In 2021, China's battle against poverty will be fully won, with all 832 poor counties removed from the list under the current standards. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "a history of China is a history of the Chinese nation's struggle against poverty."

In the centenary year of the founding of the Party, Renmin University of China has launched a series of research projects on the "History of the People's Republic of China's Fight against Poverty" (hereinafter referred to as the "832 Project") to investigate the 832 national-level poverty-stricken counties that have been removed from poverty list. From March to April 2021, a research team from the School of Journalism and Communication and the School of Applied Economics of Renmin University of China went to Xinyang, Henan Province, to learn from key local cadres and people who have experienced poverty eradication about the historical process, characteristics and development of poverty eradication, and to record the great achievements of China's poverty eradication efforts. The research is written on the earth.

In March 2021, the research team went to Xin County and Lushan County, Xinyang, Henan Province to investigate the first phase of the "832 Project".

From 19 to 21 March, Yan Yan led his PhD students Ni Lerong and Song Hang, together with Professor Zheng Xinye from the School of Applied Economics, on a research trip to Xin County. The county is the first county in the Dabie Mountain region to be lifted out of poverty.

On the 20th, the team interviewed Lv Lv, Vice Mayor of Xinyang Government and Secretary of the Xinxian County Committee, Xia Mingfu, Mayor of Xinxian County and Deputy Secretary of the County Committee, Huang Chengguang, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Xinxian County Poverty Alleviation and Development Office, and Sun Lijian, First Secretary of the village, to understand Xinxian County's approach to poverty alleviation policies and practices to increase income and reduce expenditure.

At the same time, the research team also learnt from villagers who had escaped from poverty about the changes in their lives in grassroots scenarios such as factory workshops and individual farmers' homes.

The research team interviewed Lv Lv, Vice Mayor of Xinyang Municipal People's Government and Secretary of Xinxian County Party Committee

Yan Yan's interview with Xia Mingfu, the Governor of Xinxian County and Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee

The research team conducts interviews in Xin County

On the 21st, the research team went to Sidian Town and Chendian Town under Xin County for a visit. In Sidian Town, the research team went into the relocation community and poverty alleviation workshop and interviewed Yang Zhen, Party Secretary of Sidian Town in Xin County. Sidian Town has coordinated resources through relocation and resettlement for centralized production and operation, while harnessing the power of women in poverty alleviation.

When the research team visited the Jixiang community, local women workers were processing semi-finished products for light industry that were sold to the outside world for further processing.

Chendian Town is a model town for rural revitalization in Henan Province. The research team interacted with Wang Zongjun, secretary of the Party Committee of the town, and Lu Jiaojiao, a famous local villager who brings goods live, at the Taobao e-commerce live incubation base in the Xihu community of Chendian Town, to get a real feel for how Sidian Town is flourishing in bringing goods for local agricultural products and developing a rural e-commerce economy.

Yan Yan communicates with Yang Zhen, Secretary of the Party Committee and Mayor of Sidian Town, Xin County, in Jixiang community

Female workers working on plush toys in Jixiang community of Sidian Town, Xin County

Lu Jiaojiao, Chendian Town's lead anchor

From April 21st to April 23rd, Yan Yan led a group of six PhD students, including Wen Jing, to Lushan County, Pingdingshan, Henan Province, for a research trip.

On the morning of the 22nd, the research group communicated with Li Huiliang, the governor of Lushan County, Chen Jinyu, the first secretary of Huanggu Village, and Zhang Chaozen, the director of the news channel of the county radio and television bureau, at the selenium pear base in Lushan County.

During the interview, the research group had an in-depth understanding of the special development mode of "agro-tourism, agro-industry and agro-business" in Lushan County, and the content planning of the "Lushan People in the South and North" column of the news channel of the county radio and television bureau and the construction of the county media center, etc. to understand the media power in poverty alleviation.

In the afternoon, the team met with Yang Yingfeng, Secretary of the County Party Committee, and Li Xinjie, Deputy Governor and former Director of the Poverty Alleviation Office. Afterwards, the team went into the villages and countryside and model enterprises, had a conversation with villagers who had escaped poverty in Luanshipan Village, Chen Hui, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of Lushan County Women's Federation, representatives of relevant agricultural enterprises and media representatives, to review the special practices of Lushan County in helping blind poor households and helping singles to get married as well as getting out of poverty.

Interview with Yang Yingfeng, Party Secretary of Lushan County, by Zheng Xinye, President of the School of Applied Economics

The research team communicated with villagers of the Lushan County Off-Line Poverty Alleviation Project

Mushrooms are a characteristic supporting industry in the Central Plains. The research team came to the special mushroom cultivation base on 23 April to communicate with the person in charge of the mushroom enterprise and the mushroom farming out of poverty in Hongshiya village.

Staff of Lushan County mushroom plantation introduce the products to the research team

Recently, the School of Journalism and Communication's Project 832 research team will continue to visit other counties in Henan Province that have been lifted out of poverty.

In the process of advancing the 832 Project, the audio and video recording and post-processing of the research scenes were designed and completed independently by the School of Journalism's student team.

The School of Journalism's "Academic Talent Training Programme in Journalism and Communication" students and members of the Mingxin Video Workshop completed the whole recording process of "Project 832", including setting up the location, building the filming system, 4K UHD filming, drone control and aerial filming, and 4K UHD editing. They produced a variety of research results including, but not limited to, text articles, conversation books, themed photo shoots, Vlog videos and themed promotional videos.

With a keen eye for journalism, strong technical skills, excellent professional qualities and sincere rural concerns, the School of Journalism student team brought their professional strengths into practice, recording grassroots stories and the great achievements of China's poverty eradication efforts.

Research Members of the delegation are working on the interviewees' make-up and hair, equipment set-up, filming and field notes

Li Huiliang (sixth from left), Governor of Lushan County, and the research team at the selenium pear base in Lushan County

Renmin University of China's "History of Poverty Alleviation in the People's Republic of China" research project focuses on answering China's questions based on the realities of the Chinese countryside. At the same time, all faculties are called upon to participate in the project with their practical spirit and professional strengths, and to jointly promote the project.

In the process of implementing the "832 Project", the School of Journalism will take advantage of the practical strengths of all teachers and students in journalism and scientific research in the academic field of journalism and communication, and gradually optimize the project into a trinity brand activities of "Party building and thinking, teaching and research".

The School of Journalism uses counties that have been lifted out of poverty as a second classroom, and organizes students and teachers to go into the front line in the process of building the School's grassroots party building brand.

In practice, the School of Journalism has developed a talent cultivation mode that combines teaching and research, cultivating students' professionalism and skills, promoting the transformation of young teachers' research ideas with the vivid ecology of the grassroots, and inspiring journalism students and teachers to write their youth on the land of China.

Author: Wang Huiyi

Photo: Ni Lerong, Liu Zhiyi, David Doyle

Editor: Liao Jing

Translator: He Jingwei