Elderly villagers eat in the canteen of Siyi Village. Photo: Courtesy of China Rural Revitalization magazine

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Siyi Village in Panjiawan Town of Jiayu County, Xianning, Central China's Hubei Province, on November 5, 2024, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

A year later, reporters visited Siyi Village to depict how the ripples stirred up by that historic day spread across this land.

Heartfelt memory

"The General Secretary paid special attention to how our village was providing services and support for the elderly and children, the results of reducing burdens at the grassroots level, and the leading role of grassroots Party building," said Deng Zhiping, Party secretary of Siyi Village. 

Deng noted that the village has more than 800 residents aged 60 and above. Since January 2024, the village has established an elderly care service station that offers one-stop services including medical care, meal assistance, cultural and recreational activities, and temporary care. These services have been warmly welcomed and highly praised by the elderly.

In Siyi Village, Xi visited a public canteen for the elderly, a clinic and a service center, according to Xinhua. 

Gao Ansheng, a 74-year-old villager, still remembers that day vividly. She told reporters with great excitement: "There were twenty or thirty seniors present, and we stood right there and shook hands with him. He asked us if we were eating well and how many meals we ate a day."

On that day, the two-story houses of villagers Xiong Chenglong and Zhang Xianying were filled with warmth because of the General Secretary's visit. Zhang recalled: "When the General Secretary saw that there was lotus root soup simmering at home, he smiled and said that people in Hubei love to drink lotus root soup. The General Secretary cared about even the smallest details."

On that day, in every corner of Siyi Village, the warm handshakes, caring inquiries, and in-depth exchanges together wove into a shared collective memory for the entire village. This memory is now transforming into a tremendous force, inspiring and propelling the cadres and villagers of Siyi forward with unwavering momentum.

Striving spirit

Deng said that the village has taken various measures to bridge the "last mile" in serving villagers by requiring officials to be present wherever they are needed from homes to the fields. 

Behind this service system is a profound shift in thinking. By focusing practical needs, social security, dispute resolution, and industrial development, the village works to fully understand villagers' demands and basic conditions. Three lists of work related to ensuring people's livelihood and one list of projects to promote income growth and wealth creation through industrial development have been created. For example, so far, Siyi Village has collected 108 items related to public welfare, of which 98 have already been resolved.

In just one year, the living environment of Siyi Village has significantly improved both in appearance and character.

Walking along the village roads, neatly paved ditches extend outwards, and the small vegetable gardens in front of and behind each household are orderly. Zhang Tao, the village cadre stationed there, believes that the biggest changes in the village are those invisible on the surface.

In Siyi Village, rural development is driven by the practical issues that matter most to residents. This year, the village upgraded 201 drainage ditches, increasing their depth from 60 centimeters to 1.1 meters, significantly improving drainage capacity. In addition, a 6.2-kilometer road is being built along the village's main canal, with its width expanding from 3.5 to 4.5 meters.

Over the past year, Siyi Village has advanced rural revitalization and local industry development in tandem.

At the seedling cultivation base of Hubei Jinrun Agricultural Development Co, more than 2,300 varieties are undergoing rigorous screening, and ultimately, only three to five of the best performers are recommended to farmers. According to Zhang Jianjian, the company's deputy general manager, the firm is working closely with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to systematically evaluate more than 300 trial varieties, aiming to develop the "champion seeds" suited to local growing conditions.

An aerial view of Siyi Village in Panjiawan Town of Jiayu County, Xianning, Central China's Hubei Province Photo: Courtesy of China Rural Revitalization magazine

Happy home

Meanwhile, Siyi Village is filled with energy and vitality. Its sports and fitness center includes a basketball court, a small soccer field, a swimming pool, and a children's playground, giving villagers a place to gather and exercise in their leisure time. And the canteen is filled with warmth and life. It's not just a place for the elderly to eat, but also their spiritual home.

Trust has quietly taken shape between villagers and the local cadres in Siyi Village. Xiong Zhimin, the village's first Party secretary, has deeply felt this change. In the past, villagers rarely saw the cadres, sometimes only a few times a year, and were reluctant to speak up even when they faced difficulties.

The shift began through steady, persistent home visits. "At first, people thought we were just going through the motions," Xiong said. "But as we kept at it, the ice slowly began to melt. Now villagers speak frankly, because they know their concerns will be taken seriously - and that solutions are only a matter of time."

On this land, the warm current is flowing into the mighty river of rural revitalization, surging forward with unstoppable force.

Ma Liwen and Zhang Lirong are reporters for China Rural Revitalization magazine.