First secretary Yang Zhou transforms Jiangzhuang village

Yang Zhou, a first secretary dispatched by the Linyi municipal CPPCC committee to Jiangzhuang village in Huangshanpu town, Yishui county, Linyi, East China's Shandong province, has focused on Party building, visiting residents and delivering practical results since taking up his post.

Jiangzhuang has 1,600 mu (107 hectares) of contiguous farmland growing corn and dryland rice. Since arriving, Yang has made Party building his first responsibility. Most of the village's more than 40 Party members are older, and he began by giving a Party lecture titled "Looking Back on a Century of Journey, Faith Points the Way." Party members moved from staying silent at meetings to actively offering suggestions, and major village matters now go through Party member assembly review, with project progress and fund use subject to the required disclosure procedures. A system of Party members taking responsibility for designated areas is being rolled out, with the 40-plus members gradually forming a network for grassroots governance.

On industry, Yang has worked to organize farmers into a community of shared interests rather than waiting for outside support. He has pushed for Jiangzhuang rice to be included in the township's specialty agricultural brand development system and brokered a long-term technical support arrangement between the village cooperative and an agricultural technology company. He has also revitalized idle resources, incorporating 12 vacant homesteads and old houses into a cluster of shared prosperity courtyards, with workshops and specialty planting under development.

On livelihoods, Yang coordinated more than 140,000 yuanin donations and charitable funds to replace 11 pieces of fitness equipment. He installed six solar street lights and two sets of stone tables and benches along a dark corridor, and added convex mirrors and flashing lights at eight accident-prone intersections. The village committee now uses a village conditions visualization platform, the main road has been renovated, and more than 200 crabapple and crape myrtle trees have been planted.

"To be stationed in a village, you must first put your heart there. If you treat the residents as family, they will tell you what is really on their minds," Yang said.

Editor：韩蒙蒙