of the profits going to the village collective, 20% to the cooperative managing the base, and the remaining 10% distributed among the villagers who lease their land to the base," said Xiao Jian. In addition to the annual land lease payment of 400 yuan per mu to the farmers, this model ensures that the villagers also benefit from the success of the morel mushroom industry.

"The mechanism for linking farmers to the industry has greatly boosted the villagers' confidence in developing the industry, and the village collective economy has achieved a breakthrough from zero. Moving forward, we will strengthen the leading role of Party building, adhere to a gradual and steady strategy, accelerate the cultivation of morel mushroom planting technicians, and turn Longyue Village into a hub for nurturing morel mushroom cultivation experts in Laolin Town," said Xiao Jian confidently.

Cultural Immersion Enriches Villagers' Lives

On April 5, the library branch of Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College in Sanguan Village was bustling with villagers who sat together quietly reading a variety of books or engaging in soft-spoken discussions.

"Every weekend, the library is particularly crowded. Books on current affairs, farming techniques, and child-rearing tips are the most popular," said Luo Tao, the first secretary stationed in the village by Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College. Since the college established the library branch in Sanguan Village in October of last year, villagers have been coming here not only to look up information but also to enhance their learning, exchange ideas, and build relationships.

The village's Party branch secretary, Luo Jianquan, introduced that last year, Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College carried out targeted assistance work in the village and organized multiple cultural activities, such as artistic performances, fun sports meets, and farmers' harvest festivals.

"These activities are very meaningful and bring a different cultural atmosphere," said villager Li Aiguo. He mentioned that in the past, there were few opportunities to see such performances, let alone participate in them, and he hopes that more similar activities will be held to enrich everyone's cultural life.

Culture is the forerunner of rural revitalization. Luo Tao said that in the past six months, Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College has invested over 120,000 yuan to strengthen the cultural infrastructure in Sanguan Village, standardize the construction of a new-era civilization practice station, renovate the Party-mass service center, and establish a joint demonstration point for intellectuals outside the Party from the college to assist rural revitalization.

At the end of last year, Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College and Sanguan Village jointly conducted a star-rated civilized household selection and a commendation activity for civilized rural families. A number of individuals, including garden management experts, virtuous and filial daughters-in-law, were praised.

"We aim to set examples and create a demonstration effect to truly improve the level of rural governance," said Luo Tao. He added that the college will continue to provide intellectual and talent support, help cultivate more talents in cultural tourism for Sanguan Village, and further enhance the influence of the cultural tourism brand with the help of the "double practical" base in neighboring villages.

"Carrying out assistance work improves the appearance of the village and changes the mental outlook of the villagers, making their lives more flavorful," said Luo Tao.

Serving the People and Delivering Practical Benefits to the Hearts of the People

The village road in Lu Jing Village, Lu Jing Town, was built along the mountain, with steep and winding paths. In August of last year, the road between groups 8 and 9 in the village suffered multiple landslides, posing serious traffic safety hazards.

After learning about the situation, Wang Haibin, a member of the village work team, quickly reported it to the Sichuan Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection General Station. The station immediately coordinated funds to launch projects for roadbed consolidation, concrete slope casting, and wave barrier installation. Before the Spring Festival of 2025, the road hazard elimination and reinforcement project was fully completed, turning the "anxiety road" into a "reliable road."

"The danger is gone, the road is smooth, and travel is more convenient. They have really solved a big problem for us," said villager Zhao Fengwu.

Lao Gong, who had just turned 60, was Wang Haibin's paired assistance target. Lao Gong lost some of his labor capacity in his thirties and could not do heavy work, nor did he have a way to do light work.

"I'll find you a job cleaning the village roads. The work is light, and you can earn some money to improve your life," Wang Haibin persuaded Lao Gong during a home visit.

"Light work and still earn money?" Lao Gong was skeptical but took the job half-heartedly, only to find that the wages were paid on time. Since then, Lao Gong has been very motivated, and the section of the road he is responsible for is always clean and free of any trash.

Subsequently, Wang Haibin also paid out of his own pocket to build a sheep pen and chicken coop for Lao Gong. "Currently, I have four goats and ten chickens, and I plan to raise another thirty chickens," said Lao Gong.

Inspired by Wang Haibin, more than 20 households in the village have expanded their poultry breeding scale. "We repurchase all these genuine agricultural products from our unit," said Wang Haibin. During the Spring Festival of 2025, the Sichuan Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection General Station repurchased agricultural products worth more than 30,000 yuan from Lu Jing Village.

Huang Wenqi, a village work team member stationed in Longba Village, Hui Long Town, by Industrial Bank Chengdu Branch, focuses on the villagers' "urgent, difficult, and worrying" issues and delivers practical benefits straight to the hearts of the people.

Tang Subi, a villager in Group 2 of the village, is over 60 years old. In the past, her family relied on carrying water, which became increasingly difficult as she aged. Upon learning about this, Huang Wenqi took the initiative to contact a well-drilling team to dig a well for her family, installed a water pump, and connected the water pipes. Seeing the gurgling clear water flowing into the water tank, Tang Subi was overjoyed. "I no longer have to worry about drinking water and truly thank them from the bottom of my heart."

Under Huang Wenqi's coordination, last year, Industrial Bank Chengdu Branch also built new toilets for some villagers and distributed nearly 2,000 chicks to poverty-stricken households. "Next, we will also carry out employment recommendations and breeding technology training activities," said Huang Wenqi.

Since the targeted assistance work began last year, the Provincial Party Committee's Social Work Department has secured funds for Longyue Village to widen the village entrance road from 2.5 meters to 4.5 meters and upgrade some village roads to asphalt surfaces. They have also held multiple cultural care service activities and established a targeted charity fund through the "Three Areas Plan," with the fund now reaching a scale of 90,000 yuan. The Sichuan Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection General Station has installed more than 60 solar streetlights in Lu Jing Village. Nanchong Culture and Tourism Vocational College has organized activities to do practical things for the people, distributing scholarships to students from Sanguan Village who were admitted to undergraduate and graduate programs last year...

"In just over half a year, each targeted assistance unit has dispatched elite forces with a strong sense of responsibility to carry out targeted assistance work. The first secretaries and work team members stationed in the villages have made the villages their homes, forged deep bonds with the villagers, left many touching stories, and contributed their youthful energy to the comprehensive revitalization of Yingshan's countryside," said Xi Wenli, the member of the Standing Committee of the Yingshan County Committee and the head of the Organization Department. (By Si Weizheng and Guo Ming)