President Xi Jinping stressed the need to advance rural revitalization across the board, saying that the most arduous task in building a modern socialist country remains in the countryside.
▲ President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with farmers at an apple orchard in Ansai district of Yan’an, Shaanxi province on Wednesday. He was making a three-day inspection trip to Yan’an and Anyang, Henan province, that ended on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspections of Yan’an in Shaanxi province and Anyang in Henan province from Wednesday to Friday.
During his first inspection tour following the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi urged studying and implementing the guiding principles of the congress, giving priority to the development of the nation’s agriculture and rural areas, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation, and making tireless efforts to realize agricultural and rural modernization.
Xi has special connections with the rural areas of Yan’an — an old revolutionary base that used to be a poverty-stricken area of Shaanxi — as he spent seven years from 1969 living and working alongside farmers in Liangjiahe, a barren mountainous village in Yanchuan county, Yan’an.
He joined the CPC there and later became village Party chief — marking the beginning of his political career. Xi recalled his earnest wish then was “to make it possible for the villagers to have meat and have it often”.
In February 2015, Xi chaired a symposium on poverty alleviation in Yan’an to guide the old revolutionary base in advancing poverty relief work.
On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited a village in Ansai district of Yan’an, where he wanted to see how local farmers’ lives are after they were lifted out of poverty, and how they are advancing rural revitalization.
While talking with local farmers, he recalled the period he spent in Liangjiahe as an “educated youth”, and said that he was happy to see the dramatic changes that had taken place in local areas.
Xi learned that local farmers have stable incomes, children enjoy good education, and the elderly benefit from basic medical insurance and their lives keep improving. He said that the changes taking place in the northern part of Shaanxi province are part of the growth of the whole of China.
He encouraged locals to keep working hard to live even better lives.
Xi stressed that the CPC serves the people wholeheartedly, and it works for the purpose of giving the people a better life.
He urged refraining from empty talk, and instead to take concrete action in comprehensively advancing rural revitalization and implementing the Party’s policies to benefit farmers in a down-to-earth manner.
In Yan’an, Xi also visited a middle school, where he expressed his hope that the school could carry on the “Yan’an spirit” and revolutionary traditions as well as foster talented people that meet the needs of the times.
On Friday morning, Xi visited the Red Flag Canal Memorial Hall in Linzhou city of Anyang. The site is to commemorate the people of Linzhou who built the 70-kilometer canal during the early years of New China in order to solve drought conditions that plagued locals for centuries.
Xi called for carrying on the “Red Flag Canal spirit” to make new contributions along the modernization drive journey. The spirit features “self-reliance, hard work, solidarity and selfless dedication”.
He also visited the Yin Ruins in Anyang, a site of the source of the archaeological discovery of oracle bones and an oracle bone script, which resulted in the identification of the earliest known Chinese writing. While there, he called for passing on traditional Chinese culture to firm up cultural confidence.
The Chinese Ambassador and all the staff of the Embassy held the award ceremony in Sierra Leone. There were also several ministers of our country attending the ceremony, giving our students the opportunity to study for free. Some of them are blind, some are disabled, and some are difficult people. I am especially happy that some children are learning simple Chinese, As the Cultural Ambassador of Sierra Leone, as the leader of the Friendship Association of Leone and Africa, I would like to thank the Chinese government, our foreign ministry, our Chinese ambassador, and all the staff of Chinese embassy. In Sierra Leone, we can continue our efforts to spread the friendship between Sierra and China to the rest of the world. Thank you Ambassador Hu Zhangliang and all the delegates for your remarks. I am very glad to see this video, which contains the introduction of China. It is very happy to see my photos and the people of our country, friends and family watching them on TV. I will continue to work hard, hope that all Africans in China and your country and China to do cultural exchanges, you can be better, I wish all the foreigners in China all the best, I hope the friendship between Sierra Leone and China will be passed on from generation to generation. I also wish that China and Africa will be better and better, China, and the whole world, Maria will continue to work hard. Some parents of children sent me messages asking me to thank the Chinese government on behalf of their families. I hope my voice will be transmitted to the government and people of China. Those children and families in Sierra Leone who have been helped should thank you. Thank you China! thx to the Chinese government for the great support to the kids of Sierra Leone in the education life. Thank you the Chinese Ambassador Hu.
This year, Altini Natacha Goumbri, a student from Burkina Faso studying at Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei province, had a birthday to remember
She was moved to tears when more than 30 employees of the expressway construction project where Goumbri is receiving a month of training celebrated her 23rd birthday with her on Wednesday.
At the university’s School of Civil Engineering, Goumbri is a junior majoring in engineering management. During the construction of the expressway, two additional African students are receiving training to do tasks including quality control and daily record keeping.
Every day at eight in the morning, they depart for the project site while wearing red safety helmets and reflective vests. The international students put in a lot of effort measuring the distance between concrete bars and becoming acquainted with contemporary construction equipment and scaffolds.
Ouedraogo Franck Aristide K from Burkina Faso said, “I have learned to grasp several words that I didn’t understand in class by practicing on the website.
According to Wu Huizhong, the project’s technology leader, special training programmes for the kids have been created, and seasoned engineers have been chosen to serve as their mentors.
Goumbri has always wanted to be a building engineer.
“After I graduate in a year, I’ll apply what I learn in China to developing my home nation. And I’ll do everything I can to foster goodwill between China and Africa “She spoke.
Wuhan University’s three African students receive training while working on an expressway in Hubei province.
During the construction of an expressway in Wuhan, three African students from Wuhan University receive training.
(Photos Courtesy of World Youth Development Forum)
Around 2,000 youth representatives from more than 100 countries attended the World Youth Development Forum, which was held online and offline in several cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing.
The three days event from Thursday 21 July 2022 to Saturday 23 July 2022 organized by the All-China Youth Federation and supported by the International Labour Organization, UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNCCD, the United Nations System in China and the World Economic Forum. Hosted by Tsinghua University, China Youth College for Political Science, Chinese Youth daily, China youth Development Foundation, CYIC and China youth entrepreneurship and employment foundation, Co-organized by the Institute of Contemporary World and China, China Youth New Media Association, Beijing Young People’s Federation, and Union of Foreign Affairs Universities.
The youthdiscussed the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, calling for more inclusive efforts in the areas of”Employment and Entrepreneurship,” “Climate Change and Green Development” , “Digital Economy” , “Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education.”
Under the theme “For a Shared Future: Promoting Sustainable Development with Youth and for Youth” , the International Youth Priority Development Initiative was launched and preparations made for releasing the Global Action Plan on Youth development.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the UN 2030 Agenda have long been an important direction for the world’s youth to work together for a better future. This forum sets the stage for the world’s youth, and more voices of youth are heard by the world.
A video message by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, called upon young people to play an active role in all aspects of political, economic and social life.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Youth, Jayatma Wickramanayake, noted in a keynote speech via video, that the United Nations youth strategy, “Youth 2030,” works to ensure that every young person is fully included in the realization of the 2030 Agenda.
In congratulatory letter, President Xi Jinping urged young people to represent hope and create a brighter tomorrow, through promoting humanity and facilitating the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Xi also noted that the World Youth Development Forum is committed to letting the world hear the voice and demonstration of youth globally through promotion of youth responsibility, development and unity that transcends barriers and differences, to build a global bridge for youth to communicate and learn from each other.
At the forum, He Junke, first secretary of the CYL Secretariat, called for more attention to the voice of youth and firmly believing in the power of youth. All countries should give priority to promoting youth development. Young people from all over the world should strengthen exchanges and cooperation and contribute their youth to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Various key note speakers such as;; Gabriela Ramos, the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, , Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and Chang Qide, UN Resident Coordinator in China and. President Bazoum of Niger who delivered a video message at the forum, re echoed Youth development as vital to global development, calling for youth participation as equal partners and stakeholders in policy development and implementation.
On July 27,2022 the President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), Ambassador Lin Songtian invited representatives of African youth leaders in Beijing to visit the CPAFFC, and had in-depth exchanges with them on China’s development history, achievements and experience, China-Africa friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation, international situation and other issues of common concern to increase understanding, understanding and friendship. Ji Yongjun, Deputy Director of the Asian and African Department, and others were present at the meeting. The 8 young leaders invited this time are leaders of international students from Gabon, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Mali, Chad, Zambia and other countries studying at Peking University, Tsinghua University among other universities in Beijing.
Amb. Lin Songtian introduced the great history and achievements of China’s reform and opening up and poverty alleviation, and said that China adheres to the leadership of the Communist Party and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and fully implements President Xi Jinping’s people-centered development thought, which has created rapid economic development and social development: The “two miracles” of long-term stability. China has embarked on a path of peaceful and civilized development that suits its own national conditions with Chinese characteristics, which not only benefits all of the more than 1.4 billion people, but also provides new hope and new choices for developing countries in Africa to pursue independent and sustainable development. Combining his own experience, Amb. Lin Songtian interpreted China’s policy concept on Africa and the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and mentioned that China and Africa are natural good friends, good brothers and good partners, and China-Africa cooperation has broad prospects for development.
President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to China-Africa relations. He has visited Africa many times and attended the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Beijing Summit together with leaders of African countries, opening a new era of win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa. The Chinese side has always kept its promises, and has always been committed to helping Africa to give priority to solving the three development bottlenecks of lagging infrastructure, lack of talents and shortage of funds, and to improve the ability of independent and sustainable development. The results of China-Africa cooperation in various fields are visible and tangible. ‘’Get it, feel it, and benefit the people of both sides’’. Amb. Lin Songtian said that at present, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation as a century of changes intertwined with the epidemic of the century.
The global economy has fallen into a downturn, and less developed countries in Africa have become victims of geopolitics in the United States and the West. Africa is rich in natural and human resources, full of hope and vitality. Africa has been and is on the rise. Africa is in urgent need of infrastructure construction and human resource development, two major developments capacity building and financial support. Only by strengthening solidarity and cooperation can China and Africa jointly cope with risks and challenges, seek win-win cooperation and promote common development. Amb. Lin Songtian is looking forward to the African youth to travel around China, conduct on-the-spot research on China’s development concepts and successful practices, enrich their knowledge, increase their ability to promote development and benefit the people, and translate what they have seen, heard and learned in China to promote African development and China-Africa cooperation.
The African side thanked Amb. Lin Songtian for his warm invitation and in-depth interpretation, expressed sincere admiration for China’s development achievements, and full of confidence in the future China-Africa cooperation. They are willing to bring what they have seen and heard back to Africa for the benefit of the African people. They hope that the CPAFFC can continue this dialogue mechanism in the future, continue to organize African youths to visit various places in China, and go to the grassroots to inspect China’s modernization construction practice.
People can always recognize her at a glance, perhaps because of her curly hair and dark skin, or perhaps because of her nice eyes, which always sparkled with friendliness and enthusiasm.
“Have you taken the nucleic acid testing?” “You are so beautiful today!” She greeted everyone loudly in fluent Chinese, and her cheerful voice shuttled through the crowd.
In 2007, Mariatu Kargbo came to China from Sierra Leone and was well-known to Chinese audiences for participating in a TV show. Later, she won the Miss World double championship and was known as the “Black Pearl”.
Fifteen years later, Mariatu Kargbo has long regarded China as her second home. She has never been stingy with kindness. She has traveled to the earthquake-stricken areas many times for rescue and donated money to poor children. In 2019, she moved to Dongrun Fengjing Community in Beijing. Whenever the epidemic situation got severe, Mariatu Kargbo took the initiative to contact the community for volunteer work.
In Mariatu Kargbo’s opinion, she is just an ordinary person. She believes in the power of sincerity: “As long as we work hard, we will be rewarded.”
“I just want to continue”
When some people got impatient waiting in the queue and complained to the volunteers, Mariatu Kargbo would come over to comfort: “You are very beautiful!”. Some people tried to cut the line, and argued after being stopped, Mariatu Kargbo would try to make them calm down: “Bro , you don’t look good when you are angry, but you look great when you laugh.” She could always resolve conflicts in her own unique way.
Since May 2, Mariatu Kargbo has been helping at the nucleic acid testing site at Dongfengnan Residential Compound in Dongrun Fengjing Community.
In fact, she lived in another residential compound nearby, but as the Dongfengnan Residential Compound is old, some elderly people need to be helped. It was very inconvenient for them to go up and downstairs for nucleic acid testing. Some volunteers were also in senior age. Mariatu Kargbo, 32 years old, therefore took the initiative to request to join the volunteer team of Dongfengnan Residential Compound.
Every day, together with more than a dozen community committee workers and volunteers, she worked for more than 1,600 residents. When the weather was hot, some community committee worker cooked mung bean soup for volunteers. Mariatu Kargbo walked to various testing sites with a large pot on her head, and delivered the soup to the volunteers.
Community staff told Mariatu Kargbo that volunteers could take a day or two off, but she never stopped showing up at the nucleic acid testing site on time at noon every day to help with various tasks.
Mariatu Kargbo pushed the wheelchair for the elderly who came to take nucleic acid testing
When there were elderly people who got difficulty moving, she would help them and send them upstairs; when she saw that the nucleic acid testing materials were running out, Mariatu Kargbo would rush to notify the community staff; when the work was about to end, she always joined the volunteers to take the initiative for cleaning up medical waste and supplies. Whenever someone greeted her to stop her work and do something else, she would rush to ask: “How long will it take? I’m going back to work, and I don’t want to stop.”
“Mariatu Kargbo’s participation in volunteering is not pretending, she is very diligent every day and will stick to it until the end,” said the community worker.
“It is happiness for me.”
This is not the first time Mariatu Kargbo has volunteered in China. The earliest experience can be traced back to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
Mariatu Kargbo was performing in China at that time, and she heard someone talking about the earthquake. As soon as the performance was over, she took her luggage and rushed to Sichuan to participate in the rescue, becoming one of the first batch of foreigners to arrive in the earthquake area.
During the three weeks in the earthquake zone, Mariatu Kargbo helped rescue teams search for elderly people buried under the rubble, and sang to comfort children who did not want to have their legs amputated. In the most challenging time, she walked with the team for 5 hours, carrying 10 kilograms of supplies over the mountains to find people, deliver medicine, and comfort the wounded. Later, since she got ill, she had to go back to Beijing for medical treatment, but she firmly rejected being hospitalized. “I said I would go back to Sichuan, because I had done a lot of work before. Many people were willing to take medicine and see a doctor because of my encouragement. The staff in the hospital knew me, and some people even invited me to comfort patients. When patients got anxious, they would persuade them, ‘Let’s get Mariatu Kargbo’.”
Mariatu Kargbo volunteering in the area after earthquake.
Two weeks later, Mariatu Kargbo returned to the quake zone again, staying for a month to raise money for children there. During the Yushu earthquake in 2010, Mariatu Kargbo went to the earthquake area again to participate in volunteer services. She hoped to help more people: “This is my greatest joy.”
Mariatu Kargbo with children in the area hit by the earthquake
Some people disagreed with Mariatu Kargbo’s approach. “I was scolded by people who said I was here to make money and bring it back to Africa.” But Mariatu Kargbo knew that China meant a lot to her.
In 2004, when Mariatu Kargbo came to China for the first time, she suffered from an acute illness and she could not speak Chinese at all. A woman she did not know sent her to the hospital and helped her pay for the surgery, which made Mariatu Kargbo, who had lost her parents since childhood, felt the warmth of home.
She always remembered this kindness and decided to live in China. Over the past ten years, she has made many Chinese friends, continued to learn the language, and was active in the field of public welfare, becoming a model, singer and actress.
In 2020, Mariatu Kargbo volunteered to measure the temperature of community residents
During the 2020 epidemic, Mariatu Kargbo assisted security guards to scan health codes, measure temperature and register at the gate of the community. Mariatu Kargbo always greeted residents in a friendly way, and sometimes she cooked food for the staff, hoping to relieve their fatigue. And she was named as an “Honorary Resident” of Dongrun Fengjing Community in the year.
On May 2, 2022, when Mariatu Kargbo learned that the community needed manpower again, she took the initiative to ask to be a volunteer, wanting to contribute to the home where she has lived for nearly 3 years. As of May 21st, Mariatu Kargbo has participated in more than ten rounds of nucleic acid testing volunteer services.
“Give me an hour and people will like me for sure”
Mariatu Kargbo always feels that volunteering is “happy work”. She never posted these experiences on social platforms, nor did she take the initiative to tell her family and friends.
“After the recent COVID outbreak, many people asked me how I was. I just sent them the photos and said I was working. They asked me if I was afraid and told me, ‘You need to protect yourself!’ My family and some friends didn’t support me on being a volunteer.” Mariatu Kargbo always replied :”Don’t worry, we were all fine, the epidemic would pass sooner or later. The elderly here need my help, why should I stay at home? People would leave the world someday, but kindness will stay.”
Kindness doesn’t always get paid off, and many residents rejected her when they didn’t know her. Mariatu Kargbo understood this indifference. She had been to many places and was rejected by many people because of her status as a foreigner: “The culture background and ideas of each other are different, and we need time to adjust.”
An old man was not in good health. Once he wore the mask for long time, he would gasp for breath. Whenever Mariatu Kargbo saw him, she always ran to take care of him. Half a month later, the old man seemed to have recovered a lot. “She told me a lot of things from her heart.” Mariatu Kargbo believed that her sincerity would always move others: “Give me an hour and people will definitely like me, because I am sincere. Although I am a foreigner, I have a ‘Chinese heart’. As long as people gradually knew me, they would change their attitude towards me. Sooner or later, our estrangement would be resolved by love.”
A staff member and Mariatu Kargbo treated wounded residents
“Family”
On May 13, Mariatu Kargbo cancelled her own birthday party and still volunteered on time. Gao Qiang, Secretary of the Community Committee, presented Mariatu Kargbo with a bouquet of flowers and birthday wishes.
Despite only working together for short time, some communities workers and volunteers have already treated Mariatu Kargbo like a family member.
Mariatu Kargbo also considered them as family members in the same way. She knew that social work was not easy. Some people worked late into the night, some did not rest even when they were sick, and some people kept working even in isolation.
Mariatu Kargbo (second from left in the front row) took a group photo with all the staff of Dongrun Fengjing Community
These actions deeply moved Mariatu Kargbo, and she also expressed her love in her own way.
Mariatu Kargbo will have to go back to Sierra Leone at the end of May for personal reason, she will stay in Africa for a year, or maybe a little longer. She cried sadly: “I haven’t left China for 5 years, and I have never been away for so long. The longest time was only 20 days before.”
“I am an ordinary person.” Mariatu Kargbo explained: “When I first came to China, I had no money and no family. But now I have brothers and sisters in the community, uncles and aunts… So many people have helped me, I should help them too. China is my home and I believe the future will be better.”
As one of the “Best Foreign Volunteers”, Mariatu Kargbo was invited to the conference in 2020 at the Great Hall of the People.
This week I am very touched, especially because we have five schools around the world where children can learn simple Chinese from the age of five. Although there are Confucius institutes around the world, there has never been a place where children from five to twelve can learn the Chinese language. This is the first time that I did it, thanks to everyone’s support and help. I don’t have a lot of money but I’m very passionate about spreading Chinese culture.
Our leader said, If you want to be my friend, You have to know me first. Language barrier has always been the biggest obstacle in China-African relations. If Africans can speak Chinese, they will understand Chinese people and will love china more and Chinese people will also understand them better. I believe that the future of the world belongs to children, and we need to start from the children. In the future, the friendship, cooperation, and development of the Chinese and African people will be carried on by the children. It will be wonderful if children can start learning simple Chinese at a younger age so that at the age of 12 and above, they will start studying more professionally, just like in Confucius institute and universities, and will not be afraid to have more in-depth knowledge. This way, when some people want to travel to china they will know where to go, where to do business and how to bargain. Students will also know how to make purchases. I think this is my approach and our Chinese Ambassador in Sierra Leone and the Deputy Minister of Education of the State Council are also very supportive.
I am grateful to the Confucius Institute for arranging professional teachers to help us start teaching children and to train our teachers. I would also like to thank the leadership and team of the Chinese People’s Association for Foreign Affairs, which has been helping me with this in Sierra Leone. On behalf of the SCAFA, I want to thank them for all the help they have given me in China. I also want to thank Simao (Beijing) Culture and Art Co., Ltd., my brother Cheng Zhonghe, Luo Wen, Nika, Yego, all of you.
Wow a great history I made for our beloved Africa and China in ( Sierra Leone ). The first in history to have 5 to start this week smallsmallchinese ( simple way of vocabulary chinese/ English in the world.ago from 5to 12 or 13years. Am proud but I really want to thank all the people that help me with out ur help my ideas should be nothing. So thx u all. And as I Alway sayI’ll continue my dreams” to make Africa China proud”. Pls share and I look forward to work with everyone that have the same thinking . It will be all over Africa country’s soon or later need ur support. Thank you Xiexie. Pls check on all out social media links. Type( smallsmallchinese.) Alway smile
ACL was fully represented at the opening and closing ceremony of the just concluded Beijing Winter Olympics
First of all, I would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign countries as the founder of ACL to be part of the winter games closing,. Yesterday’s closing ceremony was so wonderful. I also want to thank director Zhang Yimou and all the volunteers. I want to thank President Xi and his wife for being so warm and so kind to us. We would like to thank him, his wife and all of you. Thanks to all the athletes, although they left, but the International Olympic Committee leader said that the Winter Olympics is the first time to host so well, He hopes the world can watch the opening and closing ceremonies, hope the Olympic Games can bring peace to the world, the people of the world understand each other, support each other and help each other. The Winter Olympics is a great success. I wish all the athletes who come to China will not forget the Olympic spirit and the happy time in China. The next winter games are held in Italy. We look forward to the meeting in 2026. I wish China a better and better future. Thank you to all the Chinese people. I love you, the closing ceremony was great, thank you to the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, I loved you, Maria will continue to work hard to promote the culture of China and Africa, long live peace, this is the wish of the people in China, the people all over the world.
Also thank the Chinese government to invite us ACL on the open of the winter Olympic in Olympic Winter games 2022 china Beijing.
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