Rural history

Editor's note: Sixty years is a history of rural development, which is also a history of the development of China.

From Dazhai to Xiaogang, from Nanjie Village to Huaxi Village, from Wusha Village to Sanyuanli ... These representatives of China villages, with their distinctive characteristics of the times and development model, have made the most vivid annotations for the transformation of rural destiny in China.

these villages, either because of major events or important people, have changed from a simple geographical term to have their own unique meaning and become the symbol of the changes of the times.

At one time, Dazhai was a model of agricultural development in China. Xiaogang is Depth Charge, where the household production quota is fixed; Nanjie village intends to move towards "Datong world"; Daqiuzhuang was very popular because of "taking steel as the key link"; Huaxi Village is more legendary with different "versions"; The little-known Wusha Village and Sanyuanli, like many villages, are still looking for their own development direction.

different roads have different endings. Huaxi village in Jiangsu province, the annual output value in 28 is said to be as high as 45 billion yuan; Xiaogang village is also seeking transformation; Daqiuzhuang denied the original development model; The entry of foreign companies has turned Wusha Village into a phoenix overnight. As for Sanyuanli, the development of cities and industrialization has really benefited farmers ...

On the eve of the 6th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the reporter of China Social Sciences specially went back to the village to take you back to the historical scene and look for the memory of that period together.

Dazhai: a miracle of one in seven thousand

In the 196s, the whole country launched a vigorous campaign of "learning Dazhai in agriculture". Over the past 4 years, industrialization has become a new trend of Dazhai's development. At present, less than 1% of the people in this village are engaged in agriculture.

"Dazhai sweater, warm your heart"; "Eat Dazhai vinegar and take the road of health". Standing at the entrance of Dazhai Village and looking around, you can see, in addition to these eye-catching slogans, advertisements such as Dazhai brand cement, Dazhai wine, Dazhai brand shirt, Dazhai brand aluminum plastic pipe, Dazhai brand walnut dew, etc., which are in harmony with the bright red word "Dazhai" and the big slogan "Self-reliance, Strive for Strength" at the entrance of the village.

Twenty years ago, it was hard for people to imagine that a small mountain village with more than 2 families and more than 5 people and a total area of only 1.88 square kilometers would leave an indelible mark in the history of China. Today, it is still mentioned by people.

Dazhai Village, Xiyang County, Shanxi Province, located in the hinterland of Taihang Mountain, before liberation, into the badlands, with seven ditches and eight beams on one side, had a hard life. After liberation, the Dazhai collective, led by Chen Yonggui and Guo Fenglian, was determined to change its backward appearance, fight against the heavens and the earth, and manage mountains and waters. Layers of terraced fields were opened on the slope of Qigou and Baliang, and the situation of relying on the weather to eat was changed through hard work and water irrigation. In 1964, under the call of Chairman Mao, the whole country set off the climax of "Dazhai in agriculture", and Dazhai has since become a banner of agriculture.

in the early 198s, there was a nationwide upsurge of household production quotas, and Dazhai took its own collective road. Today, looking at 7, well-developed villages in China, collective farming is basically practiced, and Dazhai is one of them, which has become one-seventh of the ordinary roads and has always been full of unique vitality.

Today, when we shift our focus to Dazhai again, many villages, including Xiaogang Village, are no longer concerned about Dazhai's agricultural business model, but its "non-agricultural" industries.

relying on famous places and celebrities to build the Dazhai brand can be said to be the smartest and most successful place for Dazhai people. Today's Dazhai has more than 3 well-known brands with the word "Dazhai". The intangible assets of this brand have brought great wealth to the villagers. Visitors to Dazhai are required to drink "Dazhai" wine, drink "Dazhai" walnut dew, and eat "Dazhai" cakes and steamed buns. While making great efforts to build the "Dazhai" economic brand, the great spiritual value condensed by the "Dazhai" brand has also begun to be paid attention to and understood by more and more people. Guo Fenglian, the head of Dazhai, proudly said: "We use brands to unite and use resources to produce products, which not only publicizes Dazhai itself, but also gives warmth to the people and improves economic benefits."

Dazhai, which seized the opportunity, has now developed into a mature agricultural tourist area. Layers of terraced fields are lush and green, and the pools are sparkling and beautiful, and the orchards are fruitful everywhere. At present, less than 1% people are engaged in agriculture, and more are workers in enterprises. After all, many tourist companies, woolen mills and knitting mills all need workers. Although the commune distribution system is still implemented, family management is not excluded. As long as you socialize 1 yuan money with the public every year, you can enjoy the welfare of the commune. Medical care is free, education is free, and pensions are paid as usual.

"If agriculture is the foundation of building a village in Dazhai, then reform and opening up is the road to strengthening the village in Dazhai, and hard work is the entrepreneurial soul of Dazhai." This is a phrase that Guo Fenglian often likes to say. After 3 years of reform and opening up, in the wave of market economy, Dazhai has already hidden its mysterious aura and returned to the original nature of the mountain village. On the road to a well-off society, it has marched steadily and steadily.

Nanjie Village: How far can the road of "Datong" go

It was once called "Red Billion Village" by the media, and was once famous for its concept of "* * * small capitalist society".

June is the wheat harvest season in rural areas of Henan province.

The introduction of modern agricultural machinery has greatly shortened farmers' busy wheat time. In the wheat fields around Nanjie Village, from a distance, only large tracts of neat wheat stubble are left after harvester operation. The villagers who are busy drying wheat on the roadside said happily, "There is a good harvest of wheat this year." A few days ago, Wang Hongbin, their "monitor", stood in the field with his leading group in the midday sun and directed them to harvest wheat.

Nanjie Village's economic development model and its financing methods in the process of economic development have always been controversial. Since Nanjie Village's equity reform was exposed by the media, Wang Hongbin seems reluctant to be interviewed by the media.

In p>1986, rural areas all over the country carried out the household contract responsibility system of "household production quotas" one after another, but Nanjie Village, led by Wang Hongbin, embarked on the road of collectivization again. In November 24, after the 25th shareholders' meeting of Nanjiecun Group, Nanjiecun Group, which was originally composed of five collective shareholders, changed its shareholding structure. This equity reform has completely destroyed the image of Nanjie Village as a "new socialist countryside" and a "red village with 1 million yuan". For a time, "the model village of * * * has been demutualized", "the leader has privately divided the collective equity" and "Nanjiecun Group is going bankrupt" ... all kinds of questioning voices are endless. Wang Hongbin, the helm and head of Nanjiecun Group, was once again pushed to the forefront of public opinion as a practitioner of collectivization.

Some people assert that Nanjie Village, a utopian ideal that has been adhered to for nearly 3 years, is coming to an end.

After five years, the voice of criticism and regret gradually faded out. On this 1.78 square kilometer land, behind the controversy of praise or disapproval, Nanjie Village still adheres to the spirit that "Mao Zedong Thought and collectivization economy are the magic weapon to get rich".

No matter how sharp the external criticism is, Wang Hongbin does not think that the reform of Nanjiecun Group is a betrayal of the collectivized economy. In his view, the equity restructuring of Nanjiecun Group is only to better meet the needs of the development of the collective economy. "It is completely a form, in order to gather enough shareholders", and there is no change in essence. What proves that the nature of the collective economy has not changed after the share reform is that Wang Hongbin and other shareholders still receive the unified welfare in the village, holding 25 yuan's salary every month and never receiving any dividends. Regarding the doubts from the outside world, he attributed the equity reform of Nanjie Village in 24 to his "insufficient study of relevant legal documents".

Just when public opinion is spreading and Nanjie Village's ideal of taking the road of "great harmony" will be dashed, the reporter saw in Nanjie Village that the villagers did not seem to be greatly affected. The villagers here still live in a unified village building, enjoy many welfare benefits such as reading and medical treatment for free, and get paid every month. The song of Dongfanghong is still so loud every morning, and the workers in the factory are still very busy.

A villager told the reporter that after 24, Nanjie Village still insisted on the old road of collectivization, and the "squad leader" still received the same salary in 25 yuan every month, and the villagers almost enjoyed the unified welfare. If there is a change, it is "two more tourist attractions than before".

Some people say that the development model of Nanjie Village is a mistake from beginning to end, but in any case, Nanjie Village is still on the road of "great harmony". As for the future prospects, it is up to history to witness.

Xiaogang Village: Wandering in the era of collective and individual

The birthplace of rural reform in China, at the end of 1978, it took the lead in implementing the "all-in-one contract" in the whole country, which was the first sound of the household contract responsibility system. In the 21st century, Xiaogang Village began to take the road of "collective agriculture" again.

China's reform started from the countryside, and the rural reform started from Xiaogang Village's "dividing fields and going it alone". Xiaogang Village, as the pioneer of reform, has attracted the attention of all parties. The imaginary Xiaogang Village is Fengyang Huagu, a pioneer of reform and Zhu Yuanzhang ... People who have never been to Xiaogang Village always attach various labels to Xiaogang Village in a preconceived manner.

along the Beijing-Shanghai line, through Bengbu, Anhui, all the way to the east, the car drove for more than three hours. At noon, after driving into the landmark building, it finally entered the hinterland of Xiaogang. Walking in Xiaogang Village, there are two "sculptures" that are particularly eye-catching. One is the newly expanded Daban Memorial Hall, and the other is the stone-carved version of Deng Xiaoping's quotations on the villagers' cultural square. These two "sculptures" facing each other silently tell the glory of the pioneers of reform. The grape vines, mushroom greenhouses and cornfields at the head of the village seem to constantly show that it is still an ordinary China village.

in p>1978, in order to make a living, 18 people in Xiaogang village pressed their bright red handprints on the "life and death form", which opened the prelude to rural development in China. The "big contract" made Xiaogang village famous and quickly solved the problem of food and clothing. We can't overestimate the historical contribution of "big contract". "Without fixed production quotas, farmers can't solve the problem of food and clothing, and the country will have no subsequent development!" Yan Junchang, the leader of Xiaogang's "all-in-one contract", said this sentence countless times and once again solemnly told the reporter. When speaking, Yan Junchang held his hands high, as if he wanted to touch history and today at the same time.

After p>3 years, the "life and death" signed by these 18 villagers is still vivid, but the credit book is covered with dust. After solving the problem of food and clothing, Xiaogang Village, which won the first place in reform, lost the opportunity of reform and failed to achieve leap-forward development. "Get up the earliest and walk the slowest" has become the most commented comment in Xiaogang Village after the rural reform.

In p>24, Shen Hao, a cadre of Anhui Provincial Department of Finance, moved to Xiaogang and became the leader of the village. The old question before Shen Hao is: What should we do after we have enough to eat and wear? "The land development model of one household has come to an end, and we urgently need a new development model." Shen Hao, Party Secretary of Xiaogang Village, said. Xiaogang village seems to be at the end of its tether again. Xiaogang village, which wandered between the collective and the individual, once lost its way.

Walking on the Qingshi Road in Xiaogang Village, I met groups who came to visit and exchange from time to time. Just when curious people tried to analyze the "characteristics" of the pioneers of reform, Xiaogang Village had already sought reform. Shen Hao and his party went south to Huaxi Village for three times to learn from the scriptures, and Xiaogang people were "moved" by the sight of a luxurious city in Huaxi Village. Shen Hao decided to "re-take the road of large-scale collective farming and setting up township enterprises". People can't imagine that Xiaogang village will "return to the team" one day after leaving the collective economy for 3 years. Locals love to say that "seeking change is the fate of Xiaogang village", and sure enough.

Xiaogang people are determined to continue their enterprising spirit, and various forms of land scale management have been included in the development plan. In 26, Yan Jinchang rented 1 mu of contracted land to a breeding company in Shanghai at the price of 5 yuan/mu for the development of breeding pig breeding base. He also accepted the company's employment and became a farm manager. According to him, at present, the rental or circulation scale of the whole village has reached more than 6 mu.

When the reporter left Xiaogang, the village was asking experts to make an overall development plan. At present, Xiaogang Village has basically formed a "three-step" strategy of "modern agriculture-tourism industry-coordinated development of industry and agriculture". Shen Hao said: "With long-term planning and long-term development mechanism, Xiaogang will maintain the continuity of development no matter who leaves his job in the future." This statement is true. Xiaogang Village is now going further and further on this road.

If you are poor, you will change your mind. Stripping off the aura of Xiaogang Village, it is actually an ordinary village. Like thousands of villages in Qian Qian, there is a piece of land and a common people. Because they have no more advantages, they are faced with the problem of how to solve the problem of how to get enough food and clothing, and seeking change is the only hope. Xiaogang Village is different. It is the epitome of ordinary rural areas in China since the contract responsibility system of joint production. Solving the outlet problem of Xiaogang Village can solve the problems of most rural areas in China. From this point of view, the way out of Xiaogang Village is of even greater significance.

Daqiuzhuang: the rural imprint of the rebellious era

The steel production was rich, and it was very popular in the 198s. Later, with the imprisonment of Yu Zuomin, the "Daqiuzhuang model" finally failed. After the restructuring, the economy of Daqiuzhuang Town is gradually recovering.

When the car passed by Tuanbowa Reservoir, there was a breeze that caused some ripples on the lake, which made people think of the poet Guo Xiaochuan's poem: Autumn wind is like a flexible comb, combing the quiet Tuanbowa. In those days, this song "Autumn in Tuanbowa" made people remember the beautiful Tuanbowa. However, since the emergence of Daqiuzhuang in the late 197s, Tuanbowa has been reduced to its footnote-it will only be mentioned incidentally when Daqiuzhuang is mentioned.

At the intersection of Billion, trucks loaded with steel pipes are connected end to end, waiting to pass through the intersection. Today's Daqiuzhuang Town is already the "hometown of welded pipes" in China. No one seems to care too much about this title. The reputation of "the best village in the world" once spread far and wide, and it is difficult for the latecomers of Daqiuzhuang to surpass it.

The New York Times reported in 1992: "There are 4,4 people in this village, but there are 16 Mercedes-Benz cars and more than 1 imported luxury cars. In 199, the per capita income was 3,4 US dollars, 1 times the national average income. In 1992, the industrial output value was said to have reached 4 billion yuan."

the clock has been turned back for 3 years, and in the 197s, Daqiuzhuang was still "white in spring, watery in autumn, no harvest in spring and half a year's grain in chaff".

In p>1977, Yu Zuomin's "Daqiuzhuang Myth" began to be staged. This traditional farmer in China, who worships Dazhai and takes Chen Yonggui as an example, did not take the traditional road of agricultural development. From the time he earned his first bucket of gold by rolling steel to the establishment of four enterprise groups, namely Jinmei, Wanquan, Jinhai and Yaoshun, Daqiuzhuang gradually formed an industrial collective economic model with steel as the key link. When this model reached the top, some people said that the rural areas of China were about to enter the "Daqiuzhuang era".

In p>1993, Yu Zuomin was sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment for harboring, obstructing official duties, bribing, illegal detention and other crimes, and fell into prison from the "altar". Not only did the rural areas of China not enter the "Daqiuzhuang era", but even Daqiuzhuang's own era came to an abrupt end.

daqiuzhuang subsequently went through a series of reforms. Daqiuzhuang Village was changed to Daqiuzhuang Town; The four major enterprises were changed to four blocks; After property rights reform, the collective economy turned to private ownership; Fourteen welfare systems from cradle to grave have been cancelled one after another.