Li Guihua: The Great Significance and Original Contributions of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Expositions on "Three Rural Issues"
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed a series of new concepts, ideas, and strategies surrounding "San Nong" [1] (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers) work. His relevant important speeches, reports, instructions, and articles provide scientific answers to a series of major theoretical and practical questions concerning "San Nong" work, covering all aspects of the rural economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, and Party building. These include both a worldview and a methodology, both theoretical summaries and operational guidance, and both strategic deployments and tactical arrangements. General Secretary Xi Jinping has consistently maintained a high level of attention toward agriculture, concern for rural areas, and care for farmers, continuously advancing theoretical, practical, and institutional innovation in "San Nong" work. In the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly emphasized that the strategic requirement for advancing "San Nong" work on the new journey in the New Era is to "comprehensively promote rural revitalization," elevating the goal and task of "accelerating the construction of a strong agricultural country" to an unprecedented new height. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work serve as the program of action and fundamental follow-through for successfully conducting "San Nong" work in the New Era; they also map out a clearer and more definite line of action, construction blueprint, and developmental prospect for Chinese-path agricultural and rural modernization.
The Great Significance of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on "San Nong" Work
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work centrally reflect his comprehensive understanding, profound reflection, rational judgment, and scientific answers regarding "San Nong" work since the 18th CPC National Congress. Since 2012, General Secretary Xi Jinping has planned the layout and steered the course for the "San Nong" cause, driving agricultural and rural development to achieve historical accomplishments and undergo historical transformations.
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "San Nong" work constitute a scientific response to a series of major theoretical and practical problems in the reform and development of rural areas in the New Era.
First, they provide a powerful response to major theoretical questions such as "why we build the countryside" and "what kind of countryside we should build," providing important theoretical guidance for "San Nong" work in the New Era. Providing a response that unifies conformity to laws with conformity to purpose [2] regarding major theoretical issues like "why we build the countryside" and "what kind of countryside we should build" is a necessary prerequisite for the smooth deployment of "San Nong" work in the New Era. Grounded in the Party's mission and tasks, and coordinating the "two overall situations" [3], General Secretary Xi Jinping has scientifically summarized our Party's valuable experience in "San Nong" work, conducting in-depth analysis and providing scientific answers to relevant questions. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "If the agricultural foundation is solid, the rural areas are harmonious and stable, and the farmers live and work in peace, the overall situation will be guaranteed, and various tasks will be handled with greater initiative." Furthermore, "Whether agriculture is strong, whether the countryside is beautiful, and whether farmers are rich determines the sense of gain and happiness of hundreds of millions of farmers; it determines the 'gold content' of our country’s moderately prosperous society in all respects and the quality of socialist modernization." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work elucidate the logical connection between "San Nong" work and the Party’s overall work, demonstrating the critical positioning and major influence of the "San Nong" cause within the overall framework of socialist modernization. Meanwhile, on the basis of the general requirements for building a new socialist countryside—"developing production, achieving a prosperous life, fostering civilized social conduct, ensuring a clean and tidy village appearance, and democratic management"—General Secretary Xi Jinping further developed the general requirements for the Rural Revitalization Strategy into "thriving industries, ecological livability, civilized social conduct, effective governance, and prosperity." This not only clarified the direction of effort and the path of advancement for the Party's rural work in the new stage of development, but also presented a vision for development and ideal goals. At the theoretical level, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work have further opened up the theoretical horizon and clarified the logical thread of the Party's rural work in the New Era, providing important theoretical guidance for "San Nong" work.
Second, they scientifically answer major practical questions such as "how to build the countryside," providing important practical guidance for "San Nong" work in the New Era. The essence of all theoretical problems is practical. Our country is currently in a historical stage where rural forms are rapidly evolving, and rural society is in a period of profound change and adjustment; "how to build the countryside" is an important practical subject facing our Party. In his discourses, General Secretary Xi Jinping not only addresses every key and difficult issue in rural development and construction but also offers highly operable action plans and specific measures for implementation. Regarding the construction of primary-level Party organizations, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must organically combine poverty alleviation and development with the construction of primary-level organizations, doing a good job in the coordinated construction of village-level organizations with the village Party organization as the core, and building primary-level Party organizations into a strong leadership core that leads the villagers out of poverty to wealth and maintains rural stability." Regarding agricultural production, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed: "We must strictly adhere to the 'red line' of arable land [4], accelerate the implementation of the strategy of 'storing grain in the ground and in technology' [5], protect and improve comprehensive grain production capacity, and prevent a major slump in grain production." Regarding industrial development, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that in developing rural industries, "where conditions permit, we should expand the space for value-added and efficiency-enhanced industries through the entire industrial chain, creating more opportunities for employment and income growth." At the level of practice, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work further defined the practical paths and action measures for rural work in the New Era, providing important practical guidance.
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work provide the general program, general basis, and fundamental follow-through for successfully conducting "San Nong" work in the New Era. First, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "San Nong" work constitute the program of action for "San Nong" work in the New Era, indicating the general direction and general goals. "San Nong" work concerns the national economy, people's livelihoods, and the overall stability of the economy and society; it concerns the solidity of the Party’s governing foundation and the long-term development of the path of socialist modernization. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of detailed strategic plans for "San Nong" work, proceeding from the overall situation of the development of the Party and state cause. The 18th CPC National Congress called on the people of the whole country to "deeply promote the construction of a new countryside and poverty alleviation and development"; on this basis, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed at the 19th CPC National Congress to "resolutely win the battle against poverty" and put forward the "Rural Revitalization Strategy" for the first time. After the complete victory in the battle against poverty was achieved, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed at the 20th CPC National Congress to "comprehensively promote rural revitalization" and "accelerate the construction of a strong agricultural country," succeeding what came before and opening up what follows in theoretical development, with the practical logic progressing step by step. At the 2022 Central Rural Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping closely linked agricultural and rural modernization with Chinese-path modernization, proposing to "advance agricultural modernization and rural modernization as an integrated whole." This fully demonstrates the inheritance and continuity of the goals and tasks of the Party and state's "San Nong" work, as well as the rigor and accuracy of the strategic planning. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work take the realization of the "Two Centenary Goals" and the aspirations of hundreds of millions of farmers for a better life as their point of departure, grasping the overall progress of "San Nong" work from a height of the overarching situation and a breadth of the entire landscape, providing an important guarantee for the smooth transition of "San Nong" work between different developmental stages.
Third, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work are the fundamental follow-through for conducting "San Nong" work in the New Era, identifying the general requirements and general principles for the in-depth implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy. At a time when the rural social structure is undergoing profound changes, our country has consistently maintained the leading position of primary-level rural Party organizations, and "San Nong" work has continued to progress steadily. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work have systematically interpreted and comprehensively expounded on rural work. In the report to the 19th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that in implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy, "we must persist in the priority development of agriculture and rural areas, following the general requirements of thriving industries, ecological livability, civilized social conduct, effective governance, and prosperity." At the 2020 Central Rural Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: To promote rural revitalization with greater intensity, we must "implement the principle of priority development for agriculture and rural areas." Under the guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work, the work orientation of "taking thriving industries as the focus, ecological livability as the key, civilized social conduct as the guarantee, effective governance as the basis, and prosperity as the root," as well as the general principle of priority development for agriculture and rural areas, have been consistently implemented and realized, setting the general tone and melody for "San Nong" work in the New Era.
General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work are the latest theoretical innovation in the Party's "San Nong" work, further enriching and developing the Party's rural work theory in the New Era.
First, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "San Nong" work represent the latest achievement in the Party's theoretical innovation regarding "San Nong" work, accumulating important experience for further theoretical innovation. First, these discourses are the latest result of our Party's theoretical innovation in this field. They were formed as General Secretary Xi Jinping, rooted in the New Era's conditions of the Party, the country, the countryside, and agriculture, conducted a great exploration of how to solve "San Nong" problems, advance "San Nong" work, and develop the "San Nong" cause. Second, his important discourses have guided theoretical innovation. Theoretical innovation is a long and complex systemic project. Every integration of theory and practice creates the possibility for the birth of new theories. While providing important guidance for "San Nong" work, these discourses have objectively facilitated the emergence of a batch of original theoretical achievements, such as the poverty alleviation theory with Chinese characteristics. As practice deepens, new theoretical achievements will again integrate with the realities of "San Nong" work, thereby driving the continuous innovation of "San Nong" work theory.
Second, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work further enrich and develop the Party's rural work theory in the New Era. In terms of origins, both the discourses and the Party's rural work theory are rooted in the practice of the Party's "San Nong" work in the New Era. In terms of content, the discourses cover all aspects including "the historical and strategic positioning, development goals and key tasks, institutional frameworks and policy systems" of "San Nong" work, while the Party's rural work theory covers the entirety of "San Nong" work under the Party's comprehensive leadership; the two represent the relationship between the part and the whole, and the included and the includer. In terms of expression, the discourses enrich and develop the Party's major principles and policies for guiding and advancing "San Nong" work through a scientific, systematic, and original theoretical system, driving the Party's rural work theory in the New Era to develop more diverse theoretical forms. General Secretary Xi Jinping's attention to "San Nong" work penetrates deep into rural society, involving various issues such as the coverage of the new type of rural cooperative medical care, the improvement of the rural living environment, the protection and utilization of arable land resources, the treatment of livestock and poultry waste, soil pollution control and remediation, and internet construction.
The Original Contributions of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on "San Nong" Work
Since the beginning of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on "San Nong" work have formed a grand system with distinct characteristics of the times and profound theoretical depth. They have made major original contributions to the deepening of "San Nong" practice and the innovation of "San Nong" theory. This is reflected not only in the promotion of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism but also in the inheritance and development of the CPC's "San Nong" work line, as well as the enrichment and deepening of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on "San Nong" work are the product of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, representing the latest theoretical achievement of the integration of Marxist "San Nong" theory with the specific realities of contemporary China.
First, they have achieved a deep integration of the Marxist theory of poverty alleviation with the actual development of "San Nong" in contemporary China. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has guided China's poverty alleviation practice with the Marxist theory of poverty alleviation. At the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out:
“He emphasized that poverty is not socialism; if impoverished areas remain in poverty for a long duration, if their outlook remains unchanged over the long term, and if the living standards of the masses are not significantly improved for a long time, then the superiority of our country's socialist system has not been manifested, and that, too, is not socialism.” In November 2013, in Shibadong Village [6] of Huayuan County, Hunan Province, General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed the important concept of “targeted poverty alleviation.” The 19th National Congress of the CPC made comprehensive arrangements to treat targeted poverty alleviation as one of the Three Tough Battles [7], anchoring the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, concentrating efforts to storm the fortresses of extreme poverty, and engaging in a decisive battle to win the fight against poverty. Under the correct leadership of the CPC, China successfully achieved the First Centenary Goal [8], promoted historical achievements and transformations in agricultural and rural development, and formed an anti-poverty theory with Chinese characteristics. The comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty and the full completion of a moderately prosperous society not only demonstrate the high degree of alignment between contemporary China's developmental practice and Marxist theory, but also fully validate the truth and advanced nature of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.”
Second, it has opened a new realm of Marxist theory on "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers."
The Marxist theory on "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" includes the explorations by Marx and Engels on fundamental issues such as the roots of peasant poverty under capitalist production, the developmental positioning of agriculture, and the dispossession of peasant land, as well as the explorations of the path toward agricultural collectivization by Soviet leaders such as Lenin and Stalin. Rural construction under the leadership of the CPC is not a carbon copy of Western development models, a reproduction of traditional Chinese villages, or a mechanical restoration of the conceptualization of a communist society; rather, it is deeply rooted in China’s realistic soil. Regarding the promotion of integrated urban-rural development, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must persist in proceeding from national conditions, from the reality of the unbalanced and uncoordinated urban-rural development and the dual structure [9] in our country, and from our country’s natural endowments, historical and cultural traditions, and institutional systems. We must follow universal laws without sticking to old conventions, and learn from advanced international experience without copying it blindly.” Regarding the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “In a large country like ours with nearly 1.4 billion people, achieving rural revitalization is a great undertaking without precedent; there is no ready-made experience to copy blindly. As for which path China’s rural revitalization should take, we can only rely on our own exploration.” General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” place Marxist agrarian theory within a spatio-temporal quadrant that socialist development has never reached before. By proposing new ideas and solutions for conducting "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" work in a large socialist country with a massive population, profound historical background, and great developmental potential, he has opened a new realm for Marxist theory on these subjects.
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” constitute a highly refined and precise summary of the CPC’s experience and laws in this field, as well as the inheritance and development of the CPC’s fine traditions in rural work.
First, it is a systematic summary, refinement, and sublimation of the Party’s experience in work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.”
Since the day of its founding, the CPC has been fully aware of the importance of uniting and mobilizing the peasant masses. Looking across the history of the CPC’s leadership in rural work, successive generations of the Party's central leadership collective have attached great importance to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions were developed on the basis of targeted refinement and systematic summation of the Party’s experience, representing a historical inheritance of the Party’s glorious traditions. At the 2017 Central Rural Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: “Implementing the rural revitalization strategy is the inheritance and development of our Party’s series of principles and policies on work related to ‘agriculture, rural areas, and farmers,’ and is the general grasp [10] for doing this work well as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era.” These expositions vividly reflect the consistent theoretical character of Marxism, which is to “originate from the same lineage, emphasize the extraction of wisdom and essence from history, and inherit and carry forward the Party’s fine traditions, major principles, and basic experiences in rural work.” Combined with the CPC's experience, these expositions constitute a scientific system characterized by the consistency of theory and practice, the matching of comprehensiveness and professionalism, and the unity of history and reality. It is the "great synthesis of the Party’s basic experience in rural work" and possesses pioneering significance.
Second, it integrates the advanced experience of rural work in the New Era into the traditions of work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.”
Since the start of the New Era, the international situation has seen intensified turbulence, with unilateralism continuing to spread, and trade protectionism and anti-globalization becoming increasingly severe. Against this backdrop, China’s rural reform has entered the “deep-water zone,” and pressures regarding the transformation of agricultural industrialization, the improvement of rural governance efficacy, and the increase of farmers' incomes will persist now and for some time into the future. Amidst the great changes unseen in a century, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups to comprehensively advance reforms in rural work, achieving a series of historical accomplishments in agricultural production, rural construction, and farmer development, thus forming a "Chinese solution" for the cause of "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers." On one hand, from the perspective of value pursuits, these expositions comprehensively inherit the glorious traditions of the Party while constantly summarizing laws from practice, endowing them with new connotations of the times and long-term institutional vitality, thereby achieving the innovation and development of tradition. On the other hand, as a collection of the theoretical achievements and practical experiences of the Party’s rural work in the New Era, these expositions also lay a solid foundation for subsequent work.
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” are an important component and a further enrichment and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
First, it is the systematic organization, induction, and summation of the “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” elements within Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
These important expositions are the specific manifestation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the rural field. They concentrate the latest practical experiences and theoretical achievements obtained since the New Era by the Chinese communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, in advancing the cause of the countryside. In terms of content, the expositions cover key elements such as the basic positioning, core tasks, developmental goals, and implementation paths of rural work, scientifically constructing the “four beams and eight pillars” [11] for such work in the New Era. In terms of origin, these expositions were primarily formed during the process of guiding rural work with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; they are the intersection and connection between this Thought and the Party’s rural practice, and the inevitable product of combining ideology with practice. In terms of contribution, they provide a systematic organization and summation of rural elements, providing the theoretical preparation for the formation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s agrarian thought.
Second, it has formed a theoretical innovation model that enriches and develops Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era through the experience of rural work in the New Era.
In guiding work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers,” Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era constitutes the basic principles, while the specific expositions on rural work constitute the specific criteria. The latter is an important component of the former and operates under its overarching premise. At the same time, the latter is a necessary link for communicating and connecting specific practical explorations with macro-theoretical constructions. These expositions further bridge the theoretical development links from practice to discourse and then to ideology, thereby better elevating the successful experiences of rural work into the fundamental criteria that are implemented throughout such work.
Conclusion
Since the New Era began, in the face of complex international and domestic situations and the arduous tasks of rural work, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on work related to “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” have been rich in connotation and profound in significance. They are the “excellent prescription” for solving rural problems, the “key to victory” for ensuring the successful conduct of rural work, and the “theoretical magic weapon” for promoting the vigorous development of the rural cause. On the new journey of the New Era, we must deeply study these expositions, dig deep into their profound connotations and rich values, and persist in using them to guide specific practices. We must use comprehensive rural revitalization to assist the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, use the modernization of agriculture and rural areas to boost Chinese-path modernization, and use the construction of a strong agricultural country to assist in the building of a great modern socialist country.
Source: Frontiers (Academic Edition) January 3, 2025 Online Editor: Jing Mu