Editor’s note: New Year’s Eve carries the most sincere expectations and the strongest affection in a year. On this New Year’s Eve, in Wushi County, Xinjiang, the resident cadres who stuck to their posts ate pilaf; In Jiaozhou, Shandong Province, the father and son who got rid of poverty set new goals; In Mohe, Heilongjiang, tourists experience the culture of Northeast China in the Arctic Village. In Jiangjin, Chongqing, the New Year’s Eve dinner for poverty-stricken farmers is much richer than in previous years. In Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, villagers who moved from ex situ to help the poor had a reunion dinner in their new houses. In Huangpu District, Guangzhou, the left-behind workers spend the New Year in a foreign land … This special and unforgettable New Year’s Eve dinner is a review and tribute to past efforts, but also a prospect and expectation for a new beginning.
Race against time and keep pace with history. In 2020, we will build a well-off society in an all-round way; In 2020, it is also the year of decisive battle against poverty. Strugglers in the new era, let’s continue to unite as one and work hard to move forward rain or shine!
Xinjiang Wushi Resident Task Force
It’s so happy that the villagers are all out of poverty and staying in the village.
Our reporter Yang Mingfang altak
On the 24th, Lunar New Year’s Eve. In Kumbulong Village, Aotebeixi Township, Wushi County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, the flavor of the year is strong in the village committee courtyard.
"Dinner!" Zhu Lidong, the general leader of the "Visiting Huiju" of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of the Autonomous Region in Wushi County, the first secretary of Kumbulong Village and the captain of the resident team, has a loud voice and greets the team members to hurry to the table. During the Spring Festival this year, all 12 members of the task force stayed in the village for the New Year.
A pot of pilaf and half a sheep, a pot of green tea makes a short story. "Everyone can’t go home for the New Year, so they have a reunion dinner in the village." Zhu Lidong served everyone a bowl of delicious hand-grabbed rice. What makes Zhu Lidong feel gratified is the change in the village. In recent years, the task force has helped villagers get rid of poverty and become rich by promoting the quality and efficiency of the forest and fruit industry, and the per capita annual income has increased from 9,000 yuan in 2017 to 13,000 yuan.
After graduating from graduate school, Zhao Dachuan, a young man from Shandong Province, worked in the Forestry and Grass Bureau of the autonomous region and was sent to stay in the village. This is his third Spring Festival in the village. "As a poverty alleviation specialist, what makes me most happy is that at the end of 2019, 32 poor households in the village were all lifted out of poverty."
There is a special little guest at the dinner table-Zhu Yuxin, the 6-year-old daughter of team member Zhu Yuefeng. Zhu Yuxin said that after Dad came to the village, he became very busy, and sometimes he didn’t have time to video with her. "Mom took care of her little brother at home, so I came to accompany Dad!"
After listening to Zhu Yuxin’s little friend’s words, Ainiwal Anshan, the vice captain of the task force, smiled lovingly. This year is the fifth year for Ainiwal to stay in the village. In the work in the village, what makes Ainiwal feel the most is the change in the village; What warms him most is the family-like atmosphere among the members working in the village. "The members come from three different nationalities, just like a family. We usually work together, regardless of you and me."
"They left their homes and businesses to do good things for the people. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts." Aminah M Kadir, a local cook hired by the team, has been helping the team for almost five years. In her and the villagers’ hearts, the resident team members have already become relatives.
This Spring Festival, not only Kumbulong village, but also more than 70,000 village cadres from 12,000 "visiting and gathering" teams in Xinjiang, most of them stick to their posts and look forward to handing over a satisfactory answer sheet in the year of decisive battle against poverty.
Yang Wei ‘an and Yang Xiaoliang, Jiaozhou, Shandong Province
Set a new goal for poverty alleviation New Year’s Eve.
Our reporter Pan Junqiang
On New Year’s Eve, every household in Songjiatun Village, Jiaolai Street, jiaozhou city City, Shandong Province, was happy with Spring Festival couplets and blessings.
"Old man, take this dumpling out." The voice of his wife, Zhang Guirong, flew out of the house, full of anger. In the yard, Yang Wei ‘an was chatting with his neighbor. He answered, went into the main room and brought a whole set of dumplings with sorghum stalks into the side room. This is his family’s New Year’s Eve. The old couple are over 70 years old and still healthy and tough.
"Go, show you the new year’s goods prepared by my family." Zhang Guirong got up and pushed open the side door. The aroma was fragrant, fried yellow croaker, rice cake with dates, and Jiaodong big cake. She opened the refrigerator, chicken legs, dried shrimps, fish … all kinds. "Before the Chinese New Year, it was difficult to eat a decent jiaozi." Zhang Guirong said. Nowadays, it is not only the Spring Festival couplets on her door that are booming, but also the better days. Four years ago, Yang Wei ‘an and his son Yang Xiaoliang got rid of poverty together. It was not easy to get back to poverty at the beginning, but now they are stable, have something to do and have a deposit. "Thanks to the help of the party and the government, we have a good day today." Yang Weian was filled with emotion.
It was getting dark and my son Yang Xiaoliang came. My son separated after he got married, but it was less than 200 meters away from Yang Wei. On New Year’s Eve every year, Yang Xiaoliang’s family comes to spend the New Year with the old couple.
On the New Year’s Eve dinner, the father and son sat on the kang, guarding jiaozi, and Yang Wei ‘an scalded the wine, chanting, "jiaozi drinks wine, and the more you eat, the more you have!"
After half a bowl of wine, Yang Weian opened his mouth. Sixteen years ago, a car accident caused Yang Xiaoliang to suffer from a comminuted skull fracture, blindness in his left eye and disability. Parents are old, and Yang Xiaoliang can’t do heavy work. His daughter-in-law takes care of him and his children at home, and occasionally takes time out to do odd jobs to subsidize the family.
The reason for the change is that Yang Xiaoliang wants her daughter to continue to study hard. The prostitute has been studying very well. "After high school, it is more expensive to pay tuition fees to buy materials than in primary and secondary schools." Yang Xiaoliang said that he thought about it for a long time and felt that raising sheep was the most suitable. "I have to thank the poverty alleviation cadres, help me apply for a poverty alleviation fund of 3,500 yuan, and buy a male, five mothers and six sheep. This is the seed of poverty alleviation; I have to thank the technicians of the animal husbandry and epidemic prevention departments for giving us free guidance. " Now, my daughter is in her senior year and has just taken the postgraduate exam.
Now, there are more than 70 sheep at home. Yang Weian told Yang Xiaoliang that this year we will work harder to get rid of poverty and strive to get rich.
Heilongjiang Mohe nonlocal tourists
Meet in Beiji Village and Experience the Year of Northeast China.
Our reporter Fiona Fang.
"Happy New Year! Give everyone a free New Year’s Eve dinner tonight! " On the morning of New Year’s Eve, in Arctic Village, Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province, he ye, the proprietress of the Youth Hostel’s Friends’ Home, set out. While introducing the activities in the evening to tourists, she filled the table with candy and nuts, and handed out a few to everyone.
It is the practice in the store to provide delicious New Year’s Eve dinner for everyone.
Li Xiaoyun, a volunteer who helps in the store, is from Guangzhou. A month ago, she accidentally saw the information that the store was recruiting volunteers to be responsible for the reception at the front desk, so she went there with pleasure. Her job includes food and accommodation, and she can visit the Arctic Village after work. "I just want to experience the year here." She said that she experienced a lot of northeast folk customs this time, and she also learned to pack jiaozi with the proprietress.
Chicken stewed mushrooms, a bumper harvest, pot-wrapped meat … At 5 pm, the New Year’s Eve dinner was officially opened, and delicious food was served one after another. The atmosphere of 2008 allowed people who had never met each other to get to know each other quickly and come to raise your glass together.
Hu Li, a tourist from Jiangsu, is the third time to come back to the Arctic Village. "I can’t play enough at once. The most important thing is that I really miss the food here." Said, and he picked up a frozen pear on the table, "this thing, we can’t eat it at all. Bite it down, it’s sweet and icy, and it tastes great! "
Behind the good tourism experience is the efforts made by Mohe municipal government to optimize the tourism market.
"Since December 20th last year, it is still hard to get a ticket to open a train from Harbin to Mohe every day. We set up a comprehensive administrative law enforcement brigade to make unannounced visits to scenic spots, find problems in advance and solve them well, and improve the comfort of tourism. " Feng Guangqing, Party Secretary and Director of Mohe Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film and Television and Tourism, said.
During dinner, Hu Li discussed with his friends and went to other scenic spots in Heilongjiang in summer.
"Let’s drink to the Arctic Village and have a happy New Year!" There was laughter in the room, and under the inky night sky, gorgeous fireworks lit up this tourist hotspot in the northernmost part of the motherland.
Chongqing Jiangjin Poverty Alleviation Farmer Yang Wanliang
Life is easy, and the annual meal is rich.
Our reporter Liu Xinwu
One yard, two houses. On one side is an adobe house, and the wooden door creaks when touched. On one side is a new house with white walls and black tiles, and the "New Year’s Eve" is here.
As soon as the reporter entered the room, Yang Wanliang was enthusiastic, and oranges and sweets piled up on the table. The joy of the New Year is full of joy in Yang Wanliang’s face. "Now the days are better and the annual meal is richer!" Yang Wanliang dragged everyone around the house. There was a big barrel in the kitchen. When the lid was lifted, the bacon smelled delicious. In the vegetable garden, cabbage, radish and lettuce grow well.
Braised pork smells delicious, boiled fish is fresh and tender, and lettuce leaves are green and appetizing … This year, Yang Wanliang’s family reunion dinner is much richer than in previous years.
Piluo Village, where Yang Wanliang lives, is located in the south of Yongxing Town, jiangjin district, Chongqing, with high mountains and steep slopes. It was once a poor village at the municipal level, and 1/10 of them were poor households. Yang Wanliang was one of them. In order to help poor households increase their income, the village has formulated a "one household, one policy" assistance plan. At first, Yang Wanliang didn’t buy it, waiting for "relief". "Forget developing the industry, can you help me buy a mobile phone?"
Help the poor first. Knowing the situation, Xu Yuanfeng, the first secretary in the village, intends to "stimulate" him and take him to visit poverty-stricken households. Seeing someone else’s new house, Yang Wanliang’s expression is somewhat complicated.
After repeated persuasion, Yang Wanliang was determined to "do it". After careful comparison, he decided to raise chickens. The village helped him to contact and buy chicken seedlings, and asked experienced farmers to teach him by hand. Yang Wanliang raised 50 chickens in the first batch and got a grant. The agricultural cooperative helped him introduce buyers. With the help of policies, Yang Wanliang spent less than 20,000 yuan to build a new house. There are also public welfare posts in the village to help employment. In March 2019, he became a road cleaner with a monthly salary of more than 1,000 yuan. At the end of the year, Yang Wanliang calculated an account, earning 4,000 yuan from selling livestock and 10,000 yuan from sweeping the floor. Together with the income from selling chickens, he has earned more than 20,000 yuan in one year.
In the second half of last year, Yang Wanliang got rid of poverty and took off his hat. In order to facilitate contact, he bought a smart phone and learned to use WeChat. "It’s so convenient, and you can video chat!"
Villagers who moved in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province
After eating this meal, it is a family.
Our reporter Chen Yuanyuan.
On New Year’s Eve, in the centralized resettlement site for ex situ poverty alleviation and relocation in Huachong Village, Longmen Town, Lukou District, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, villager Huang Yousheng had a special reunion dinner. Not only his family, but also his neighbors and village cadres had dinner.
Referring to the change of living conditions, Huang Yousheng found out the photos of the old house. "My hometown is an adobe house, and the air leaks and the rain leaks." At the end of 2017, Huang Yousheng’s family moved into a new house at the resettlement site. "Now the house is big, and the income of the couple working together with poverty alleviation and dividends from the village industry is more than 50,000 yuan a year." Huang Yousheng’s neighbors are all villagers who moved from Huachong Village to help the poor. There are 8 households with 21 people, and now they have all got rid of poverty.
Huang Yousheng’s father was seriously ill and his son was sick. The burden of life once overwhelmed him. "Now I am not poor. This year is a good year, and there will be more hope in the coming year."
Into the resettlement site, hung red lanterns, brand-new Spring Festival couplets, put up a shed in front of the house, and put a brazier in the middle of the shed, which is warm and clean.
In the greenhouse, the drama has begun. Jinghu solo, Huagu Opera, Pop Songs … Wei Libin, a staff member of the literary squad of Zhuzhou Drama Heritage Center, performed six grounded programs with his team members in one breath. At the end of the performance, some villagers were not satisfied, so they simply went on stage and said a jingle: "The working team sent by the district was tired for poverty alleviation. They climbed high slopes in five years of cold and summer and tried their best to build a golden nest."
The kitchen is next to the stage, and the local cookhouse squad with the best reputation personally cooks. I heard that it was a holiday for poor households. Master Fu Lima promised: "I have to cook this meal. Everyone comes from different places and eats this meal, which is a family." The menu design is also satisfying, symbolizing the "family photo" of reunion, and the braised pork of happiness … 12 dishes, 8 tables of banquets, everything is complete.
Chen Xiangquan, an idle villager, came to help from another resettlement site early in the morning. In the past, Lao Chen earned less than 10 thousand yuan. "I am still young, how can I not live a good life?" Now, Lao Chengan raises and does business, earning nearly 80,000 yuan a year. When Mr. Chen was mentioned, everyone in the village gave a thumbs up.
The new year breeds new hope. Wang Shuai, director of the Poverty Alleviation Office in Qikou District, said: "This year, we are heading for a well-off society in an all-round way, so that everyone’s life will flourish."
Guangzhou Huangpu left-behind workers
Stick to a foreign land on the construction site for the New Year.
Our reporter Li Gang
On New Year’s Eve, Pan Qingyu from Guilin, Guangxi, and more than 10 left-behind workers walked into the canteen of the construction site at the Nano Valley site of China Construction Railway Investment Rail Transit Company in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong. At the age of 23, this year is the first time that he left his parents to spend the New Year in another country, so it is inevitable that he will miss home. But I am not lonely when I am talking and laughing with my workmates.
According to Guangdong customs, on New Year’s Eve morning, Pan Qingyu put on new clothes and went to the nearby Guangzhou Knowledge City Flower Market with his workers. When in Rome, he did as the Romans do, chose a pot of azaleas, bought Spring Festival couplets and the word "Fu", went back to the construction site to carefully tidy up the dormitory, put up Spring Festival couplets and put flowers on it, and it was really the New Year.
After the New Year’s dinner, the workers arrived, everyone gathered together, poured drinks and clinked glasses, and the atmosphere of the festival group year immediately came up.
Unlike Pan Qingyu’s family’s new year’s big dish, today’s reunion dinner is just a pot of vegetables. A table is a pot, and a pot is a table. Not only he, but even Li Changbiao, the warehouse property manager who has worked outside for more than 30 years, has never seen this kind of New Year’s dinner. The most conspicuous thing in the "big pot dish" is a whole grouper, as well as big crabs, shrimps, boiled chicken, roasted goose, mushrooms, oily tofu and more than 10 hard dishes, which make a big pot full. This is the characteristic of the coastal areas of southern Guangdong, where one pot and one table are full, and through a pot full of layered dishes, it means reunion and wealth, hoping for a bumper harvest.
Pan Qingyu told reporters that before the holiday, he had delivered the company’s Spring Festival gift package to his home, and bought a lot of new year’s goods online and sent them directly to his home, expressing his wishes to his parents through WeChat transfer.
The New Year’s Eve dinner is indispensable in Guangdong, and everyone present has a share. Xiao Huajun and Wang Linhai, security guards from Ji ‘an, Jiangxi Province, were very happy to receive the red seal from the managers. Xiao Huajun said that he hasn’t received lucky money for many years, and this letter made him seem to have returned to his childhood.
"Before the Chinese New Year, the company cancelled all kinds of dinners, but this meal for left-behind workers must not be saved." Hu Yangping, chairman of the labor union of China Construction Railway Rail Transit Company, said that the company’s development today was created by workers with their hands.
Caption:
Figure ①: Tourists enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner in Arctic Village, Mohe, Heilongjiang.
Photo by Li Xiaoyun (People’s Vision)
Fig. 2: Members of the Xinjiang Forestry and Grassland Bureau’s team in Kumbulong Village, Aotebeixi Township, Wushi County, Aksu Prefecture gather to celebrate the Spring Festival.
Our reporter Yang Mingfang photo
Figure ③: Staff and children of poverty relief office in Lukou District, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province make decorations for the Spring Festival.
Figure ④: Village cadres and villagers are preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner in the centralized resettlement site for ex situ poverty alleviation and relocation in Huachong Village, Longmen Town, Lukou District.
Zhu Gangshe (People’s Vision)
Layout design: Cai Huawei
People’s Daily (January 25, 2020, 02 edition)
