Research Group of the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Conducts Fieldwork at the National Condition Research 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 deep into townships, villages, museums, cultural heritage sites, patriotic education bases [1], and enterprises in Pu’an County, Qinglong County, Anlong County, Ceheng County, and Xingyi City. Liu Xianguo, Member of the Party Leadership Group, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-General of the Qianxinan Prefecture Federation of Social Sciences, along with comrades Xiao Wei and Zhu Chongchong, accompanied the team during the investigation.
At the Qingmenkou Miao Village in Pu’an County, the research team held a symposium with village cadres and residents to understand their production and living conditions. Migrant labor constitutes the primary source of income for the residents of Qingmenkou. Utilizing the physical agility developed from living in high-mountain and deep-valley environments, the young and middle-aged labor force primarily works as scaffolders in Shandong and other northern regions, earning wages higher than the average migrant worker.
At the Ameiqituo Town in Qinglong County—a settlement formed by the relocation of the entire former Sanbao Yi Ethnic Township to the Qinglong county seat—the town houses over 1,300 households totaling more than 8,000 people relocated through poverty alleviation programs. The research team listened to local cadres describe the arduous process of achieving poverty alleviation through relocation [2] and visited the homes of "new urban residents." Under the support of the state and through the hard work and cooperation of local cadres and the masses, the living environment and conditions of the Yi people have undergone earth-shaking [3] improvements compared to the past.
At Ponai Ancient Town in Ceheng County, the research team held a symposium with a team of university students who had returned to their hometowns to start businesses. The team currently consists of nine members, all of whom are "post-95s" university graduates, with some having graduated from prestigious universities. After learning about the team's original aspiration for their venture, the current state of development, and their future plans, the research team affirmed their entrepreneurial spirit and the significant importance of high-quality university students returning home to start businesses for rural revitalization, offering several suggestions for their reference.
In Anlong County, the research team visited the Xingyi Prefecture Imperial Examination Hall, the Banshan Pavilion, and the Jiayou Academy. Anlong County was the seat of the Xingyi Prefecture during the Qing Dynasty, where Zhang Zhidong, a high-ranking official of the late Qing, spent his childhood and youth. Zhang Zhidong's father, Zhang Ying, had served here; the Xingyi Prefecture Imperial Examination Hall and Banshan Pavilion were built during Zhang Ying’s administration, leaving behind historical traces of "Jiayou Culture" [4]. Through visiting these historical sites, the research team gained a deep understanding of the origins and connotations of "Jiayou Culture."
Zhuchang Group in Faha Village, Weishe Town, Xingyi City, was once a route taken by the Red Army during the Long March [5] as they exited Guizhou toward the west, and it served as the final stop for the Central Red Army in Guizhou. On April 23, 1935, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Army Groups of the Central Red Army and the Central Revolutionary Military Commission column, led by Mao Zedong, entered Zhuchang Village in Weishe Town and engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy. It was here that Comrade He Zizhen, in an effort to rescue wounded soldiers being strafed by enemy aircraft, risked her life to rush from cover toward the stretchers. The wounded were saved, but He Zizhen fell in a pool of blood, her body struck by 17 pieces of shrapnel. The research team paid their respects at the revolutionary sites and mourned the revolutionary martyrs. They were deeply shaken by the dauntless spirit of the revolutionary predecessors who followed one after another [6] without fear of sacrifice, resolving to work even harder and 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 regarding the development and utilization of "Jiayou Culture." Zuo Shangwu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Qianxinan Prefectural Party Committee and Head of the Publicity 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 Publicity 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 offered 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 departments of Qianxinan Prefecture also exchanged views on academic exchange, disciplinary construction, research support, and talent cultivation; both sides expressed a willingness to carry out multi-faceted cooperation in the future.