Research Group of the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Conducts Fieldwork at the CASS National Conditions Survey Base in Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province
From August 6 to 10, 2023, a ten-person research team led by Senior Researchers Zhang Jiangang and Wang Zhongbao from the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) traveled to Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province to conduct thematic research on "Chinese-path modernization and rural revitalization." The research team traveled to Puan County, Qinglong County, Anlong County, Ceheng County, and Xingyi City, conducting in-depth field research in townships, villages, museums, cultural heritage sites, patriotic education bases [1], and enterprises. They were accompanied by Liu Xianguo, Member of the Party Leadership Group, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-General of the Qianxinan Prefecture Federation of Social Sciences, as well as comrades Xiao Wei and Zhu Chongchong.
In Jingmenkou Miao Village, Puan County, the research team held a symposium with village cadres and residents to understand their production and living conditions. Migrant labor [2] is the primary source of income for the residents of Jingmenkou. Utilizing the physical agility developed in their high-mountain and deep-valley environment, young and middle-aged laborers primarily work as scaffolders in Shandong and other northern regions, earning wages higher than those of average migrant workers.
Amei Qituo Town in Qinglong County was formed by the "whole-township relocation" of the former Sanbao Yi Ethnic Township to the Qinglong county seat. The town houses over 1,300 households—more than 8,000 people—who were relocated through poverty alleviation programs. The research team listened to local cadres describe the arduous process of achieving poverty alleviation through the relocation of residents from inhospitable areas [3] and visited the homes of these "new urban residents." Under the support of the state and the coordinated efforts of local cadres and the masses, the living environment and conditions of the Yi people have undergone earth-shaking [4] improvements compared to the past.
In the ancient town of Ponai, Ceheng County, the research team held a symposium with a startup team of college students who had returned to their hometown. The team currently consists of nine members, all university graduates born after 1995, with some having graduated from prestigious universities. After learning about the team’s original aspiration [5] for starting their business, their current development status, and their future plans, the research team affirmed their entrepreneurial spirit and the significant importance of high-quality university graduates returning home to start businesses for rural revitalization, offering several suggestions for their reference.
In Anlong County, the research team successively visited the Xingyi Prefecture Examination Hall, the Banshan Pavilion, and the Jiayou Academy. Anlong County was the seat of Xingyi Prefecture during the Qing Dynasty, where Zhang Zhidong [6], a prominent official of the late Qing, spent his childhood and early adulthood. His father, Zhang Ying, served as an official here. The Xingyi Prefecture Examination Hall and the Banshan Pavilion were constructed during Zhang Ying’s administration, leaving behind historical traces of "Jiayou Culture" [7]. Through visiting these historical sites, the research team gained a deep understanding of the origins and connotations of "Jiayou Culture."
Zhuchang Neighborhood in Faha Village, Weishe Town, Xingyi City, was a location the Red Army passed through during the Long March as they exited Guizhou to the west; it was also the Central Red Army's final stop in Guizhou. On April 23, 1935, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Legion of the Central Red Army and the Central Revolutionary Military Commission columns, led by Mao Zedong, entered the village and engaged in a fierce battle with enemy forces. Here, Comrade He Zizhen [8] risked her life to rush from cover toward a wounded soldier’s stretcher to save him from enemy aircraft strafing. The soldier was saved, but He Zizhen fell in a pool of blood, her body struck by seventeen pieces of shrapnel. The research team paid their respects at the revolutionary sites and mourned the revolutionary martyrs. Deeply moved by the dauntless spirit of the revolutionary predecessors who advanced wave upon wave [9] without fear of sacrifice, they resolved to work even harder to produce scholarship that serves the people.
On the morning of August 10, the research team held a symposium with relevant leaders and experts of Qianxinan Prefecture to discuss the development and utilization of "Jiayou Culture." Zuo Shangwu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Qianxinan Prefectural Party Committee and Director of its Propaganda and United Front Work Departments, attended the meeting along with comrades from Xingyi Normal University for Nationalities, the Prefectural Party School, the Prefectural Federation of Social Sciences, the Propaganda Department of the Anlong County Party Committee, and the Anlong "Jiayou Academy." The research team affirmed the cultural value and uniqueness of "Jiayou Culture" and provided specific suggestions on how to utilize it to promote the cultural tourism industry and socio-economic development of Qianxinan Prefecture. The research team and the relevant authorities of Qianxinan Prefecture also exchanged views on academic exchange, disciplinary construction, research support, and talent cultivation. Both parties expressed a desire to carry out multi-faceted cooperation in the future.