Why does China revitalize its rural areas?

中国为什么要振兴乡村？

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Everything China

Being a predominantly agrarian society for more than two thousand years, China has seen its vast rural areas play a pivotal role during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), the War of National Liberation (1945-1949) and the economic construction after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.

中国两千多年来一直是一个以农业为主的社会，在抗日战争(1931-1945年)、民族解放战争(1945-1949年)和1949年中华人民共和国成立后的经济建设中，广大农村发挥了举足轻重的作用。

Children collecting stalks in a village in North China’s Hebei Province, China , 1931.

1931年，中国北部河北省的一个村庄里，孩子们在收集秸秆。

Because of the urban-rural dual economic structure adopted in the early stage of the People’s Republic, there has been a gap of resources and wealth distribution between residents in the rural and urban areas.

由于建国初期实行城乡二元经济结构，城乡居民之间的资源和财富分配一直存在差距。

A group of rural primary school students having class in a cave classroom in a village in central China’s Henan Province, 1994.

1994年，一群农村小学生在中国中部河南省一个村庄的洞穴教室里上课。

A schoolboy reading from a book in a classroom at a primary school in a city in East China’s Jiangsu Province, 1994.

1994年，中国东部江苏省某城市的一名小学生在一所小学教室里读书。

Though China’s economic growth over the past 40 plus years has lifted over 850 million of people (most of them in the countryside) out of extreme poverty (eg: Integrating Rural Economic Development with Cultural Heritage Conservation in China）since 1978, it’s also associated with rising urban-rural inequalities in incomes, opportunities, and quality of life.

尽管自1978年改革开放以来，中国40多年的经济增长已经使超过8.5亿人(其中多数生活在农村)摆脱了极端贫困(例如：将农村经济发展与中国的文化遗产保护结合起来)，但这也造成了收入、机会和生活质量方面日益加剧的城乡不平等现象。

Per capita disposable income has grown in both urban and rural areas, but urban-rural income inequities have intensified, exceeding the ratio of 3.3 to 1 in 2009. Though the urban-rural income ratio decreased in the 2010–2017 period due to more rapid rural income growth, it still stood at 2.7 to 1.

城乡人均可支配收入均有所增长，但城乡收入的不平等也在加大，2009年已超过3.3:1。2010—2017年，虽然由于农村收入增长加快，城乡收入差距有所收窄，但仍保持在2.7:1。

The wide gap led to varied problems including negligence of rural construction, imbalance of rural population structure, decline of rural environmental quality, and destruction of ancient towns and villages with historical and cultural value, etc.

In 2013, in a speech concerning China’s rural development, President  said “even if China’s urbanization level reaches 70% in the future, there will still be 400 million to 500 million people living in rural areas.”

So rural China needs a major facelift in various fields if the country wants to achieve sustainable development and modernization with common prosperity.

这种巨大的差距导致了对乡村建设的忽视、农村人口结构的失衡、农村环境质量的下降、具有历史文化价值的古镇和村庄遭到破坏等问题。

2013年，中国 领导人 在一次关于中国农村发展的讲话中说，“即便中国未来城镇化水平达到70%，仍将有4亿至5亿中国人生活在农村地区。”

因此，如果中国想要实现可持续发展和共同富裕的现代化，就必须在各个领域对乡村地区进行重大改造。

In January 2018, the No. 1 Central Document issued by the CPC Central Committee laid out the objectives and tasks for the implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy, which covers the general requirements of thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperous life.

2018年1月，z中央一号文件明确了实施乡村振兴战略的目标任务，提出了产业兴旺、生态宜居、乡风文明、治理有效、生活富裕的总要求。

Under this strategy, by 2020, significant progress will be made in rural revitalization, and the institutional framework and policy system will be basically formed; by 2035, agricultural and rural modernization will be basically realized; by 2050, rural areas will be revitalized in an all-round way, with strong agriculture sector, beautiful countryside and full realization of farmers’ wealth.

在这一战略纲领下，截止2020年，乡村振兴取得了重大进展，制度框架和政策体系基本形成;到2035年，基本实现农业农村现代化；到2050年，实现农村全面振兴，农业强、农村美、农民富全面实现。

Understanding China

What did China do to revitalize its rural area?

中国为振兴农村做了什么？

Firstly, the government used public finance to cover rural areas, rewriting the history of “farmers having to do everything for themselves”.

Once the public exchequer had a certain foundation this created conditions for strengthening support for agriculture and rural areas.

首先，中国利用公共财政支持农村发展，改写了“农民一切靠自己”的历史。

财政一旦有了一定的基础，就为加强对农业农村的支持创造了条件。

When the state revenue maintained high-speed growth, the Central Government especially set up the special transfer payment as part of rural taxation reform, which meant that major rural public undertakings came under the umbrella of public exchequer support. Since then, with the increase in national finance strength, public exchequer efforts in support of agriculture and rural areas grew ever greater, and the range of its support kept on expanding too.

在国家财政收入保持高速增长的情况下，中央政府特别在农村税收改革中设立了专项转移支付制度，农村重大公益事业纳入财政支持范围。此后，随着国家财政实力的增强，财政对农业农村的支持力度不断加大，支持范围也不断扩大。

The second step is improving rural production and living conditions and solving problems of practical concern to farmers.

第二步，改善农村生产生活条件，解决农民的实际问题。

Before the new millennium, in China’s vast rural areas, there were between 200 million and 300 million people without access to clean drinking water, and diseases such as dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis caused by water quality problems were commonplace. Owing to deficiency or degradation of the power grid system, power outages were nothing abnormal in China’s villages. Because of an inadequate supply of clean energy, the sparse vegetation of quite a few ecologically fragile places was denuded. While urban residents walked on cement roads and asphalt streets, in rural areas the picture in many places was one of the muddy roads, making it very inconvenient for farmers to travel.

新千年前，在中国广大农村地区，2亿至3亿人没有干净的饮用水，因水质问题引起的氟斑牙、氟骨病等疾病非常普遍。由于电网系统的不足或老化，中国农村时常停电。由于清洁能源供应不足，不少生态脆弱地区原本稀疏的植被也被破坏殆尽。城市居民走的是水泥路和柏油路，而农村很多地方都还是泥泞的土路，农民出行非常不方便。

Since the new millennium, with increased state investment, different localities have observed the Central Government’s requirement of building new rural areas to deal with the practical problems that concern farmers most deeply and that need urgent solutions. Production and living conditions in rural areas have improved rapidly. After decades of sustained effort, more than 300 million people now have access to safe drinking water, the power grid has been widely rebuilt, housing quality and safety of rural areas have seen clear improvement, and the living environment of the rural regions has also stepped up onto a new standard.

新千年以来，随着国家投入的不断增加，各地纷纷响应中央对新农村建设的要求，解决农民最关心、最迫切需要解决的现实问题。农村生产生活条件迅速改善。经过几十年的持续努力，3亿多人口解决了安全饮水问题，农村电网实现全面升级改造，农村住房质量和安全状况明显改善，农村人居环境迈上新台阶。

The third step is strengthening basic rural public services, bridging the chasm between urban and rural development systems.

第三步，加强农村基本公共服务，弥合城乡发展体系之间的鸿沟。

In the past, people with urban resident registration were covered by employee medical insurance or basic medical insurance for urban residents if they fell ill; they could collect a retirement pension; they could go to the library or the cinema in their spare time. By contrast, such systems and facilities were quite incomplete and inadequate in rural areas. The widest and most influential public service gap was in education.

过去，城镇户籍人员如果生病，医疗费用可由职工医疗保险或城镇居民基本医疗保险支付；他们可以领取退休金；他们闲暇时可以去图书馆或电影院。但相比之下，农村地区的制度和设施相当不完善和不充分。而公共服务领域内差距最大、影响最大的是教育。

It is the basic right of farmers as citizens to enjoy basic public services. Starting from 2001, the state waived tuition and textbook fees for students from poor families, and gradually subsidized the living expenses for boarding students during the period of compulsory education. the state also adopted a series of policies on develo rural vocational and technical education, ordinary high school education, and rural preschool education; it also took a series of targeted measures to strengthen team building of teachers in rural areas, support students from poor families to go to universities and provide nutritious meals for students in rural primary and middle schools.

享受基本公共服务也是农民作为公民应享受的基本权利。2001年起，国家对家庭经济困难的学生免除学杂费和书本费，并逐步对义务教育阶段寄宿生的生活费给予补贴。国家还制定了发展农村职业技术教育、普通高中教育和农村学前教育的一系列政策。还采取了一系列有针对性的措施，加强农村教师队伍建设，支持家庭经济困难学生上大学，为农村中小学学生提供营养餐。

In 2003, China started pilot projects for a new-type rural cooperative medical system. Later, the state established the minimum living standard security system and the basic endowment insurance system in rural areas.

2003年，中国启动新型农村合作医疗试点。后来，国家建立了农村最低生活保障制度和基本养老保险制度。

China’s decision to revitalize the countryside is a step-by-step effort to eliminate disparities between urban and rural areas, achieve urban-rural integration, and deliver all-around development for all members of society. So that every Chinese can enjoy the benefits of a rich and strong country, and thus have a peaceful and happy life.

中国决定振兴农村，是要逐步消除城乡差距、实现城乡一体化、实现全体公民全面发展的努力，让每个中国人都能享受到国家富强带来的好处，过上安宁幸福的生活。

Melissa

At the Qiantang River's source in east China's Zhejiang Province, inxng village has proven over 20 years that "lush mountains, lucid water, and fresh air can be invaluable assets."

Over the past two decades, the village has seen a complete transformation. Through various measures such as demolishing open-air toilets, renovating dilapidated houses, constructing drainage facilities, and establishing recreational parks and ecological tea plantations, this once dirty and disorderly village has been turned into a charming natural oxygen bar.

Today, the village has 24 homestays, and the annual average disposable income per capita has increased from less than 6,000 yuan (about 829 U.S. dollars) in 2006 to 42,000 yuan (about 5,804 U.S. dollars).

在中国东部浙江省的钱塘江源头，金星村用20多年的时间证明了“绿水青山就是金山银山”。

在过去的二十年里，这个村庄发生了翻天覆地的变化。通过拆除露天厕所、改造危房、建设排水设施、建立休闲公园和生态茶园等多种措施，这个曾经肮脏无序的村庄变成了一个迷人的天然氧吧。

如今，村里有24家民宿，人均年可支配收入从2006年的不到6000元(约合829美元)增加到42000元(约合5804美元)。

In the early 21st century, Zhejiang Province had tens of thousands of underdeveloped villages.

In 2003, Zhejiang launched the Green Rural Revival Program, which planned to renovate about 10,000 incorporated villages and transform about 1,000 central villages among them into examples of moderate prosperity in all respects.

For example, Tangdi Village in Shaoxng City is known for its flowers and hailed as the "thousand-year orchid village." The flourishing flower industry, combined with cultural and creative experiences related to orchids, has provided locals with opportunities to work and earn money within their village.

In 2022, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Zhejiang has increased from 5,431 yuan (about 750 U.S. dollars) in 2003 to 37,565 yuan (about 5,191 U.S. dollars), leading the nation for 38 consecutive years.

21世纪初，浙江省有上万个落后乡村。

2003年，浙江启动了“绿色乡村振兴工程”，计划改造约1万个合并村，并将其中约1000个中心村改造成全面小康示范村。

例如，绍兴市的棠棣村的花卉产业声名远扬，被誉为“千年兰花村”。蓬勃发展的花卉产业，加上与兰花有关的文化和创意体验，为当地人提供了在村里工作和赚钱的机会。

浙江农村居民的人均可支配收入从2003年的5431元增加到2022年的37565元，连续38年保持全国第一。

Why does China revitalize its rural areas? According to Alastair Borthwick, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, the Green Rural Revival Program has proved the feasibility of simultaneously improving the rural environment and achieving economic development, and the program's experience can serve as a valuable reference for both developed and develo countries.

中国为什么要振兴农村？英国爱丁堡大学教授阿拉斯泰尔·博斯维克认为，绿色乡村振兴计划证明了改善乡村环境和实现经济发展同时进行的可行性，该计划的经验可以为发达国家和发展中国家提供宝贵的参考。