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Wang Mengmeng, now the first Party secretary of Xikong Village in east China's Anhui Province, is busy applying for government subsidies and technical support for local villagers. Wang became a village official after graduating from university in 2013 and began serving in her current post in February 2015. Now it is her routine work to talk with villagers to learn their situations, organize technical training and attract investment. "During campus recruitment, I was deeply moved by the stories of college-graduate village officials. I felt that the countryside needed more young people to help bring about changes," the 33-year-old recalled. The Xikong Village was rather backward then. The villagers mostly grew wheat and rice, but with a low level of mechanization. It was a situation Wang was determined to change. She led the village in developing specialty agriculture to cash in on the region's transport and location advantages. Wang rented around seven hectares of farmland for strawberry planting and tourism agriculture in a pilot program. Enticed by high earnings from the pilot program, many villagers later planted other fruits like watermelons and peaches around the strawberry plot. Specialty agriculture has brought prosperity and vitality to the once poor village. It had helped lift all 135 poor households out of poverty by the end of 2019, with the villagers' annual incomes more than doubling to 15,800 yuan (about 2,440 U.S. dollars). Over the years, great changes have taken place in the village. "Now every household lives in a two-story house, with more modern facilities and a cleaner and greener environment," Wang said. As a witness and participant of China's poverty alleviation efforts, Wang feels that young Party members can play a huge role in the drive. "Young people have firm ideals, rich knowledge and the capacity to innovate. There are many things worth doing in rural revitalization." Wang said she would continue to work on the land and improve the village by developing digital agriculture and specialty industries. She has full confidence in the future of the country led by the Communist Party of China. "I believe that under the leadership of the Party, the rural areas will definitely get better and some will enjoy the same good infrastructure and environment as the city suburbs." "As young Party members, we have more vitality and capacity for combat in poverty alleviation and rural vitalization, and we can think more actively to offer innovative and practical approaches," said Qi Yunsheng, Party secretary of Xiaowan Village in the city of Huaian, Jiangsu Province. Qi, who was recruited to the village to help fight poverty in 2017, is leading the village towards rural vitalization after helping lift all poor villagers out of poverty. In the future, the 28-year-old plans to take advantage of the village's industrial and cultural elements and attract more investors and tourists to build a beautiful village. In the big cities, talented young Party members tap the opportunities in the national innovation drive with startups in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence (AI). Jing Kun, general manager of an electronics technology company based in Shandong Province, entered the AI industry directly after graduation from university. The 39-year-old was encouraged by the country's 14th Five-Year Plan, which includes content on the development of AI technology. In Jing's eyes, AI is a technology that serves the well-being of humans and better meets people's aspirations for a better life. "In the future, I am determined to use technology to support the development of the country and society," he said. Enditem
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