How can the voices of people in China’s rural areas be heard?

Editor's Note:

China's human rights stories are unfolding in a new era of comprehensive deepening reform and historic changes. It is a great practice of China's poverty alleviation and whole-process people's democracy, a thorough reformation in judicial, medical insurance and other key sectors related to the national economy and people's livelihood, as well as a combination of numerous impressive and inspiring individual stories.

To be nurtured in youth, be educated, secure gainful employment, receive medical care when ill, be cared for in old age, have a place to live, and be supported when weak... these are concrete embodiment of human rights, which explains that the greatest human right is the right to the happiness of the people.

For a long time, some politicians and media outlets in a few countries have been hostile and prejudiced against China, leading to a lack of understanding among foreign audiences about the concepts and achievements in China's human rights development. But what is revealed in the daily lives of the Chinese people speaks to the most basic truth: Rights to survival and development are fundamental human rights.

The Global Times is launching a series of articles, sharing vivid stories of how human rights are being upheld in the new era. We expect this series to become a window through which more foreign readers will understand how the Chinese people recognize human rights and what efforts they have made to fight for and fully enjoy human rights in their daily lives.

In this installment, we invite Hu Yiyi and Feng Lei, scholars from the Party School of Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to share their firsthand observations and thoughts on the vivid people's democratic practice in a small village in East China's Zhejiang Province.

An aerial view of Xiaogucheng village Photo: Courtesy of the CPC Yuhang District Committee

Strolling through Xiaogucheng village in suburban Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province, one will become immersed in the beautiful views that harmoniously blend the village with rice waves in the fields, lush green tea gardens, lotus ponds, swaying bamboo forests, and residential buildings nestled among green trees.

Walking in the village feels like wandering in a beautiful park.

Xiaogucheng village is not only a national demonstration village for democracy and rule of law, but also holds over 80 honors, such as being a national ecological village and a national civilized village.

A large sign written in Chinese characters reading "the people get to discuss their own affairs" is conspicuous at the entrance of the village. As a model of the grassroots practice for "the most extensive, authentic, and effective" people's democracy, Lin Guorong, the village's Party chief, reveals the "secret" behind its success is the guiding principle of "the affairs of the village are discussed by all.

Speaking of the changes of Xiaogucheng village over the past 20 years, local residents are all grateful for the earnest care and guidance provided by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, over village life.

In January 2005, Xi, then secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, visited Xiaogucheng village. After conducting in-depth investigations and fully understanding the situation in the village, Xi put forward a proposal to "strengthen the construction of grassroots democracy and rule of law" and that "the affairs of the village are discussed by all." In April 2015, Xi replied a letter to the Xiaogucheng's village committee, once again noting the importance of local people deciding village matters together.

The democratic consultation model practiced by Xiaogucheng village holds significant reference value for the construction of grassroots democracy and rule of law, as well as long-term harmony and stability at the grassroots level. In 2017, "the people get to discuss their own affairs" was included in a report tabled by the 19th National Congress of the CPC.

It is through unwavering reliance on the democratic consultation "treasure" of "the people get to discuss their own affairs" that the village continues advancing the construction of a beautiful place to live and maintaining a strong community spirit . To date, Xiaogucheng village has not experienced any petition incidents.

Xiaogucheng villagers discuss daily affairs under a local iconic camphor tree. Photo: Courtesy of the CPC Yuhang District Committee

Land transfer dilemma

"Unity of the people is the foundation for the sound development of Xiaogucheng village," according to Xu Linling, a member of the village's Party committee.

In 2009, this forward-thinking village planned to introduce the "window of leisure" agricultural tourism project, which would involve the transfer of over 13,000 mu (8.67 square kilometers) of land throughout the village.

A discussion on the land transfer matter then started among the villagers there: Should the land be transferred? To whom and how will it be transferred? How will the costs be calculated?... For the villagers, these were a series of question without clear answers.

At that time, the village Party committee repeatedly explained the idea of strengthening the collective economy to drive up incomes, but some villagers remained hesitant. "We had been doing farm work in the fields for half a lifetime," recalled the then hesitant villagers. "We would definitely feel a bit uneasy if we were no longer working in the fields."

To dispel their concerns, the village Party committee helped the villagers calculate the economic benefits. Taking the previous tea garden business as an example: tea is harvested in spring and autumn each year, the average income per mu for tea farmers selling fresh tea leaves to the tea factory is around 2,000 yuan ($275.6). "But that does not yet deduct costs such as fertilizer, pesticides, and the labor and time costs of the villagers," Party chief Lin said.

Lin explained that, according to the land transfer plan, each mu of tea garden can generate 550 yuan in transfer payments to farmers every year. Moreover, increasing by 10 percent every five years, it now has reached 665 yuan per mu each year. "On the surface, the income from land transfer may not be as high as that from tea cultivation," he said. "But without having to work in the fields, villagers have the time to get a job elsewhere and earn more money."

There were long time tea farmers who were still unwilling to give up growing tea. For them, the village met their needs through methods such as reorganization and replacement of tea fields, Lin explained.

After more than two years of negotiation and joint effort, the land transfer and adjustment work in Xiaogucheng village was completed by New Year's Day in 2012.

'Triple win' project

From 320,000 yuan to 11.15 million yuan - this was the increase in total income generated from the collective economy of Xiaogucheng village from 2005 to 2023.

People's participation in decision-making is crucial not only in democratic construction, but also in improving living standards. It is a democratic method to address livelihood issues and achieve the well-being of the people.

"The people get to discuss their own affairs," means they get to put forward solutions to livelihood problems and the realization of people's well-being through democratic means.

In 2021, an investor approached Lin, with a sincere proposal to lease an area of land in Xiaogucheng village for a camping project. Lin told the investor that, he must discuss the matter with the villagers first.

Lin then convened a meeting with around 20 participants, including members of the village committee, representatives from a local tourism company that is fully owned by the village collective economy, in addition to some local residents.

At the meeting, the head of the tourism company said he thought that solely collecting rent would not benefit the long-term development of the village. He believed that, even if the camping project was successful, the village would only receive rental income. Worse still, if it failed, it would damage the village's reputation and affect future investments.

Following discussion, the village decided on a profit-sharing model for the project, instead of a lease-only agreement. The investor agreed. Eventually, in less than half a year, the investor had recouped his initial investment, and the village's economy saw increased revenue as well.

Moreover, the project created jobs for some local villagers, who were able to work close to their homes. The project created a "triple win."

By relying on collective discussions to seek the best development path and having everyone contribute to achieving common prosperity, the village is moving toward a brighter future.

Debate on walls

Today, villagers of Xiaogucheng village always revert to engaging in democratic discussion when encountering big or small decisions which impact the village.

"From '[they] ask for my opinion' to 'I offer to make a suggestion,' our villages are gradually changing, in the process promoting grassroots democratic political engagement in the village," Lin said.

With joint effort, the village has become more beautiful, and the people have become wealthier. Lin mentioned the walls of the villagers' homes as an example. "Now, the walls of every household are not more than 1.2 meters high. But before 2018, they were very high," he said, adding that they lowered the walls through democratic negotiation, again guided by "the people get to discuss their own affairs."

In 2018, in an effort to improve the appearance of the village, the local Party committee piloted the lowering of walls among some villagers, in a hope that they would demolish the high walls and replaced them with lower ones. It held meetings to negotiate the matter with 30 local households.

Some villagers were confused about the decision: "Why should we demolish the walls we spent money to build?" "How will safety be ensured after the demolition?"...Several negotiation meetings ended inconclusively as many involving villagers raised objections.

"It was normal for villagers to not understand at the beginning," Lin said. He recalled at that time, grassroots officials in the village went from door to door to persuade the residents, with Lin himself visiting one household seven times. They also organized village representatives to visit nearby villages which had implemented similar ideas. Under a big camphor tree at the village, several rounds of democratic negotiations were held, with every participant expressing their thoughts and exchanging views.

Finally, the decision to lower the walls was made. The wall demolition work among the households involved in the pilot was completed in just 21 days, and the construction of lower walls was finished within 83 days.

The households with lower walls became a highlight of the village's streetscape, as the improved village appearance later attracted more tourists, and led to the increase of income of the villagers involved in the pilot. Soon, a growing number of villagers actively requested to have their walls lowered.

"With the walls lowered, the 'walls of our hearts' opened up," one local villager Shi Xueqin commented. "Our neighborly relationships have become closer, and our sense of happiness has grown stronger."

People's deliberation hall

At the Party service center of Xiaogucheng village, on large electronic display screen reads the words "people's deliberation hall."

Lin explained that, now the people can participate in democratic discussions by simply opening an app or a mini-program on their smart phones. Even tourists to the village can participate in discussions through this online platform, he added.

The "people's deliberation hall" is the first district - or county-level deliberation and consultation platform in Zhejiang. This online platform, serving as a platform for democratic consultation, community feedback and democratic supervision, removes the constraints of traditional deliberation models. It allows villagers to participate in democratic discussions anytime and anywhere.

All the internet users in Xiaogucheng village have registered the platform. Through mobile phones, they can directly submit opinions and suggestions on various topics and issues in the village, from environmental issues, cleanliness, safety, culture and rule of law, to traffic and parking. Data showed that the participation rate of the "people's deliberation hall" is 98.8 percent, with the user engagement rate reaching 95.89 percent. "Everyone can report their opinion, every household can participate."

From discussions under the village's big camphor tree, to the online "people's deliberation hall," Xiaogucheng village has always adhered to the principle of "the people get to discuss their own affairs."

It keeps promoting the development of "everyone integrating into the governance system, everyone participating in the supervision process, and everyone sharing the fruits of development," further strengthening the foundation of harmonious and proactive governance, for the common prosperity of all in rural areas.