Echoes of Tagore in Hills of Hunan: A journey through China's new village dream
Changsha (Hunan province, China): "I shall consider myself fortunate if, through this visit, China comes nearer to India and India to China – for no political or commercial purpose, but for disinterested human love and for nothing else," Asia's first Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore
said a century ago.
He first visited China in April 1924.
About a fortnight before his 164th birth anniversary on May 7, a media delegation from Bengal was invited by the Chinese Consulate in Kolkata to observe China's poverty alleviation initiatives. It is also 75 years of Indo-Chinese diplomatic relations.
Bullet trains (zipping at 310 kmph) from Changsha to ancient Fenghuang town, via the state-of-the-art Aizhai bridge, took us to Shibadong, the model village showcasing China's "targeted poverty alleviation campaign."
Shibadong, which translates to "18 caves," is nestled in the highlands of the Wuling mountains. It is not very far from Shaoshan, the village where Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, was born on December 26, 1893.
Cut to Nov 2013. Around 130 households (over 60% of Miao populace in Shibadong) were living below poverty line. That is when President Xi stepped in. He walked to the modest dwelling of 72-year-old matriarch Shi Basan, who has now become synonymous with the transformation narrative.
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"I didn't recognise the General Secretary. He said I was his elder sister and that he was here to serve us. The General Secretary (Xi) checked if there was enough food, if we grew fruits, and if the livestock (pigs) was well fed.
He went to the bedroom, turned over the quilt to see how much rice was in store…" Shi said. The President realised villagers were leaving every other day, looking for greener pastures (jobs). That is when he introduced the "targeted poverty alleviation" programme.
The delegation visited Xiaqi village in Xianbaishi town where former boat-dwelling fishing communities have transformed into successful tea cultivators. The town is in the Fujian province, which has been President
Xi Jinping
's working zone as a young CPC leader. "Actually, every village, town, and city in China is the President's working area," said Consul Zhang Zizhong, who led the media team.
(The TOI correspondent was in China at the invitation of the Chinese govt)
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